The I Spy books by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick are fun for all ages. Did you realize they also teach rhyming skills, attention to detail, and memory skills? All are essential skills for future readers.
Even more fun than reading and working through the puzzles in the books is creating your own “I spy” puzzles.
Just take a collection of small objects from around your home and make up your own rhymes including some of the objects. Dig through that junk drawer and clean out the bottom of the toy box. The group of objects can have a theme if you want, such as “at the zoo” or “on the farm”. Or, you can focus on colors and counting, like I did here.
I spy an ostrich, a fuzzy blue ball, a tiny red wagon, and ten keys in all.
Seven green army men, a cow that is red, DANCE DANCE DANCE, and a little baby’s bed.
After you do a few puzzles yourself, perhaps your child will be ready to set one up for you!
How the story grows... 
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