How to Play I Spy (for Kids & Teacher)

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I spy with my little eye… a great learning opportunity!
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I Spy is a fun and family-friendly guessing game that can be played by children of almost any age. Because it’s a call-and-response game, you don’t need any tools, accessories, cards, or boards to play, meaning you can play anywhere and anytime, as long as you have at least two players. I spy tests and develops the powers of perception and observation, expands vocabulary, and can be used to teach young children about letters, names, shapes, and objects. We’ll show you how to play a basic game, how to tailor it for learning letters, other learning variations, and the benefits of playing with your kids.


Rules of I Spy

Find at least 2 players and have them sit in the same area. The first player chooses any object they see around them, then gives clues by describing it with an adjective, like “I spy with my little eye something blue.” Other players then take turns trying to guess the object.

Section 1 of 4:

Playing a Classic Game of I Spy

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  1. You need 2 or more players to play I Spy, but there's no limit on how many people can play a game. Anyone can play I Spy, and you can play it anywhere, but if you’re playing with very young players, take a look at our tips below. Then, choose someone to go first. Here are some ways to choose: [1] [2]
    • Select the oldest person, or the youngest person.
    • Choose the player whose birthday is coming up next.
    • Choose the player whose name is first alphabetically, or last.
    • Or, take volunteers!
  2. The player who’s “it” is the spy! The spy looks around the room and chooses an object that anyone can see. Make sure that once they’ve picked it, they ** don’t say what it is!] [3] It’s a secret!
    • Take your time choosing, and find some interesting things about the object, like its size, color, or where it is in the room.
    • Once you’ve found an object, keep looking around the room for a little bit before saying that you’re ready. That way, it’s not super obvious which object you’ve picked.
    • If you’re teaching a class, have the spy whisper the object in your ear so you can help them answer other player’s questions, if needed.
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  3. The spy starts the game by giving a clue. They say, “I spy with my little eye something that’s ____,” and fill in the blank with their clue. Make it a small clue that doesn’t give it away, but lets other players take a good guess. For example, if you spy a soccer ball, you might say, “I spy something round!” Here are some other good hints you might give: [4]
    • The shape of the object
    • The size of the object
    • If the object is heavy or light
    • What the object feels like
    • What part of the room the object is in. Is it up high? Down low?
    • What the object is made of .
    • What noise the object makes.
  4. After the spy gives the hint, the other players have a chance to look around and find the object. Then, go around the group and give each player a chance to guess what object you chose. [5]
    • The spy gives a yes-or-no answer to each clue. For example, if someone asks, “It is the stuffed moose?” the spy would either say “yes” or “no.”
    • If a guess was close to or similar to the chosen object, the spy says the guess was warm (close) or hot (very close). If a guess was nowhere near the object, the spy says cold, or cool if the guess was mostly off.
  5. If none of the players guess the object, the spy repeats the phrase “I spy with my little eye something ____,” and gives everyone another hint. Choose a different hint this time, and focus on a different feature of the object. [6]
    • For instance, if the first hint told the players what color the object was, the next hint might be about the object’s material, shape, or texture.
  6. Go around in the same order and let each player guess again. When a player does guess correctly, that player becomes the new spy, and the game starts over. [7]
    • If nobody is able to guess the object, give more obvious hints. For example, if you chose a soccer ball, say, “I spy something you kick.”
    • If all the players are young and not able to easily guess, consider having a set order in which everyone gets to be the spy.
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Section 2 of 4:

Using I Spy to Teach Letters and Object Names

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  1. Settle in with the child somewhere comfortable and free of distraction. Pick a household object, such as a toy, utensil, or stuffed animal whose name the child has learned. Place the object down in front of the child on the mat, floor, or tray. [8]
    • In this version of the game, the object isn't to get the child to guess what object you’ve chosen, but rather to encourage the child to come up with the name of the object you’ve put down.
    • This game also works for older children who are in the process of learning a new language, and the game can be used as a learning exercise for foreign words.
    • In order for this game to work, the child needs to have already begun learning the names of different objects, because the game is used to reinforce that knowledge.
  2. Just like if you were playing with older children, say the rhyme to give the hint. For this version of the game, focus on letters, and specifically the first letter of the object. As the child progresses and gets better with names and spelling, you can try going by the last letter of the object too. For instance: [9]
    • “I spy with my little eye, something that starts with the letter S” for a spoon
    • “I spy something and it ends with the letter G” for a toy dog
    • Or, use shapes, colors, descriptive adjectives, or numbers. Tailor the hint to the concept you want the child to learn.
  3. Gently and enthusiastically ask them if they know what the object is. Say, “What do you think I’m spying?” or, “Can you guess what it is?” This game only works with familiar objects because the child already has to have learned what the objects are in order to be able to name them. [10]
    • If the child needs some more help, begin sounding out the name of the object one letter at a time. For the word “spoon,” for example, sound out just sp first, then "spoo…", until the child is able to come up with the word.
    • Offer a lot of praise if the child guesses correctly, and plenty of encouragement if they have trouble. Say, “Good job! That’s exactly what I was thinking of!”
  4. As the child advances, you can progress to placing two or three objects down. Choose one particular object that you want the child to identify and name, and then say the rhyme and give the beginning letter. Make sure all the objects start with a different letter.
    • Another advanced version is to lay down five or six objects, two or three of which start with the same chosen letter, and have the child identify and name all the objects that start with that letter.
    • As the child’s perception improves, you can stop placing objects down and start using objects in the immediate environment.
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Section 3 of 4:

