"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.

food theme i spy board game to practice visual scanning and visual discrimination.

food themed cards and game board for i spy printable board game.

overhead image of a food printable i spy game board and cards.

Recommended Grade Level:

Preschool

Kindergarten

Supply List
Coordinating Activities

Food Theme I Spy Flip Game Supplies:

Paper
Scissors
Laminating Supplies

apple theme i spy printable board game for kids.

camping theme printable i spy game for visual discrimination practice.

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.