Arts and crafts I Spy board game fun that makes your classroom feel like an art studio! Bright paintbrushes, scissors, glue, beads and all the favorite craft supplies fill every board, so it is a must-have for your art theme, school theme or indoor recess time. The Arts & Crafts Theme I Spy Board Game is a quick search-and-find game for young learners.

Kids are too busy racing to spy the right picture first to notice how many skills they are building. This game works beautifully in preschool, kindergarten, speech therapy, occupational therapy and ELL lessons. It is also a grab-and-go activity for sub plans. The fast-paced format keeps kids engaged while they build vocabulary, articulation and visual discrimination. The hands-on play supports cooperation, turn-taking and communication.

With this arts and crafts I Spy game, you get

• 10 full-color I Spy game boards packed with craft supplies and young artists
• 40 arts and crafts picture cards to find on the boards
• 20 art token cards for keeping score
• Group, independent and parallel ways to play
• Visual scanning, vocabulary and turn-taking practice in every round

Print, laminate and let the spying begin!

What's Included

• 10 full-color I Spy game boards packed with arts and crafts theme details like glue bottles, crayons, water cups, scissors and easels
• 40 arts and crafts image cards with matching pictures found on the boards, such as paint, a star punch, a cardboard tube, glue and young artists
• 20 printable art tokens for point collection and friendly competition
• Easy-to-follow teacher instructions with independent and parallel play variations

Use the included tokens or swap in mini erasers, buttons or bingo chips for an extra sensory activity and fine motor challenge.

Why Teachers Love It

• Kids ask to play again: The race to spy each picture first keeps every player watching the board.
• Art theme vocabulary: Children connect craft supply words like paintbrush, glue, crayon and beads to bright, clear pictures.
• Quick to prep: Print, laminate and cut apart the cards and you are ready to play.
• Three ways to play: Use it as a group race, a calm independent activity or side-by-side parallel play.
• Made for therapy and intervention: Repeated naming supports articulation goals, and busy boards give OT visual scanning practice.
• Sub friendly: Clear directions and very little prep make it easy for a substitute to run.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• Vocabulary development: Children build craft supply words like paintbrush, glue, crayon and beads through repeated exposure.
• Articulation: Students say each word aloud when they find the picture, which is ideal for speech therapy goals.
• Visual discrimination: Learners scan busy boards to locate small details.
• Attention and focus: Highly motivating arts and crafts scenes and the race to find a match keep kids sharp.
• Language and communication: ELL students make image-to-word connections in a low-stress, engaging format.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Taking turns
• Waiting during group play
• Maintaining attention
• Following directions
• Working independently
• Building confidence during group participation

How to Use It

Step 1: Print the arts and crafts image cards, I Spy game boards and art tokens. Laminate for long-term use and cut the pieces apart.

Step 2: Choose one of the art theme I Spy boards and place it where all players can see. Give each student a small pile of cards, or draw from a shared stack in group play.

Step 3: Players turn over their top card at the same time and race to find the matching craft supply picture on the board. The first player to spot the match earns a token. Keep going until all cards are matched. The player with the most tokens at the end wins!

Bonus Play Options

Independent play: A single student works through the deck of image cards on their own. They flip one card at a time, search for the matching picture on the game board and cover it with a mini eraser or token. This builds focus, visual scanning and vocabulary skills without the pressure of competing against others.

Parallel play: Two students each have their own I Spy game board and set of cards. They play side-by-side, flipping and matching cards at their own pace. This works well for children who need personal space, are just beginning to join group activities or thrive in a more relaxed, non-competitive setting.

Easy Differentiation

Every group of players brings different visual skills, language needs and attention spans. These play options make the game easy to adjust for classroom differentiation, therapy settings and each child's developmental needs.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Start with independent play and a small stack of image cards
• Name each picture together before the game begins
• Point to the part of the board where the picture can be found
• Cover each match with a mini eraser or token

For On-Level Practice

• Play the race version as written with a partner or small group
• Name each picture out loud when you find it
• Rotate through different game boards
• Count the tokens at the end to see who won

For an Extra Challenge

• Use the full deck of 40 image cards in one game
• Tell how each craft supply is used before collecting a token
• Tell where the picture is on the board, such as "at the top" or "next to the paintbrush"
• Find the picture before a short timer runs out

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Practice art supply vocabulary and target sounds as children name each picture
• Use a short language frame such as "I spy a ___ in the art center."
• Build visual scanning and fine motor control as children flip cards, place tokens and point to matches
• Use parallel play for children who need personal space
• Give extra processing time and take turns one at a time when needed

Perfect For

• Art theme and back to school units
• Literacy centers
• RTI and small group interventions
• Speech therapy articulation games
• Occupational therapy visual scanning practice
• ELL and ESL vocabulary support
• Sub plans and early finishers
• Indoor recess and rainy day centers
• Homeschool and family game time

Standards

This arts and crafts 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 SL.K.1.a: Follow agreed-upon rules, such as listening to others and taking turns, during group play.
• CCSS L.K.6: Use words learned through conversation, such as paintbrush, scissors, glue and crayon, while naming pictures.
• CCSS L.K.5.c: Identify real-life connections between words and their use, such as how each craft supply is used.

Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines

• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.II.D.1: Understand and use a wide variety of words to label and describe the arts and crafts pictures.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.V.E.1: Sort objects that are the same and different. Children compare similar pictures to find the one that matches their card.
• 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.1.D: Work with others by following agreed-upon rules, including taking turns.

Virginia Early Learning and Development Standards

• Virginia ELDS CLLD1.2: Use vocabulary to name and talk about art supply and artist pictures.
• Virginia ELDS CD3.4: Sort and classify by noticing how pictures are alike and matching the ones that are the same.

Virginia SOL

• VA SOL English K.C.1.A.i: Listen actively and follow agreed-upon rules for participating, such as waiting for a turn.

Check out what other educators are saying:

★★★★ Christine H. wrote: “I used this as a vocabulary game with my RTI group. It was great to have new types of words… and a good tool to see which students could grasp words and images quickly.”

Add the Arts & Crafts Theme I Spy Board Game to your cart for a colorful, screen-free game that works across centers, therapy sessions and indoor recess. Kids will be spying scissors, paintbrushes and glue bottles again and again!

The Arts & Crafts Theme I Spy Board Game is also included in 30 I Spy Board Games: Growing Bundle #3 with community helpers, animals and more fun themes. 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