It’s a staple for family car trips, but the I Spy game doesn’t have to be saved for on-the-road adventures. The name-it-and-claim-it contest can also work at home.
For an easy-to-play game for all ages, just set the parameters (The family room! The downstairs! The entire house! The backyard!) and send everyone looking for items to bring back within five minutes. Don’t want to take things off shelves? Snap pics with camera or make a list in a notebook.
Play this game at birthday parties, playdates, over long weekends, or on a snowday. You can tailor your search to the season or time of year—Celebrating St. Patrick’s day? Make the ground rules “find something green!” and have every player gather up and all the verdant items they can find. Try red or hearts for Valentine’s Day; red, white and blue or stars and stripes for the fourth of July; orange and black or pumpkins and cats for Halloween. It’s always a good time for Spy Games.
Any other color, works too. Other things to I-Spy:
Numbers—pennies from a certain date, papers with numbers printed on them, clocks
Shapes—Circles, squares, diamonds, stars
Faces—framed pictures, dolls, magazines
Animals—toys, artwork, food containers
Fruit—the real thing, pictures, toys, fabric patterns
Nature–leaves, bark, acorns
It’s a small-scale scavenger hunt that’s fun for all ages.
