Printable Mini Go Fish Card Game

Prevent summer boredom or make a simple handmade gift for a child with this printable mini Go Fish card game. This classic game is fun for all ages and features a colorful rainbow of watercolor fish.

Today I’m sharing a simple card game that was a favorite in my house when my kids were little. This printable mini Go Fish card game is a bit smaller than a regular deck, which has 52 cards. This set has 36 cards and they’re a bit smaller than standard playing cards.

If you already have a classic 52-card deck, teach your kids how to play some of these card games to play with one.

Make a set of mini Go Fish cards, laminate them, and put them in a small box for a simple but fun handmade gift. These are also a good surprise to keep stashed in a purse or the glove box to entertain the kids when they have to sit and wait a while.

How to play Go Fish

You can play with these cards following the classic Go Fish card game rules. My abridged version is below.

Go Fish rules

1. Shuffle the cards and deal 5 to each player. Turn the rest of the deck face down in a neat stack.
2. Players look at their own cards. Any time a person has four of a kind, they put that set face up in front of them.
3. Starting with the youngest and going clockwise, players take turns asking any other player if they have a specific card. As my kids say, “Got any eights??”
4. If the person has that card, they hand it over. If not, they say “Go fish” and the asker draws a card from the deck.
5. When all the cards are gone, each player counts the number of sets they have face up. The winner is the person with the most sets.

I made these cards with bright watercolor fish in nine different colors, so kids can ask by number (Do you have a six?) or by color (Do you have a purple fish?). This makes it easier for kids in a mixed age range to play together happily.

Printable card game

This printable includes just one page, so you’ll need to print it four times to make a whole deck for playing. The page fits on regular 8.5×11-inch printer paper with 9 cards per page. After you print, simply cut them out around the edges. I left a small margin of white around mine.

For more durability, you could laminate the individual cards. You’ll probably want to do this if preschoolers are going to be playing with them. My kids were notorious for putting things in their mouths when they were very young. Now they’re notorious about remembering exactly which cards have a wrinkle or a tiny tear.

Get the printable

Prints on 8.5×11-inch paper or card stock. All printables are for personal use only.

What’s next? Try these other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:

• Printable Super Hero Dominoes
• Printable Spring Checkers Game
• Fruit Memory Game Printable