Written by Rebecca Reid


I have seen the rice "I spy" packages before on Pinterest, so since my son has become interested in word searches and daughter has become interested in the "I Spy" books we have, I thought it was time to make an "I Spy" busybox. Some of these activities work for the toddler, others are more appropriate for the older child, and some are games they can both play (albeit, a bit differently with a toddler involved). The look and find busy bag lets the kids search for familiar items in the midst of a few cups of rice. The entire I Spy busybox encourages visual discrimination, an important pre-reading skill.

Making An "I Spy" Bag

First, I made an "I Spy" search bag with rice and small trinkets I found around the house.

This look and find activity was simple to create! I had a clear-cover pencil case, and then I took a picture of the random items I had found. I poured a few cups of rice into the pencil case and sealed it up with tape. The front of the pencil case has a second pocket that I can put the "key" in. My kids take the "key" out and search for the 12 items in the bag!

Here are some of the items in the bag:

  • a domino
  • a lock
  • a screw
  • a mini pencil sharpener
  • a rubber band
  • a marble
  • an eraser
  • a plastic seahorse
  • a coin
  • a puff ball

More "I Spy" Ideas for a Busy Box

The other things I included in our busy box are things I have already had on hand. This is the full "I Spy" Busy Box:

  • Rice "I Spy" busy bag search
  • "I spy" book
  • Spot It! game
  • ABC Find It pages (for my younger child)
  • A word search booklet (for my older child)
  • Busytown Eye Found It! Game. This is a perfect game for Richard Scarry fans and for those who enjoy searching for the hidden things in the midst of an amusing scene. I highly recommend this game!
  • I Spy Game. My preschooler especially likes this one.

This turned out to be a lot of fun! It's something we each can enjoy, because I've included games for more than one person, but also because I've included different levels of games.

Picture Book Preschool "Eye" Spy Activity

After reading I spy with my little eye by edward gibbs, we played our own describing game using the cute cut-out hole in the book as the view finder.

More Quiet Busy Box Activities

Here are some more fun quiet busy box activities:

Related Articles:

Fall Activities for Preschoolers: Trees, Leaves, and Nature Play

Fall is a wonderful time for hands-on learning with young children! As the leaves change color and fall from the trees, you have plenty of opportunities to explore nature, create simple crafts, and enjoy autumn together.   If you’re looking for fall activities for your preschoolers or young homeschoolers, here are three ideas to try:

Read More

Monster Postcard Templates and Cardboard Mailbox Center

We created our own mail center in our schoolroom and play room because my kids love getting the mail. They love to send letters to friends, teachers, and grandparents. I also created monster postcard templates to help them practice everything from early writing skills to addressing postcards and learning the parts of a letter. Of

Read More

Apple Busy Box Activities from Toddler to Kindergarten

Ah! Fall! The weather is not scheduled up in the 80s and 90s, and we can anticipate the crunch of falling leaves. Fall always reminds me of apple picking. I’m not sure we’re going this year, but it has been a frequent tradition for our family.   To keep my little kids busy when I’m

Read More

Instruments Busy Bag

My daughter loves making noise and she is fascinated by musical instruments. When I saw a Toob of musical instruments, I knew she’d love to play with them.  Edit your caption text here A QUIET Instruments Busy Bag Using the toob toys, I made an instruments busy bag. It’s not a noisy one, such as you

Read More

Writing in the Snow Picture Book Lesson

In the book In the Snow by Huy Voun Lee, Xiao Ming and his mother walk in newly fallen snow and his mother shows him Chinese characters by writing them in the snow. They discuss how the characters look like the items they are describing. Despite our lack of snow in Chicagoland this season,we made our

Read More

Pancakes PreK and Elementary Learning Fun

Cooking pancakes provides plenty of learning opportunities for young kids! One of the favorite things my kids love to cook is pancakes, of course! I believe it was one of the first things I actively encouraged my kids to take part of in the kitchen, simply because it’s fun to help stir, it’s exciting to

Read More

Sign up to get Hands-On Learning Ideas in your inbox!