After a short break, I'm excited to be sharing some our favorite family game night ideas with you again. This week is an educational favorite, Rack-o.
Family Game Night #23: Rack-o
Rack-o is an old card game that has gone through numerous reprints while the basic concept remained unchanged. There are 6o cards numbered from 1-60 and the object is to get 10 cards in numerical sequence.
How to Play Rack-o
Rack-o works for 2-4 players. Each player has a little rack (hence the name of the game) to randomly place their cards. Then the players replace one card at a time, trying to order their cards from lowest to highest. Players can draw blind from the deck or they can choose the top card in the discard stack. Then you just have to choose the perfect spot for your new card.
The first player to get cards in order is the winner, but you can also earn points if you have some cards in order. The cards do NOT have to be in perfect sequence (1, 2, 3, etc.) just low to high (5, 17, 24, etc.)
This is an educational game that still feels fun to play. There are a few strategies to keep play interesting. We break out our copy most often when we have a child who needs to practice number identification because this is a fun way to get experience ordering numbers.
Rack-o Variations:
You can order cards highest to lowest instead, using the same cards.
If you're crafty you could print higher denomination cards (100s, 1000s) for a child who needed more practice. You could also print flashcard words to practice alphabetical order. If you had multiple sets of the game you can play with more than 4 players.
Summary of Rack-o
Number of Players: 2-4
Recommended Ages: the box says 8+, but we play with children as young as 4 or 5
Reading required: no, but you do need to "read" numbers
As I mentioned above, Rack-o has been around for a long time. You can find older copies at yard sales and thrift stores, but it's also been released in newer editions. As long as your copy has all 4 plastic racks and all 60 cards, you're good to go. At a less than $10 price tag, it's a good buy.
Have you played Rack-o? What are your family's favorite educational games?
