I Spy

I Spy with my little eye... an activity that does not require any extra materials or toys!

I think the I Spy game is one of those go-to activities for many therapists. It requires minimal preparation, can be done almost anywhere, and most elementary age students can play it! It can also be a short warm-up, cool-down, or "break" activity. What I want to share today is how to specifically tailor this oldie but goodie to meet the needs of various students.

Articulation - I often use this game with students who are working on initial /s/ blends. The words "I spy..." come up over and over again, making it perfect for repeated /s/ blend practice at the sentence level! You can also purposely "spy" items that include the student's target sound. For example, if working on the /r/ sound, you might spy a chair, computer, eraser, ruler, and so on.

Basic Concepts - Incorporate basic concepts into your clues. I spy something that is under the table. I spy something that is not red. I spy something that is small. You get the idea!

Defining and Describing - Similar to basic concepts, incorporate descriptive definitions and encourage the student to do the same. For example, I spy something you use to write. I spy something that is round. I spy an appliance.

Fluency - Use this game as a way to practice using fluency-enhancing or stuttering modification strategies. For example, if targeting the "easing in" strategy, the student may specifically practice gently producing the "I" sound at the beginning of the sentence "I spy..." If working on the phrasing strategy (what my students and I refer to as "scooping" a few words at a time), the student may focus on briefly pausing at natural places. For example: I spy // something red.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication - I do not currently have any students on my caseload who use AAC, but I imagine you could adapt this activity to meet their needs as well. Perhaps the student could generate the sentence I + spy + something + (color) and give yes/no responses using his/her communication device.

Generating and Answering Yes/No Questions - Is it a shirt? Is it a clock? Pretty self-explanatory!

Nonverbal Language/Social Skills - Michelle Garcia-Winner's Social Thinking concepts (e.g., thinking with eyes, social detective, etc.) could easily be part of this game. In addition to providing a verbal clue, provide a visual clue by physically looking at the object. Encourage students to follow your eye gaze to help figure out what you are thinking about. If they do well with that, see if you can fade the verbal clues completely!

I am sure there are many other great ways to adapt I Spy. Please comment and share the ways you have used it with your students!