👀 I Spy

3–5, 6–9, 10+
5, 15 min
☀️ Needs a window

To play I Spy in the car, one player secretly picks something everyone can see and gives a clue: "I spy with my little eye something that is red." The others take turns guessing. Whoever guesses right picks the next thing. In a moving car, pick something inside the car or far away, like a mountain or the sky, so it doesn't zoom past before anyone can guess.

One player picks something everyone can see.
They say: I spy with my little eye something… red.
Everyone guesses until someone gets it. That player picks next.

🎮 Getting the game ready…

How to play I Spy, the long way

Agree on the one rule that makes I Spy work in a car: the thing has to stay in sight. The seat in front, a water bottle, the moon, the clouds, a far-off hill. A cow that is gone in two seconds is not fair, and the guessers will say so.

The spy says the clue once, slowly, and the guessers go round the car in turn. A guess can be a pointed finger for a child who doesn't know the word yet. If nobody has it after a round or two, the spy gives a second clue: where it is ("it's inside the car"), or what it's for.

Use the clue deck on this page when nobody can think of anything. Tap Next for a clue and the spy reads it, or Peabody reads it aloud. The colour clues are for the littlest players, the shape-and-sound ones for the middle, and the riddles make big kids think.

By age

🧸 3–5: Colours only, and things inside the car. A three-year-old can spy "something blue" and point at their own shoe. Let them win often; the fun is being the spy.

🎒 6–9: Add shapes, sounds and first letters: "something that starts with T", "something round". Six- to nine-year-olds like making the clue tricky, so give them a rule: it must be fair.

🎧 10+: Riddles: "I spy something that is always ahead of us but we never reach it" (the horizon). Big kids can give the clue for the little ones too, which keeps everyone playing.

When it goes wrong

The thing vanished out the window: start again, and the spy picks something that stays.
A younger child keeps picking the same thing: that's fine for a round or two. Then offer a clue from the deck as their secret.
Someone picks something nobody can see from their seat: the rule is everyone must be able to see it, so it's a new pick.

Questions families ask

What age can play I Spy?

From about three, with colours. The clue deck has three levels, so a three-year-old and a twelve-year-old can play in the same car.

Can the driver play?

The driver can guess, but shouldn't hunt for things. Keep the driver's eyes on the road and let them listen.

All 54 cards in the deck

Show them all (for paper players, or to read out yourself)

I spy something… red.
I spy something… blue.
I spy something… green.
I spy something… yellow.
I spy something… white.
I spy something… black.
I spy something… orange.
I spy something… brown.
I spy something… grey.
I spy something… pink.
I spy something… purple.
I spy something on my feet.
I spy something you can drink from.
I spy something in the sky.
I spy something soft.
I spy something with wheels.
I spy something shiny.
I spy something that holds you in your seat.
I spy something round.
I spy something square.
I spy something shaped like a triangle.
I spy something that starts with the letter T.
I spy something that starts with the letter S.
I spy something that starts with the letter C.
I spy something that starts with the letter B.
I spy something that makes a sound.
I spy something with numbers on it.
I spy something with words on it.
I spy something taller than our car.
I spy something with a pattern.
I spy something made of glass.
I spy something made of plastic.
I spy something that bends.
I spy something that opens and closes.
I spy something with two colours.
I spy something smaller than my hand.
I spy something that is always ahead of us but we never reach it.
I spy something that was a seed once.
I spy something that tells you a rule.
I spy something that moves but has no legs.
I spy something that keeps us cool or warm.
I spy something that would float.
I spy something older than everyone in this car.
I spy something that changes shape when you look away.
I spy something that has a job to do.
I spy something that holds water.
I spy something you can see through.
I spy something that was made in a factory a long way from here.
I spy something that is bigger than it looks.
I spy something that helps the driver.
I spy something that would be heavy to carry.
I spy something that only works when it's switched on.
I spy something that comes in pairs.
I spy something that a bird could sit on.

Try next

v0.2.0 · Checked 31 October 2026 · Everything you tap stays on this phone. No sign-in, no location, nothing sent. For grown-ups