How to Play: Spoons
The card game Spoons has been a go-to when visiting new friends on another boat or hanging out with a group.
Here are the rules so you can play, too.
Looking for more game rules that you can try? See all of our blog posts tagged with Game Rules.
Game Information
Game Objective
The goal of Spoons is to be the last player left in the game by grabbing a spoon in every round, either by collecting a set of four matching cards and being the first person to grab a spoon or by grabbing a spoon quickly after the first player gets their spoon.
Number of Players
Spoons can be played with 3+ players. For groups larger than 4, you might want to add decks of cards so there are enough to go around between the player’s hands and draw piles. Two decks for 6-10 players and three for 10-15 players might help the game flow.
Playing Time
A typical game of Spoons with 4 players takes about 5-10 minutes, with each round taking about 2-3 minutes.
Supplies
A standard deck of 52 playing cards (minus the jokers)
One fewer spoons than the number of players
Recommended Ages
Spoons is a great card game for Kindergarteners through adults of all ages. As long as players have basic number identification skills, they should be able to create a matching set of four cards.
Game Rules
We have a pretty loose set of rules to make it easy to explain.
Setup:
Choose a dealer and arrange a small circle of spoons in the middle of the table. There should be one less spoon than players (i.e., if you have five players, there should be four spoons). Shuffle the deck and deal four cards to each player. The remaining cards form a draw deck next to the dealer.The Goal:
Your goal is to get four of the same card. You will want to get all four 3s or all four Kings or whatever… keep and discard based on what set of cards you’re trying to collect.Start:
The dealer picks up a card from the deck in front of them. They look at their card and choose one to discard in front of the player on their left. They should only keep four cards in their hand at all times.Go, go, go!
As cards land in front of each player, they take a quick look and either decide to keep the card or discard it in front of the next player. Again, they can only have four cards in their hand. We usually move this pretty fast!Grab a spoon!
Once someone gets all four matching cards, they must grab a spoon. They can do this quietly or very obvious. Once one spoon is grabbed, everyone grabs spoons! It’s like musical chairs: whoever doesn’t get a spoon is eliminated and sits out the rest of the game. Keep going until only one player is left the winner.Watch out!
You can “fake out” other players by going for a spoon without grabbing it. If a player grabs a spoon but doesn’t have all four matching cards in their hand, they’re out!
Great for Kids
This game is great for building a number of skills:
Math Skills - identify and form matching sets
Social Skills - explain the game and listen to table talk to strategize against other players
Fine Motor Skills - picking up cards, holding cards, discarding, grabbing spoons
Focus - there’s some multitasking going on here, with drawing cards, analyzing them, discarding, and keeping an eye on the spoon pile!
Things that get our kids excited about this game:
Fast Pace - when you start the game, we move as fast as possible!
Sneaky Strategies - My kids like to “fake out” by grabbing a spoon and trying to trip up the other players. They also listen to any table talk and try to hang onto cards that other players might need so that they can’t finish their set!
Excitement - When it’s time to grab a spoon, there’s an urgency behind not being the one left without one. This is very exciting!
