Spoons is always a favorite (although be careful, these kids get violent!)

Supplies

Deck of cards (if playing with more than 6 people use 2 decks)

Spoons, always one less than the number of people playing (use REAL spoons. Sturdy ones. I’ve had students break plastic spoons and cheap dollar tree spoons as well!)

Object of the game: Get 4 of a kind, grab a spoon, don’t get left without a spoon!

Sit in a circle around the table and put the spoons within reach of everyone, the dealer gives everyone 4 cards (they can look at them) the dealer then leaves the rest of the cards next to the dealer, everyone looks at their cards, the goal is 4 of a kind (four aces, four 2s, four Jacks etc) the dealer draws one card from the draw pile, then passes a discard to their left.

The player to the left picks up the dealers discard decides to keep it and discard one from their hand or discard the one they were given, then they pass the card to the left. Play continues around to the last person who starts creating a new discard pile which the dealer will draw from if they run out of cards (it happens).

Whenever anyone has 4 of a kind they are to grab a spoon from the middle of the table, whenever the other players see a spoon grabbed they need to grab the spoon as well, there will be one person left without a spoon at the end.

Variations on play:
Last Person Standing- if you play this way the person who didn’t get the spoon is out and then you take away a spoon each round until there are just two players left. A great way to do the ending round is to have a player who is out hide the spoon somewhere in your space, and after the last two get their 4 of a kind they can try to find it, adds some extra fun.

S-P-O-O-N-S- If you want to have more of an all play experience then assign people letters when they don’t get a spoon (kind of like HORSE in the game… horse). That way the person or people with the fewest letters at the end of your allotted time win, rather than everyone standing around watching a game they aren’t playing.