We are officially a month away from the first day of school so, as much as I don't want to admit it, it is back to school season.
That means buying school supplies. Then counting them to make sure I have enough. Then labeling them all. And all the other back to school related tasks that I'm surely forgetting to mention.
But if you're looking for a great first day of school activity, then try this free printable back to school I spy game. It's great for teachers to do with their class or parents can use it at home.
In case you need another back to school or first day of school activity for your kids, you could also try this free back to school word scramble game.
I Spy Games are Versatile!
I spy games are tons of fun and great for kids of all ages. You can use them with toddlers or preschoolers or even preteens and teens. I know that lots of people have even used my I spy games with elderly people and those with dementia.
What I love about I spy games is how versatile they are, even beyond appealing to various age groups. There are lots of different ways to use them (there's a section below with some ideas) and they can also be used in different settings.
For example, I spy games are perfect to use as a quick boredom buster activity at home when the kids are saying, "I'm bored!" Or to keep kids busy while you're cooking supper.
They can also be used in the classroom as part of a learning center or included in a specific lesson or unit. You could also use them as filler activities for those kids who finish their classwork quickly.
You could also print off a bunch of the I spy games, package them up into a binder, and create a busy book for road trips or plane rides. You could even laminate them first (here's the laminator I use and love) or put them into sheet protectors and use a dry erase marker so that the book could be reused over and over.
I spy games are also a great activity to use in speech or occupational therapy since they can be used to target a variety of skills, which we'll touch on in the next section.
The Benefits of I Spy Games for Kids
There are lots of benefits to playing I spy games like this back to school themed one.
For instance, they're great for developing visual tracking skills and improving visual discrimination. After all, these printable games require kids to visually scan through the objects, compare and contrast them, and find all the ones that are the same.
Then there's obviously the math benefits. I spy games are a great way to practice and develop math skills such as sorting, counting, comparing, etc.
You can also work on fine motor skills using I spy games. You might cross off items, cover them in play dough, or use tongs to place pom poms to cover the items (see the next section for other ideas for how to use I spy games).
Furthermore, you could work on handwriting skills with I spy games. After all, there is an answer sheet to record your answers and kids can practice writing numbers or drawing tally marks.
Playing I spy games with your kids is also a great way to work on speech and language skills. You could target articulation and vocabulary for instance. All of my I spy games include written words to accompany the images to aid in comprehension, especially for hyperlexic learners.
I spy games can also be a great way to work on executive functioning related skills and working memory.
See, lots of benefits! Now, let's take a look at some different ways to use this I spy game.
How to Use this I Spy Game
The most obvious way to use this I spy game is to simply print and play (you'll be able to download your copy below). Just grab a pencil, start counting, and record the number of items you found on the answer key (write the number or use tally marks, if you'd prefer).
Maybe you also want to cross off or circle items on the game sheet with a pencil as you find them.
Another option would be to use bingo dabbers or dot markers. You could also use pom poms or counters to cover the items as you count. You could even pair pom poms with tongs or tweezers to target different fine motor skills.
You could also laminate the I spy game first to make them reusable. Simply use dry erase markers to cross off the items as you find them and fill in the answer key.
You could also use play dough instead of dry erase markers to cover the items on the laminated game sheet. That way you add an additional sensory component.
Finally, you can go digital by playing this I spy game right on the computer or tablet. You can also pull it up during a Zoom meeting, teletherapy session, or similar using the screenshare function. Then use the annotate tool to cross off the items.
Download the Free Printable Back to School I Spy Game
Want More I Spy Games?
You'll find even more themes in the I spy games bundle!
Click here to get your copy of the I spy games bundle
