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Purpose:

  • Learn about social etiquette while playing cards
  • Encourage turn taking
  • Encourage truth telling
  • Learn about their social world

Adaptations:

  • Use a hot glue or a bottled glue to make the cards tactile. You could outline the suit and create the number on card.
  • Braille the numbers on the cards using a Perkins brailler
  • Use a sharpie to outline the numbers on the cards and enlarge the suit
  • Use the flash cards listed below and color them in black for high contrast

Before Playing the Game:

Possible talking points:

  • Discuss winning and losing. Explain how we are sometimes sad when we do not win and that is ok, no one likes to lose, but we can play again another time and you will have another chance to win.
  • Explain/show them how to hold the cards properly so they are fanned in your hand.
  • Discuss taking turns, and how you need to wait until everyone has “gone fishing” before you can play again.
  • Explain how this game is built on trust and we need to tell the truth

Activity: Play GO FISH (2-6 players)

Go Fish Rules: How Do You Play Go Fish?

Go Fish Rules:

  • The goal of the game is to collect the most sets of four.
  • Each player is dealt 5 cards (if only 2 players are playing, deal 7 cards each). The remaining cards should be placed face down. This creates a draw pile.
  • There are a variety of ways to determine who goes first. When playing with children, you may want to have the youngest child go first.
  • Each turn consists of 3 main steps:

1) Asking your opponent for a card

Pick a card number from the ones you hold in your hand. Then, choose another player and ask if they have the given card number. For example: “Do you have any 3’s?”

If that person has one or more of the called card, they are given to you and become part of your hand. Anytime you get cards from another player, you may repeat this process.

It is not necessary to ask the same player – each time you receive cards, you may choose any of the denomination of cards you hold in your hand and pick any player to ask for matches.

2) Go Fish

If your opponent does not have the card number you asked for, they will say “Go Fish”. At this point, you draw a card from the draw pile.

If the card you draw matches the card number you asked your opponent for, show the card to your opponents, put it in your hand, and continue playing your turn.

If the card does not match the card number you asked for, the card becomes part of your hand, and it is your opponent’s turn.

3) Creating sets of four

As soon as you have a set of 4 cards of the same number in your hand (one of each suit), you immediately place these cards face up on the table.

4) Winning the Game

The game ends when one person lays all their cards on the table, or the draw pile is empty, whichever comes first. The person with the most sets of four wins the game.

The Go Fish rules are very simple, but the game is very fun. House rules can make variations on game play, such as making the draw pile a pool of cards, requiring players to request a specific card (i.e., ‘the 5 of diamonds’ instead of just asking for a card number like ‘5’), and more.

Flash Cards:

You can access Flash Cards to use instead of traditional 52 deck of cards on the site: DLTK's Crafts for Kids

References:

  1. Developing Social Skills in Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
  2. DLTK's Rules for Go Fish