Other Learning Variations of I Spy

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  1. 1
    Make the answers open-ended. For a less competitive and more explorative game, reward students for giving answers that fit the clue, even if it’s not the object you were thinking of. For example, you might say, “I spy something round.” One student might say a ball, and the other says a balloon. In this version, they’re both right! [11]
    • The aim here is to cast a wide net and encourage learning basic concepts by applying them to many different possible answers.
  2. 2
    Make I Spy an art activity. Make the game more hands-on and creative by looking at works of art and playing I Spy with the images. Or, have students make their own works of art, then play the game using each other’s art, looking for objects, colors, or ideas within the art. [12]
    • This helps students learn to interpret art, and gives them a chance to take pride in each other’s creations.
  3. 3
    Use I Spy to teach a new language. I Spy is a fabulous tool for teaching foreign languages . Students learn to use various adjectives to describe certain objects. [13] This creates an opportunity to learn and reinforce vocabulary while creating word associations they can use outside the classroom.
    • Encourage students to play exclusively in the language you’re teaching.
    • Offer help or suggestions if a student struggles—learning a new language can be hard!
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Section 4 of 4:

Benefits of Playing I Spy

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  1. 1
    I Spy improves observation skills. Playing I Spy encourages young kids to explore the world around them and examine more closely things they might not have paid attention to before. It helps get them curious about their surroundings while simultaneously learning about them. [14]
  2. 2
    I Spy uses word association to expand learning. When you play I Spy with a young child, or even older students, it presents opportunities to rope in new concepts related to the ones you’re teaching. [15] For example, children learn that something like a kite can be blue, lightweight, diamond-shaped, and able to fly, covering many different concepts at once.
  3. 3
    I Spy is engaging and fun for students. I Spy gamifies learning, adding a little healthy competition to the classroom and motivating students to learn about the world around them. It can be played virtually anywhere, and with almost any number of players, making it easy, simple, accessible, and highly variable. [16]
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Is 'paint' an acceptable object in a game of ISpy?
    Michael Ng Choon Hau
    Community Answer
    'Paint' might be fair if it is in a bucket or paint can, but if you're referring to paint on the walls, that would be a bit of a stretch.
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      • For older children, you can also choose sounds instead of objects. Sounds could be an overhead plane, the rain falling, a waterfall, the radio, or any other noise that all the players can hear.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/i-spy
      2. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/articles/zhb7qp3
      3. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/articles/zhb7qp3
      4. ↑ https://www.eastman.org/sites/default/files/GEM-2023_ISpy_Rackcard-Final.pdf
      5. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/i-spy
      6. ↑ https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/alsc/content/NI14Handouts/READYsignage.pdf
      7. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/i-spy
      8. ↑ https://www.summitinc.org/minute-to2
      9. ↑ https://www.eastman.org/sites/default/files/GEM-2023_ISpy_Rackcard-Final.pdf
      1. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/articles/zhb7qp3
      2. ↑ https://www.summitinc.org/minute-to2
      3. ↑ https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/edu/creative-practice-eye-spy
      4. ↑ https://www.eastman.org/sites/default/files/GEM-2023_ISpy_Rackcard-Final.pdf
      5. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/i-spy
      6. ↑ https://www.summitinc.org/minute-to2
      7. ↑ https://www.eastman.org/sites/default/files/GEM-2023_ISpy_Rackcard-Final.pdf

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To play the I Spy game, choose one person to be the spy. When it’s your turn to spy something, look around and pick an object, but try not to be obvious about what you’re choosing. Once you’ve chosen your object, provide the other players with a clue by saying “I spy with my little eye something…” The hint you give them can relate to the object’s color, size, shape, or anything else you choose. Give each player a chance to guess the object. If no one guesses, continue giving hints until someone gets it right. That person is then the new spy! Keep reading to learn how to play the Bumblebee variation!

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