One of my favorite games for kindergarten literacy centers are my I spy printables. There are 6 different games to choose from including alphabet, digraph, CVC, CVCE, and short/ long vowels for beginning sounds. Plus, a bonus number I spy printable mat for your math centers.
There are 3 different versions for each game. One is just images that start with the phonics theme in the middle. The next version has the images around the phonics theme but with a place for them to write what the images are, they label them on the side on the sheet. The last version has the labels for them, they read it and find the images on the printables. Also, the best part is that all the I spy printable versions come in black and white so students can color their answers and you can save ink!
If you want to use the color version I love to laminate them and use year after year in a center or place inside dry erase sheet protectors.
I Spy Printables in Small Group
One of my favorite ways is to use this during small group rotations, is to have it be one of my literacy centers. I love using the alphabet I spy printables for my weekly letters. Students know how to play and the center doesn’t change until we have taught all the letters. This makes it easy to prep and I don’t spend time explaining the center since the students are familiar with it. You can differentiate your centers for your students, higher students may come in knowing all their letters/ letter sounds. Give them the other versions like reading the words and finding the picture or writing the words. As they learn all their letters and letter sounds start to change the mats out. Use CVC or CVCe next as you begin to teach new phonics skills.
Use them in Whole Group/ Guided Reading Too:
If you print in color and save them for each year, you can allow students to use mini erasers to cover their answers as a review. I loved playing this game during “Fun Friday” by naming the images and having students find them as quickly as possible. Also, later in the year, I let the students do this with partners.
In guided reading, I use my I spy task cards as a quick warm-up or during word work for Day 2. These are perfect for those Michales Recollection Photo Keeper Bins.
If you want to see the rest of the I spy games, grab the bundle of my full-size sheets in my store below by clicking on the photo. Or click here to grab the game on TeachersPayTeachers.
