If your kid loves memory match then you need to learn how to play Finders Keepers.
When my youngest was two, she loved to play memory match. After her nap we would get out the 8 to 10 Dora playing cards and put them on the floor in her room and we would play—again and again. I loved that she wanted to play and the early math skills she was learning. As she got a little older, her love of memory match grew.
The card game Finders Keepers would have been the perfect next step (had I only known about it). So in this post we’ll go over how to play Finders Keepers as well as the rules and variations.
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What You Need for Finders Keepers
You will need a standard playing deck of card with the jokers removed. You will also need a large flor or table space to layout the cards.
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Playing Finder Keepers Card Game
To start, shuffle the cards and lay them out face down on the table in 6 rows of 8 and one last row with a 7th row of 4 cards.
The cards have the following point values:
Ace is 1 point.
The cards from 2 to 10 have the point value of their face.
The jacks are worth 11 points, the queens 12 points and the kings 13 points.
Now the first player says a number and gets to turn over two cards. If the cards add up to the number that he chose he gets to say “Finders Keepers” and he gets to keep the cards. If the cards do not add up to the number, he chooses one card to turn back over and one to leave face up.
If the first player was able to say “Finders Keepers” then the next player gets to choose the next number to look for. On the other hand, if he wasn’t able to pick up the cards, the second player can choose two cards over, trying to get the sum to be the original number.
If the second player matches the sum to the number, then she gets to say “Finders Keepers” and pick up the cards. If she wasn’t able to make a match, then she chooses one card to leave face up and one to turn back over.
Play continues in this fashion until all the cards have been turned over.
Winning the Finders Keepers Card Game
When all the cards have been turned over, the player with the most cards is the winner.
Finder Keepers Variations
Younger Players
The first rule variation is for younger kids. To make it easier to add the numbers together, all face cards are worth 10 points each.
Number Call
The next rule change is that players have to choose a number between 1 and 25 to be the target number.
Three or More Finders Keepers
This rule change says that players can turn over three or more cards to make the sum. A player’s turn is over when they go over the number they are looking for.
Face Up
The last rule change is that once the cards are turned up, a player can use them to add to a newly turned over cards.
Fun Times Found
Finders Keepers is an easy game that takes the classic memory match game to the next level. Not only does it entertain, it also is good math practice and it’s fun to play too.
If you’re looking for more simple, next level games to play check out Crazy Eights Countdown, Play or Pay, Frogs it the Pond and Giveaway.
And for tons of seasonal and original games, check out our Family Game Shelf Shop—there’s something for everyone.
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