Skip-Bo is a fun card game the whole family can enjoy.  The rules are fairly simple, and you can learn them quickly.  And it’s an easy enough game that almost anyone who is able to recognize and sequence their numbers can play.

We’ve played with anywhere from 2 to 6 people, and had fun with each different grouping.  If you added a second deck of cards, you could easily have more people join in the game.

This game is easy to learn, and provides a great way to teach numeracy to kids.  But it’s equally fun, and can take on a different level of competitiveness, when playing with two or more adults.

The goal of Skip-Bo is to use the cards in your hand and the cards in your discard piles to play through a stack of cards.  The first person to play through his/her stack wins.

Sometimes the game moves slowly.  There may be a couple of rounds in which no one can play a card in the center and all players are simply picking up and discarding cards for a bit.  At other times, the game moves very quickly.  A player may play through his/her hand several times as well as playing through many cards in his/her stack all within one round.

There are elements of strategy in this game.  For example, you must determine how to place the cards in your discard piles so that you can reach them again when you need them as well as decide when to play or hold back a particular card.  There are also elements of chance.  You may have a lucky run of sequential cards in your stack or you might turn up three 11s in a row.  Every game plays out a bit differently, and that’s all part of the fun.

Because this is a card game and doesn’t have many small pieces, it’s a great game to take on a family vacation or to play at a table while you’re waiting for something (such as for food to arrive, or a doctor’s appointment, or something of that nature).  But it’s also a great game to pull out at home.  My oldest son and I often play in the evening after his little brother has gone to bed.

Skip-Bo is fun and easy to learn.  Both parents and kids can enjoy this game, whether playing together or separately.  This makes it a wonderful addition to any family game closet.

Have you played Skip-Bo before?  Do you enjoy it?