What is the goal of Go Fish?

Collect books of four cards of the same rank. The player with the most books at the end wins.

How many cards does each child get?

The usual deal is seven cards each for two players and five each for three or more. Check the box, since versions differ.

Can I ask for a card I do not have?

No. You must hold at least one card of the rank you ask for.

What if the player I ask has none of that card?

They say Go Fish, and you draw from the pile. If you draw the card you asked for, you keep your turn.

Four cards of the same rank. Put the book down in front of you, where everyone can see it.

When does the game end?

When all the books are made or nobody can make another one. The player with the most books wins.

Go Fish rules for kids: how to play, how to win, and the best first game

Go Fish is a good first card game. It needs no reading, the rules fit on an index card, and children learn to hold cards, remember what they have heard and ask questions in the right order. It is also one of the few games where a bad memory is an obstacle that can be overcome.

Setup

Use a standard 52-card deck. Shuffle, and deal the cards face down. Each player picks up their cards and sorts them by rank, so the matching cards are easy to see. The rest of the deck goes in the middle as the pond, to fish from.

A turn

On your turn, ask any other player for a rank you hold. For example, "Do you have any sixes?" You must already have a six, and you must ask a specific player. The rule is that you cannot ask for a card you do not hold.

If that player has sixes, they must give you all of them. You then take another turn.
If they have none, they say "Go Fish". You draw one card from the pond. If the card you draw is the one you asked for, show it and take another turn. Otherwise your turn ends.

A book is four cards of the same rank. Lay it down as soon as you have it.

Books

Whenever you hold all four cards of a rank, lay them down in front of you. That is a book. The game is over when all the books are on the table, and the player with the most books wins.

Teaching tips for young players

Sort the hand by rank before the first turn. Children who can see their pairs ask better questions.
Ask children to say the rank out loud before asking. It helps them remember what they asked for.
Let a child with a poor memory keep the cards face up. They will still learn to count and match.
Keep the first game short. Play to two books, then play a full game once the rules are clear.

Why it works

Go Fish teaches matching, counting and remembering what other players have asked for. It also teaches patience, because a "Go Fish" is part of the game and not a failure. Most children enjoy it from about four years old.