I spy

(Babies)

You will need:

Because it’s a call and response game, you don’t need any resources to play, meaning you can play anywhere and anytime, as long as you have at least two players.

What to do

For very young babies this game can involve simply saying an object that you can see and waiting for the baby to look at it, ‘I spy a cat’. This can be done anywhere, in the car, out in the pram or simply in the house. Point to the object and when the baby looks or points to it, show how pleased you are by smiling and clapping.

When looking together at a book you can play this game. Point to the object, ‘I spy a mouse!’ soon the baby will be able to touch or point to it too.

As your baby begins to understand the game you can try to use colours or other describing words. For example, ‘I spy something red'.

When your child is a bit older (pre-school age) and is ready to listen for sounds you can begin to play the more traditional version of this game… The player who starts, picks an object that everyone can see. The player gives the first letter of the object as a clue. For example, if the player chooses a bus, they say, ‘I spy with my little eye something beginning with ‘b’’.

Skills your child will learn:

• social skills - when your child waits for their turn, they're learning how to play and cooperate with others
• new vocabulary and understanding of language