Zoo emotions I Spy game practice that feels like a trip to the zoo! This I Spy Board Game: Zoo Emotion Identification fills every board with lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and zebras showing all kinds of feelings, so children can spot a surprised elephant or a laughing giraffe while they learn to name emotions.

Kids flip a card, scan the board and race to find the matching zoo animal face. Every round invites children to look closely at facial expressions, name the feeling and talk about it. Social emotional learning (SEL), feelings vocabulary and visual discrimination grow together in a game young learners ask to play again.

With this zoo emotions I Spy game, you get

• 10 full-color I Spy game boards filled with zoo animal faces
• 40 zoo emotion picture cards to find on the boards
• 20 token cards for keeping score
• A quick race-to-find format that is easy for young children to learn
• Emotion identification and feelings vocabulary practice in every round

Print, laminate and let the spying begin!

What's Included

• 10 full-color I Spy game boards with lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and zebras showing different feelings
• 40 zoo emotion image cards
• 20 token cards
• Easy-to-follow game directions

Why Teachers Love It

• SEL that feels like play: The race to spy each zoo face first keeps every player watching the board.
• Builds a feelings vocabulary: Naming the feeling on each animal face helps children connect emotion words with facial expressions.
• Opens the door to conversation: Each card is a natural chance to talk about a time children felt that way.
• A friendly way to talk about feelings: Zoo animals give children a little distance, so talking about emotions feels safe and fun.
• Low prep and reusable: Print, laminate and cut once, then use it year after year in centers, small groups or therapy sessions.
• Fits many settings: Use it in the classroom, speech therapy, occupational therapy, ELL groups or homeschool.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• Emotion identification: Children look closely at each zoo animal's face and name the feeling it shows.
• Feelings vocabulary: Children add words like surprised, happy and sad to their vocabulary as they play.
• Visual scanning and visual discrimination: Searching a busy board for the matching face builds focus and attention to detail.
• Expressive language: Describing the expression and telling about a time they felt the same way builds oral language.
• Empathy: Talking about how each animal feels helps children understand how others might be feeling.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Taking turns
• Waiting during group play
• Listening to classmates
• Following directions
• Maintaining attention
• Building confidence during group participation

How to Use It

Step 1: Print the game boards, image cards and token cards. Laminate for durability and cut the pieces apart.

Step 2: Choose one zoo emotions game board and deal the picture cards face down.

Step 3: Players flip a picture card at the same time and race to spy it on the board. The first player to find the correct match wins a token. Keep playing until all the cards are used, or switch boards and play another round.

For even more SEL practice, pause after a turn and invite children to name the feeling, describe the expression or talk about a time they felt that emotion.

Easy Differentiation

Children come to SEL games with very different feelings vocabularies and comfort levels with group play. This game is easy to adjust so everyone can join in.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Play with one board and a small stack of picture cards
• Name each feeling together and copy the facial expression before the game begins
• Begin with familiar feelings such as happy and sad
• Play cooperatively so there is no race

For On-Level Practice

• Play the race version as written with a partner or small group
• Name each feeling out loud when you find it
• Rotate through the 10 different game boards

For an Extra Challenge

• Name the feeling before collecting a token
• Tell about a time you felt that way after each match
• Describe the clues on the animal's face that show the feeling
• Share one calm way to respond to a big feeling

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Practice feeling words and target sounds as children name each card
• Use a short language frame such as "I spy a giraffe who feels ___."
• Build visual scanning and turn-taking during OT sessions
• Have children point to the picture when naming is still emerging
• Give extra processing time and take turns one at a time when needed

Perfect For

• SEL lessons and morning meetings
• Zoo theme and animal units
• Literacy or SEL centers
• Small groups
• Speech therapy
• Occupational therapy
• ELL and ESL learners
• Homeschool lessons
• Early finishers and rainy day fun

Standards

This zoo emotions I Spy game supports the 2022 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards (2021), plus kindergarten speaking, listening and vocabulary standards in Common Core, the TEKS (ELAR, adopted 2017) and the Virginia English SOL (2024):

Common Core State Standards

• CCSS L.K.5.c: Identify real-life connections between words and their use, such as telling when they have felt surprised or sad.
• CCSS SL.K.1.a: Follow agreed-upon rules, such as listening to others and taking turns, during group play.
• CCSS L.K.6: Use feeling words learned through conversation while naming each zoo animal's emotion.

Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines

• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.I.B.2.a: Begin to understand the connection between emotions and behaviors while talking about each feeling.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.I.B.2.b: Use words, faces and actions to communicate basic emotions and feelings.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.II.D.1: Understand and use a wide variety of words to label and describe feelings.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.I.C.4: Interact with peers during cooperative play that shares a common plan and goal.

Texas TEKS

• TEKS ELAR K.3.B: Use illustrations to learn or clarify word meanings, such as matching feeling words to pictures.
• TEKS ELAR K.1.D: Work with others by following agreed-upon rules, including taking turns.

Virginia Early Learning and Development Standards

• Virginia ELDS SED2.1: See and name emotions in others while matching zoo animal faces on the game boards.
• Virginia ELDS SED2.3: Communicate feelings by telling about a time they felt the same way.

Virginia SOL

• VA SOL English K.RV.1.C: Use vocabulary from across content areas, including feelings words.
• VA SOL English K.C.1.A.i: Listen actively and follow agreed-upon rules for participating, such as waiting for a turn.

Add the I Spy Board Game: Zoo Emotion Identification to your cart and give your learners a playful, low-prep way to recognize, name and talk about feelings. Print, laminate and watch feelings vocabulary grow with every flip!

This game is also included in the 30 I Spy Board Games: Bundle #4 with colors, emotions, counting and 2D shapes games. Grab the bundle and save!

Download Details

Please note: This is a digital download that will be available to you directly after purchase. Nothing will be mailed to you.

You will receive a link to the download in three places

1. On the 'thank you' page after checkout
2. In your email
3. Login on the site here: https://lifeovercsstore.com/account