Teach them how to cheat at cards

The card game Cheat is basically an organised way of teaching your children to lie straight to your face. The upside? They’re secretly working on memory, observation and strategy, while enjoying the drama of bluffing.

What you’ll need:

• A standard deck of 52 cards.
• 3-6 players.

How to play:

1. Deal the whole deck of cards evenly among payers.
2. Starting left of the dealer, place up to four cards face down and declare them (e.g. “two jacks”).
3. The next player must lay down cards of the same rank, one rank higher, or one rank lower (e.g. tens, jacks or queens).
4. The twist: you don’t have to be honest. Bluff as much as you like.

Calling “cheat!”:

• At any time, anyone can call “cheat!”
• The last cards are revealed.
• If the player was lying, they take the pile.
• If they were truthful, the challenger takes it.
• Whoever ends up with the pile starts the next round.

Winning:

The first player to ditch all their cards wins — unless someone calls “cheat!” on that final move, in which case you’ve got one last dramatic showdown.