Family Card Games: A Tradition Connecting Generations

As a young child who lived far away from extended family, I was nervous about how my cousins and I would break the ice once we met for the first time. Thankfully, during that first visit, they taught my sisters and me a Persian card game, Hokm. Through the ups and downs of playing the game, we got to know each other better and to bond. And every time we visited a relative’s house, my cousins and I found ourselves cozy spots to play Hokm.

After returning home, I remembered how Hokm brought me closer to my relatives. And when I met more cousins who moved to my hometown, playing family card games came in handy again. My relatives taught us how to play Kemps (sometimes called ‘Camp’) and Bluff, which are easy card games for kids to learn. Now, though we have grown up and moved away from one another, fond memories of these games remain.

Continuing the tradition: Garbage, Kings on the Corner, and Solitaire

My family’s tradition of bonding through playing card games continues today: for example, my daughter learned more games from my in-laws. And that’s how Garbage, and Kings on the Corner, joined our repertoire. I even taught the game of Garbage (which I refer to as Basura for my Spanish-speaking students) in the school library, and it helped build togetherness.

The tradition of playing card games has continued with my family on trains and planes, and in restaurants and parks. Games have led to surprising conversations and have truly strengthened our family.

This past New Year’s Eve, we attended a party at a cousin’s home and, when my daughter discovered there were no other children her age, she took out her deck of cards and began playing Solitaire. In no time a big group of relatives gathered around, and she taught them how to play.

Adding to our repertoire: Uno and building family togetherness

Recently, my daughter met more family in Germany and, after playing with their guinea pigs then kicking the soccer ball around, someone took out the game of Uno, which we played and thoroughly enjoyed. Even with language issues, everyone could take part – and big laughs ensued.

I never played card games with my own parents, so this tradition, taught to me by my cousins, has become an important bonding ritual that continues to bring us closer. It’s a big reason I have tabletop games in my school library, too. When people play low-stakes games, they can relax and have fun while getting to know each other better.