FREE SAMPLE GAME

I Spy Sounds

A reading game you can play with your child tonight. One sound, ten minutes, nothing to buy. Play it straight from this page, or print the one page version and stick it on the fridge.

Want the printable version?

One page, with everything below on it. Print it, or pull it up on your phone in the car. Free, and there is nothing to sign up for.

⬇️ Download the game

YOUR GOAL THIS WEEK

Play I Spy Sounds with your child 5 to 6 times this week.

Pick one sound · 5 to 10 minutes · No materials · Anywhere works

Why this works: Before a child can read a word, they have to hear the sounds inside it. That skill is called phonological awareness, and it is one of the strongest predictors of how easily a child learns to read. This game turns it into a hunt, and the repetition across the week is what takes it from fleeting to automatic. One note before you start: /m/ means the sound, not the letter name.

▶ How to Play
1 Pick Your Sound

Choose one sound for the whole session. Stretchy sounds are the easiest to hunt: /m/, /s/, /f/, /l/. Say the sound cleanly, /m/ rather than “muh,” and stick with it.

2 Spy It

Two ways to play. You say a sound and they hunt for it: “I spy something that starts with /p/!” Or you point to a few objects and they name the shared sound: “Pillow, plant, picture: what do those all start with?” Both build the same skill.

3 Let Them Move

When they find one, send them to grab it, touch it, or point to it. The physical search keeps them engaged, and engagement is what makes practice sustainable. Celebrate every find and model any misses playfully.

! Watch Out For
Switching sounds too often

One sound per session. The repetition is doing the work; resist the urge to hop around. It is supposed to feel like a lot of the same thing.

Turning it into a quiz

No wrong answers. If they miss, model it: “Pppillow! /p/!” Redirect with play, not correction.

Skipping the stretch

Exaggerate the sound when you say it: “Pppppillow!” That mouth movement is part of what makes it stick.

💡 Quick Start Ideas Try one of these to get started today
Room Sweep

Look around wherever you are and find three things that share a sound. Kitchen? Try /m/: milk, mug, mat, microwave.

“I spy a mug, a mat, and a microwave. What sound do they all share?”

Go Grab It

Say a sound and send them on a mission to find something in the room that has it. Great for wiggly kids; the movement makes it memorable.

“Can you go grab something that starts with /b/?”

Odd One Out

Ready for a challenge? Say three things: two share a sound, one does not. Which one does not belong?

“Pillow, plant, table: which one does not start with /p/?”

🏫 Teachers, preschools and day cares

Everything you need to pass this along to your families is right here. No permission needed, nothing owed, and nothing for anyone to sign up for.

📄 For a folder or a bag

A one page parent sheet with the whole game printed on it, so a family can play it the same evening without downloading anything. Photocopies fine in black and white.

Download the parent sheet

✉️ For a newsletter

A free reading game to try at home. You already read to your child. If you want ten more minutes that build the skill underneath reading, here is a free game to try tonight. It is called I Spy Sounds, it fits on one page, and it needs no prep and no screen. It works in the car, at the dinner table, or standing in line at the store. Play it or print it at readinten.com/sample

📱 For a parent app or a text

Free game for the car ride home: I Spy Sounds. One page, no prep, no screen, about ten minutes. It builds the listening skill that reading is built on. readinten.com/sample

💬 Want someone to come talk to your families?

Jennifer will do fifteen minutes at a parent meeting you already have on the calendar, in person or on a call, on what actually gets a child ready to read. No cost and no pitch.

Email Jennifer