One Player Card Games for Kids

Playing cards are an age-old source of entertainment, enjoyment, and of passing the time when there is nothing else worthwhile to do. If you have a group of three people or more, then undoubtedly, you can have lots of options as to what card games to play. But what do you do if you're all alone on a Sunday afternoon, with no one for company, or no one to play with (or against)? Do not fret, my friend. There always exists the option of one player card games, right? So, on that note, here are a few ideas regarding one player card games that the li'l ones can play without getting bored.

Fun One Player Card Games: The Options

Now the first thing that usually comes to mind, when someone mentions 'one player card game' or 'single player card game', is Solitaire. And I'm sure that you're so tired and fed up of that game, that you must be longing for other easy one player card games, besides solitaire. And yes, that is precisely what I will do, and at the same time, also won't. Sounds confusing? Well, allow me to explain. You see, the word 'Solitaire', literally means 'a game (either a card game, board game or any other game) that is played by one person alone'. Therefore, from that definition, it is clear that all the games presented here-forth will in fact, be categorized or tagged as a form of 'Solitaire'. But at the same time, I will also keep my promise of suggesting one player card games other than solitaire (the common Windows version, that is).

FreeCell
This one gets the first mention, simply because it's my most favorite card game of all time. I can spend hours on end playing this game on my computer and can never get tired. FreeCell, is entirely a game of skill. The luck, or chance element involved in this game is minimal, if not zero. At the start of the game, the 52 playing cards are arranged in a random manner in 8 different columns. There are 4 free cells at the top of the screen in which a card can be moved to, and can be moved back from. The objective of the game is to organize all the cards in the foundation piles, according to their respective suits (i.e. Clubs, Diamonds, Spades and Hearts) by moving individual cards from one column to another (or to the free cells). The game requires a lot of thinking, planning and strategy making. Initially, it's a little confusing to understand, but once you get the hang of it, it's absolutely addictive, trust me. Here are a few more variations to the traditional Windows FreeCell game:

• ForeCell
• Double FreeCell
• Eight Off

Spider Solitaire
For those of who you're fed up of the traditional Windows Solitaire game, try this variant instead. It's a bit different from the common version and a much-needed breath of fresh air. Generally, spider solitaire is played with one suit. However, there are many other versions which make use of two or even four suits (which naturally, increases the level of difficulty). In case of a common one suit game, cards are arranged in a random manner. There are usually 10 columns of cards in which only the top card of each column is revealed to the user. The cards underneath are revealed one at a time, and only when the topmost card of that column is moved to another pile, column or empty space. The objective is to prepare a proper sequence of cards from Ace to King, by moving cards from column to column. The scoring system in Windows takes into consideration the number of moves required to complete the game. Fewer the number of moves, greater is your score, and vice-versa.

Here are a few more interesting games for you to give a go:

• Accordion
• Bowling Solitaire
• Hearts
• Pyramid
• Clock
• Joker Solitaire
• Thirteen Up
• Streets and Alleys
• Poker Solitaire

Well, this was a short overview of a few games that anyone can play by themselves, without feeling the need for having another player. You can have two options - either play them on your computer, or actually lay the cards out on a bedspread and play the game that way. Either way, the enjoyment factor remains the same!