I Spy Back to School Printables
These I Spy back to school printables are an easy way to add a search-and-find activity to your preschool plans. Designed for preschoolers ages 3–5, the printable invites kids to find school-themed pictures, count each one, and record how many they see.
Add it to your back to school activities for the first week of preschool, morning work, a classroom center, or a simple homeschool activity. Just print the pages and grab a pencil or crayons to get started.
I Spy Back to School Printable
A back-to-school I Spy activity is a search-and-count printable featuring familiar school objects such as pencils, apples, and backpacks. Preschoolers find each object, count the matches, and record the total. This gives children practice with counting, one-to-one correspondence, visual discrimination, and number writing.
This printable pack includes:
This Back to School I Spy pack includes several search-and-count pages featuring different sets of school-themed pictures. Preschoolers will look for familiar items such as pencils, backpacks, school buses, glue, crayons, and other classroom supplies.
Each I Spy page includes a matching section where kids can record how many of each featured item they find. Because the pages use different pictures, you can use them on different days, add them to a preschool center, or let children choose which I Spy game they want to complete.
How to Use the I Spy Printable
These I Spy pages are simple to prepare and use with preschoolers.
Record the totals. Have children write the number they found in the box next to each matching picture. Younger preschoolers can tell you the number if they aren’t ready to write numerals independently.
Print the pages. Choose one of the Back to School I Spy games and print it for your child or students.
Find the school-themed pictures. Have preschoolers search the page for each object shown in the recording section.
Count each object. Encourage children to point to or mark each picture as they count so they don’t accidentally count an item twice.
More Back to School Ideas for Preschoolers
Keep your first weeks of preschool simple with a few more back-to-school activities you can add to your lesson plans. These printables provide extra practice with early learning skills while keeping the school theme going.
Back to School Books
Pair your back-to-school activities with a picture book about starting school. Reading together can help preschoolers become familiar with classroom routines, new experiences, and what to expect during the first days of school.
Choose a few favorite back-to-school books to read throughout the week, or add them to your preschool reading area for children to explore on their own.
- First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg
- Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois
- School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex
- The Pigeon HAS to Go to School! by Mo Willems
- Time for School, Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Here are some related printables to try next:
- Back to School Color by Letter Worksheets – Practice letter recognition with a simple school-themed coloring activity.
- Back to School Counting Worksheets – Count familiar school objects and record the correct number.
- Back to School Missing Letters Worksheet – Help preschoolers practice identifying the letters that come next in the alphabet.
- Back to School Letter Hunt – Search for and identify letters with a school-themed printable activity.
- Back to School Line Tracing Worksheets – Practice pencil control and prewriting skills with tracing pages.
Readers Often Ask
A: This printable is perfect for preschoolers, but it can also work well for pre-K and even some kindergartners. If your child is working on counting and number recognition, they’re in the right spot!
A: Just print and go. You can hand it to your child with a pencil or crayons, or slide it into a dry-erase sleeve if you want to reuse it.
A: It’s great as a quiet-time activity, a morning warm-up, or part of a back-to-school theme unit. In a classroom, you can use it as a center or partner activity. At home, it’s perfect for independent play while you prep lunch or work with another child.
Get Your Free Back to School I Spy Printables
Ready to add this activity to your back-to-school plans? Grab your free I Spy back to school printables and let your preschoolers start searching, counting, and recording what they find.
Print a set for home, your preschool classroom, or a learning center and keep the pages handy for an easy activity during the first weeks of school.
These I Spy back to school printables are an easy addition to the first weeks of preschool. With several search-and-count pages to choose from, you can use them for morning work, quiet time, learning centers, or an at-home preschool activity.
Print the pages you need, grab some crayons or pencils, and let your preschoolers start searching and counting.
Tara is the brains behind Homeschool Preschool, where her journey from preschool and public school teacher to homeschooling mom of three fuels her passion for early childhood education. With a blend of expertise and firsthand experience, Tara’s writings offer practical tips and engaging resources to support families in creating meaningful learning adventures at home.
