Playing With a Full Deck! Higher-Level Thinking Skills With Playing Cards for K-2

Grab a deck of playing cards and you have all you need to introduce dozens of fantastic higher-level activities that get kids thinking!

Here are a few that complement The Primary Education Thinking Skills™ curriculum which addresses four main types of high-level thinking: convergent, divergent, visual-spatial, and evaluative thinking. You can find other PETS™-friendly activities and lessons HERE.

CONVERGENT THINKING

Convergent thinking is deductive reasoning using an analytical, logical approach. Students draw conclusions and solve problems based on “clues” or observations and use scientific thinking skills such as sorting and classifying. In the PETS™ program, Dudley the Detective™ and Sybil the Scientist™ are the analytical thinkers.

MYSTERY CARD ~ This game is a version of the game “20 Questions,” which, even without modification, is actually a wonderful thinking game for younger scholars! In this version of the game, the mystery “object” is a playing card. One student chooses a “mystery” card that is kept hidden. The other students play the role of Dudley the Detective™ and ask questions that will give them clues in determining the secret card. With the youngest students, questioning must be modeled by the teacher in order for students to firmly grasp the idea of framing questions that can be answered with just a “yes” or “no” response. Students may be guided in learning how to ask questions such as “Is the number on the card greater than 5?” “Is the number on the card odd?” “Is the color of the card red?” etc. The goal is to determine the secret card with the fewest number of guesses. Eventually, you can challenge students to write their questions in advance, limiting them to just FIVE questions!

CARD SORT ~ Sybil the Scientist™ loves to sort and classify, and there are many ways that cards can be sorted. Here is a slide show introducing students to this activity and challenging them to come up with as many different card sorts as they can!

CRAYON LOGIC (and COLOR-NUMBER LOGIC) ~ Students use playing cards as placeholders in solving the logic problems posed. In beginning logic problems, the numbers are placed in ascending order, and clues are used to determine the placement of the colors. Later, students are challenged to solve problems in which the colors and numbers can be in any order. Crayon Logic is one of the many Marcy Cook activities I recommend for students in this age group.

ACES, JUMBLE, ZILCH~ This is a wonderful game presented in PETS™, and it may be easier for younger students to play if they have number cards they can substitute or remove as they are given clues.

DIVERGENT THINKING

Divergent thinking is creative thinking. Students follow the lead of Isabel the Inventor™ in looking at things in new ways and generating many new and original ideas and exploring possibilities. They also discover new ways to use their imaginations and write creatively from Yolanda the Yarnspinner.™

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. with cards ~ If you are not familiar with the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. technique, you can find an introductory slide show HERE and more information HERE. Students could apply the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. technique to playing cards, brainstorming many ways that they might be adapted and put to other uses. You could even let them create their own decks. Ideas:

• substitute the suits (hearts, spades, etc.) with emojis, animal shapes, etc.
• substitute the numbers with words, dots, or letters of the alphabet
• substitute the cards themselves with index cards, popsicle sticks, etc.
• substitute the design with a family photo
• combine playing cards with string to make a garland
• combine playing cards with magnetic tape to play games on a whiteboard.
• combine with felt to make coasters
• add riddles, trivia questions, comics, etc. to make card games even more fun!
• adapt, modify ~ as in tiny cards, giant cards, make them circular, make them bookmarks
• put to other uses … show students these DIY projects

INVENT ~ something with cards such as a new game or cardholder (see several styles here) using common materials you can find in your home.

WRITE A DIALOGUE or STORY ~ There are so many possibilities here! What would the ACE and the KING discuss? Write a story from the perspective of an ant who found some playing cards.

VISUAL-SPATIAL THINKING

Visual-spatial thinking involves looking at attributes and identifying patterns. Max the Magician™ is the “pet” who loves to use this type of thinking.

BUILD – something with playing cards. Who can build the tallest structure? What are some helpful tips? There are many amazing YouTube videos of structures 8 feet tall and higher if you have time to share them with students. What if you were allowed to combine cards with blocks? What type of structure could you build?

PATTERN-MAKING ~ Use playing cards to present a pattern and have students guess the next card in the sequence. Challenge students to translate the number pattern to one with letters or shapes.

EVALUTIVE THINKING

Evaluative thinking involves making judgments based on observable, measurable, and/or factual information. As explained in the PETS™ program, students often say they make choices based on what they “like” or what is “best,” but have trouble articulating the specific criteria to consider. Students learn from Jordan the Judge™ how to make good judgments.

THE BEST CARD GAME ~ Most students are familiar with “Go Fish,” “Crazy Eights,” and “Concentration.” Work together to create a rubric with criteria students can use to determine the “best” card game to play with a friend. Criteria creation is a challenge for students! Ask questions such as “What makes this game fun?” “Does the game make us use our brains?” etc.

My first-graders made board games at the end of the year, and we created rubrics to compare our games with other board games. Through probing questions, I was usually able to elicit from students some good criteria to use in determining the “best” games. They included: educational, fair (everyone has a chance to win), and for all ages.

So, if the PETS™ had playing cards, those are some of the things they would do with them! If you are new to this site, you might also like to check out Learn a Card Trick ~ Explain the Math! For older students, too, you might like these CARD PUZZLES and CARDS IN A SQUARE puzzle. As always, if you have ideas to add to this list, your comments below are welcome!