I spy

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I spy is a guessing game usually played in families with young children, partly to assist in both observation and in alphabet familiarity. I spy is often played as a car game.

One person starts by choosing an object (perhaps a cow) and says "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C". The other players look around and suggest things it might be: "Crow" (no), "Car" (no), "Cloud" (no), "Cow" - yes. The person who guesses correctly gets to choose the next object.

Often the game is played without the accumulation of points, and winning a round simply results in the initiation of further play.

When played in a car, a family needs to decide beforehand what to do about items within the car (usually excluded) and things that are no longer visible (the field with the cows is a mile back - usually permitted but the 'I spy'er has to say "I can't see it any more" and "I can see it now").

A slightly more challenging version uses phrases - "I spy with my little eye something beginning with B A W C" for "Black and white cow". Another variation of this game is to play using colors, such as 'I spy with my little eye something that is green'.

A further variation to the game is titled, 'I hear with my little ear'. It functions, as the title suggests, with sounds instead of sights.