Back to school shapes I Spy board game fun for 2D shape recognition! In the I Spy Board Game Back to School Shapes, children flip a card, scan a busy school supply board and race to spy circle pencil sharpeners, triangle rulers and square folders first.

This fast-paced game is a perfect fit for the first weeks of school. As preschool, pre-k and kindergarten children race to match cards to the board, they look closely, think quickly and practice naming 2D shapes like circles, squares, triangles and rectangles. Familiar classroom objects keep kids hunting, and every round gives them another chance to spot and name a shape while they learn school supply words.

With this back to school shapes I Spy game, you get

• 10 full-color back to school I Spy game boards
• 40 school supply I Spy image cards
• 20 token cards for scoring
• A simple game format young learners understand quickly

Print, deal the cards and let the school supply shape hunt begin!

What's Included

• 10 full-color I Spy game boards filled with school supplies like crayons, notebooks, chalkboards, folders and pencils in 2D shapes
• 40 school supply I Spy image cards, such as a circle pencil sharpener, a triangle ruler and a square folder
• 20 token cards for scoring and game play
• Teacher directions for how to play

Why Teachers Love It

• Familiar classroom objects: Crayons, folders and rulers help children learn school supply names while they practice 2D shapes.
• Active learning: Children search, compare and match every round, so everyone stays involved.
• Simple prep, lots of replay: Ten boards and 40 image cards keep the game fresh all season.
• Easy to teach early in the year: Simple directions let children learn a center routine while they practice shapes.
• Flexible settings: Use it in math centers, small groups, partner play or therapy sessions.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• 2D shape recognition: Children spot and name circles, squares, triangles and rectangles in school supply pictures.
• Visual discrimination: Children compare similar school supply images to find the exact match.
• Visual scanning: Children search a busy board from top to bottom to locate their picture.
• Matching: Each round asks children to match the picture on their card to the same picture on the board.
• Shape and school supply vocabulary: Children use shape words and school supply words as they name what they find.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Taking turns
• Waiting during group play
• Maintaining attention
• Using mathematical language
• Listening to classmates
• Building confidence during group participation

How to Use It

Step 1: Print the game boards, image cards and token cards. Laminate them for durability and cut apart the pieces. Choose one back to school game board and place it in the center of the table where all players can see it clearly.

Step 2: Give each player a stack of image cards face down. Players flip their top card at the same time.

Step 3: Players search the board, find their matching school supply shape picture and try to be first to win a token. Keep playing until all the cards are used. The player with the most tokens wins!

Easy Differentiation

Children come to this game with different shape knowledge, visual skills and comfort levels with group play. It is easy to adjust so everyone can join in.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Name the shapes on the board together before the game begins
• Start with a smaller stack of image cards
• Take turns searching one player at a time
• Trace the outline of each shape with a finger before searching

For On-Level Practice

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

For an Extra Challenge

• Use all 40 image cards in one game
• Count the sides and corners of the shapes you find
• Sort the cards into shape groups after the game
• Describe each picture with its shape, such as "a square folder"

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Practice shape words and school supply vocabulary such as crayon, folder, ruler, notebook and pencil sharpener
• Use a short language frame such as "I spy a ___."
• Build visual scanning and visual discrimination in OT sessions
• Use the pictures to make new words easier to understand for ELL and ESL learners
• Give extra processing time and take turns one at a time when needed

Perfect For

• August and September math centers
• Back-to-school routines and small groups
• Preschool and kindergarten shape practice
• Partner games and early finishers
• Morning tubs
• Sub plans
• Occupational therapy and speech therapy sessions
• ESL and ELL vocabulary practice
• Homeschool math games

Standards

This back to school shapes I Spy game supports the 2022 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards (2021), plus kindergarten geometry and speaking and listening standards in Common Core, the TEKS (Math, adopted 2012; ELAR, adopted 2017) and the Virginia SOL (Math 2023, English 2024):

Common Core State Standards

• CCSS K.G.A.2: Name shapes correctly regardless of their orientation or overall size.
• CCSS SL.K.1.a: Follow agreed-upon rules, such as listening to others and taking turns, during group play.

Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines

• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.V.C.1: Name and describe common 2D shapes, such as the circle pencil sharpeners and triangle rulers.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.V.C.4: Recognize common shapes regardless of orientation and size. Shapes appear in different sizes and positions on each board.
• 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 Math K.6.A: Identify two-dimensional shapes, including circles, triangles, rectangles and squares.
• TEKS ELAR K.1.D: Work with others by following agreed-upon rules, including taking turns.

Virginia Early Learning and Development Standards

• Virginia ELDS CD3.3: Build geometric thinking by noticing and naming the shapes on each card.
• 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 Math K.MG.2: Identify and name circles, triangles, squares and rectangles.
• 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 Back to School Shapes to your cart and start the year with a shape game your class will ask to play again. Your students will be racing to spy square folders and triangle rulers from the very first week!

The Back to School Shapes I Spy game is also included in 30 I Spy Board Games: Bundle #4 with color, emotion, counting and 2D shape 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