Many people have played solitaire thanks to the fact that Microsoft chose it as one of the first PC games in the Windows operating system (Windows 3.0). As such, the game has been popular for over two decades now, and in surprising ways, the Solitaire game can make you a better person. Many online versions, such as Mahjong, automatically arrange your tiles onto the game space. Others offer some customizable features such as different backgrounds for the back of the game, the cards in your deck.

While millions of people love to play solitaire, not many realize that playing cards also have their advantages. In fact, turning the game into a daily challenge may just be one way to get even more buffs. Whether you’re playing Klondike solitaire, Tripeaks, Golf or other popular versions like Spider Solitaire or Freecell solitaire on the Solitaire.org website, the game imparts a number of healthy psychological benefits each time you play a game.

The primary benefit is that it can keep you busy during times of extreme boredom. Three other benefits that a solitaire game can provide are;

1. It’s a great game for calming the mind because it puts you into a light meditative state.
2. It also helps you develop your strategic muscles, as well as improving your mental functions overall.
3. It teaches you delayed gratification which often results in a better chance to win.

Although there are some solitaire games that cannot be won, at least 80 per cent of the game deals are winners.

No need to go out to get some quality time in. Have a fun and inexpensive night by playing one of these kid-friendly solitaire games online.

Here are two other kid-friendly card games you can play at home.

1. War
   Cards: Standard deck of 52 cards
   How to play: All cards are dealt to the two players and kept face down. Neither player must look at their cards. Both players turn over the top card of their piles and put them face up in the centre of the table, beside the other player’s card. Whoever has turned over the highest ranking card takes both cards and adds them to the bottom of his pile. This continues until two cards of the same value (i.e. two sevens) are put down together. The game is now in a state of “war.” To continue, both players take two new cards and put one face down on top of the card they have already placed in the middle and one face up. Whoever puts down the higher ranking face up card wins all six. The game is won by the player who collects all of the cards.
2. Crazy Eights
   Cards: Standard deck of 52 cards
   How to play: In a two-player game, each player is dealt seven cards. In a game with three or four players, each player is dealt five cards. The rest of the deck goes facedown in a pile, with the top card turned up beside it. This is the discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer discards a card from his hand that matches either the number or suit of the top card in the discard pile. For example, if the card is a five of hearts, he could play any heart or any five. If he does not have a matching card, he continues picking up cards from the deck until he gets one that is playable. Eights are wild and can be put down on any suit. For example, an eight could be played to match a heart. The next player must match their card to the number or suit that the eight was meant to cover. Play continues with players matching the card at the top of the discard pile. The first player to use up all his cards wins. If the deck runs out before the game is over, the discard pile can be used.