“Flip” Food Printable I Spy Game for Kids
Snacks are always an important part of my children’s day. I honestly don’t think my middle son would be able to snuggle up in his bed without his nightly snack. “Literally mom, I’m starving!” Insert eyeroll. We all have our favorite foods. Whether we choose something sweet, salty, crunchy, or sticky, we love to celebrate our tasty treats!
Our “Flip” food printable I Spy game is the perfect way to practice important motor and cognitive skills- all while having a blast with friends! These adorable and colorful I Spy pictures will have anyone longing for some buttery popcorn or a juicy apple.

Recommended Grade Level:
Learning About Memory Skills:
visual scanning activities
ASKING STUDENTS TO USE COGNITIVE (THINKING) SKILLS CAN HELP BUILD THEIR WORKING MEMORY. STUDENTS CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE:
- Where is this object located?
- What characteristics of the object will help me find it?
- I remember seeing that picture before, how can I find it again?
- How is I Spy similar to hide and seek?
It’s important for kids of all ages to practice using their memory and problem-solving skills in order to recognize visual details, enhance vocabulary, and follow multiple step directions.
This easy I Spy printable can be used with an individual child, a pair of children, or a small group. We have also found that this activity can be perfect as an occupational therapy game.
A few examples of the food I spy images included in this printable are: donut, avocado, toast, ice cream, peas, carrot, milk, cookie, waffle, and macaroni.
I spy can fit into any part of your child’s day-
- While lunch is being prepared
- During a snow storm or rainy day
- After a classroom activity or assignment was finished
- On road trips
- As a speech therapy game
- As a boredom buster when the whining begins
In addition to exercising a child’s working memory, here are more concepts to explore using the I Spy food activity for preschool:
- What colors are in that object?
- What shapes make up the object?
- What letter does that object start with?
- Which food are healthy?

What Social Skills Can Preschoolers Learn?
Practicing social skills with the game i spy
HAVING STUDENTS WORK TOGETHER TO PLAY THE I SPY FLIP MEMORY GAME CAN UTILIZE SOCIAL SKILLS LIKE:
- Turn-taking and patience
- Positive communication
- Resilience after a loss
- Cooperation

Why Is It Important For Kids To Practice Memory Skills?
Besides the fact that we love playing fun games for kid, there are so many other reasons you should work on problem-solving and visual discrimination activities with your child.
Develop a Child’s Focus: In order for children to be successful in finding matches, they must practice focusing on where objects are and concentrating on how to find them again.
Develop Visual Recognition: Children are using visuals and characteristics to quickly find a specific object. They will have to recognize colors, shapes and other distinctive features to locate the picture. For this reason it can be a perfect game for speech therapy sessions.
Improving Short Term Memory: Processing data quickly is a product of short term memory. Practicing using your short term memory can also help strengthen long term memory and the ability to recall information at a later time.
Cognitive Sorting: A child’s brain needs to be able to sort the visual information of the objects they are seeing in order to narrow down where the specific object is. If the child flips a card with a banana on it, they must quickly sort which pictures are the color yellow.

“My multi-aged group loved this even more than I thought they would! “
My kiddos love this! I use it for early finishers or in the morning while they are staggering in during breakfast. They are very engaged and enjoy playing!
How To Use The Activity:
- Choose your option below to get the printable pack.
- Print, cut out, and laminate the activity for durability.
Choose how many players will be participating in the game. Make sure to explain how the game is played and possibly model how to play it for them.
Once the posters are laminated, there are many learning activities you can use them for, including using dry erase markers.
- Choose your I Spy game board.
- Divide the cards evenly among the players.
- Place the cards face down on the table.
- All players flip their top cards at the same time.
- Race to find the picture on your card first.
- Whoever finds their picture first wins a token.
- Play continues until the playing cards have all been used.
- The player that has the most tokens at the end of the game is the winner.
Extend the Activity:
Sorting Cards
Use the image cards to practice sorting colors, shapes, and healthy vs. nonhealthy foods.
Challenging Words
Create word cards and challenge students to identify the image with the corresponding word.
Creative Storytelling
Give your child the image cards from the I Spy Food game and have them create a story using the pictures.
I Spy Game
Use the I Spy pages to play the classic game I Spy. Start the game with “I Spy with my little eye…” and engage the children with verbal cues to find the matching picture.
Extend the I Spy Activity
Use the I Spy activity for kids with books about food to locate the I Spy pictures.
Get I Spy Free Printables
In addition to our I Spy “Flip” Game series, we have 20+ I Spy Free Printables on Life Over C.s Get I Spy Worksheets, posters, and games here.
Focus Skills
For I Spy “Flip” Board Game:

Summer I Spy “Flip” Board Game Set
10 Game Boards
40 Playing Cards
Non-stop FUN!

or Purchase on Teachers Pay Teachers
More Food Theme Activities!
Don’t stop here! Seriously, what kid doesn’t love playing with their food? So, naturally, learning with their food has to be a favorite too…
Get even more food activities below!
>>101 Food Activities for Kids<<
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