• Shuffle and deal entire deck to players.
• Each player simultaneously turns over her top card. The player with the highest card wins all cards on the table and adds them to the bottom of the player's deck.
• If two or more players have the highest card, each places 3 additional cards face-down on the table and 1 card face-up on the table. Player with highest face-up card takes all cards on the table.
• Play continues until there is a winner or until a time limit is reached.

• Play with three people.
• With older children, use multiplication rather than addition where the player who states the product first wins.
• With older children, use multiplication and have each player turn over two cards at one time. The higher product wins.

      Yes, this is the same game you played as a child. The goal is to capture all the cards belonging to all your opponents. The game is an excellent opportunity for a child to see at the same time, a number of things and the numeral for that number of things. The property of order is stressed. The child is able to use an "adults" deck of cards, and no player has a mathematical advantage over other players.

      Shuffle a deck of cards leaving out the jokers, and the face cards if desired. Deal the entire deck to the players making sure all cards are dealt face-down. Cards should remain face-down and in each player's stack or deck as dealt until played. Each player turns over the top card on his own deck and lays it face-up in the center of the table. The player having the highest card, wins all the cards in the center of the table. These cards should be placed face-down on the bottom of his deck. The ace is played as a 1. I would remove the face cards when playing with a very young child.

      If two or more players turn over the same card, for example a five of hearts and a five of diamonds, they are at war. They do battle for ownership of all cards now on the playing table. Each warring player places his top three cards face-down on the table, backing up his original card.

      The deciding factor is the fourth card which each warring player places face-up on the table. The player having the highest card is the victor and captures all the cards played.

      Play continues until one player captures all 52 cards or until players agree to stop. This game may go on for longer than a young child cares to play so be careful not to bore the child. A time limit might be set before play begins. Once a player has lost all his cards, he is out of the game. If a warring player cannot supply the four additional cards needed to wage the war, he is out.

      Since the adult's ultimate goals are to help the child learn and to enjoy play together, it's a consolation to know that even though the young child will take a great deal of time to decide whose card has the greatest value, this length of time will decrease as play continues and the child grows older. Permit time for the child to determine the winner of each hand, if possible. If not, help the child make the decision or be sure the child understands which card is the greatest.

      War is not just a game for two people. It is a lovely, playable game for three people. Think of the kind of problem generated when three people play: Which number is the biggest: four, three, or seven?

      When a child is stuck on a play, trying to determine the greater of six and seven, for example, permit the child more time to answer or suggest that he or she count the number of diamonds, spades, hearts, or clubs in the center of the card.