Games played with cards have always been one of people’s favorite pastime activities. The history of the card dates back to Chinese civilization. Although the cards were developed to be used in various card games, they are versatile and could be applied to other games.
Whether you have a playing cards bulk that may be incomplete due to some cards that may be lost, or you are just bored of the conventional methods of using the conventional deck of playing cards, here are some other uses of the playing cards, which may amaze you.
Top 5 Alternative Uses for Playing Cards
1. DIY Home Decor
Among the more innovative ideas for using playing cards is in home decoration during arts and crafts or DIY projects. Playing cards can be considered one of the most efficient types of materials for making stunning and diverse creations for celebrations. Here are a few ideas:
- Wall Art: Organize cards in a sequence or collection in a frame to produce a masterpiece that can be mounted on the wall. This is highly useful when using cards with unique drawings, like the old-fashioned ones.
- Coasters: Laminate playing cards to transform them into quirky coasters. This can add a playful touch to your coffee table.
- Garlands: Stringing together cards to form a garland is a festive way to decorate for themed parties, such as a casino night or a magical event.
2. Educational Tools
Card games are one of the most unobtrusive yet useful teaching aids in classrooms. They can be used to teach different areas of knowledge, such as elementary mathematics and other problems and issues.
- Math Games: Educational activities involving cards include number games such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication exercises. For instance, a child can pick a card with two numbers and either add, subtract, or multiply them.
- Memory Games: Increase mental aptitude by placing each card face down on a table and then rearranging them so that every player flips only two cards over at a time in an attempt to make pairs.
- Storytelling Prompts: To promote innovative storytelling, this can be done using cards. Every card can be a character, a place, or an event—it is definitely an entertaining group activity.
3. Magic Tricks
It cannot be denied that playing cards has been one of the significant tools in performing magic tricks. While this will remain apparent, going deeper into magic is never a waste since it can provide hours of enjoyment for the participants and the audience.
- Basic Tricks: Discover basic card tricks to entertain people like friends or family members at home. Many of these tricks can be carried out using a normal deck of fifty-two cards and some rehearsals.
- Advanced Magic: For the more serious card players, advanced magic has become a way to evolve to more advanced skills, such as magical tricks, which use sleight of hand and related tricks.
4. Exercise and Hand-Eye Coordination
Believe it or not, playing cards can contribute to physical exercise and improve hand-eye coordination.
- Card Toss: Set up targets and practice tossing playing cards into them. This can be a fun and simple way to enhance motor skills.
- Card House Building: Building houses of cards requires precision, patience, and steady hands, which can be both relaxing and stimulating at the same time.
5. Gift Tags and Bookmarks
If you are planning to make your gifts distinct from the rest of the home made gifts then playing cards can be used to make tags or bookmarks.
- Gift Tags: Create a small opening inside a card and attach both ends of the card to the gift using a ribbon. To add more personality to the card, you can write a message on it.
- Bookmarks: Take a card, laminate it and using stickers or markers make a unique bookmark out of it. This is always good for reclaiming old decks containing replies that no longer form part of a complete chain.
Conclusion
Playing cards are a lot more than what they are used for games; the usefulness of playing cards goes way beyond this creative and educational usage. Apart from usual playing cards used for playing purposes, they can be reused in numerous ways, including for home decoration, educational facilities, and even as personalized gift tags. Well, if you stumble upon an old deck of cards at home, do not discard them just yet; you could use them in one of the following ways the next time around.
