Make and Play I Spy

I Spy is a fun game you and your child can play to discover and explore recognition of various items. When I was young we played I Spy in the car. One person sees and object but doesn’t say what it is, “I spy something blue” and the rest of the car passengers try to guess what the item is… “is it that blue car in front of us?”. The guessing continues until someone gets the answer correct, or the “spyer” decides to say what they saw. It’s a good idea to set limits so the game progresses such as “3 guesses and then it’s someone else’s turn to spy”.

This same game concept can be played anywhere. No supplies required.

make an I Spy mat
Make an I Spy mat from I Can Teach My Child

Fast forward 12 years and now you can buy I spy books and games featuring fun photos of all kinds of objects. The game concept is the same… find the objects. You can even make your own fun I Spy mats and picture books. Check out this great tutorial on I Can Teach My Child to make your own I Spy mat. You need a collection of objects and a camera, take pictures, print them out and away you go!

Another fun I Spy game you can try, instead of taking a photo of the objects to use as a picture seeking game. Store all the objects in a bin. When you want to play I Spy, pour the items onto the floor, a table or a place mat. Take turns finding the different objects, removing them from the play area as you find them. You could even create playing cards featuring the different objects, taking turns taking a card or marking an item off the list and then finding it.

Make I Spy object groups for themes. for more learning fun you can make I Spy sets with a theme, anything from a specific letter to farm animals or even a color. Try other groups such as cars, food, dinosaurs, etc. The options are limitless and the opportunity for fun on the go is abundant!

Do you have any fun I Spy ideas?



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