Toy Thursday: I (eye) Spy!

I spy with my little eye....Every little kid at some point in their lives sits down to read an "I Spy" book. After all, hunting for hidden objects in the book is a classic past time. The concept of I Spy can be transferred into so many activities and games to help pass more time on a cold, snowy day.

First, you can play I Spy by describing objects in a room. Judah and I use this technique while waiting at the doctors office. I tell him "Eye Spy something...." and I proceed to describe the color, shape, or size of the object. This technique helps him discover and familiarize himself with his surroundings.

Second, you can play a variation of I Spy by hiding objects in the room. Take a medium-sized object and hide it in the room of choice. The second person then looks around the room to find the object. Once found, the games continues to the next person to hide and the other to seek. For example, I will hide a book mark with a string in the living room while Judah closes his eyes. He will then look around the room to find the book mark.

Still you can play I Spy by filling up a clear, glass jar (with a lid) with birdseed. Add a number of objects to the jar that are small in nature. Tightly close the lid of the jar and shake the jar to see what objects you can find inside. My neighbor utilizes this game with her preschool son. Objects inside the jar include things like a small bouncy ball, a matchbox car, a penny, and so on. Each person on their turn will spy something and proceed to describe the object they see peeking out from the birdseed.

These games not only help pass the time on cold days indoors but also teach valuable skills. Use adjectives to describe objects by specific details as in color, size, and shape. Also, practice using words of opposites like inside, outside, up, down, high, and low. You are building vocabulary and spatial skills. And above all, have fun using your eyes!