Today, you’ll find a free printable Penguin I Spy PDF worksheet that you can print off and use for targeting several areas of development. We love using I Spy activities with real toys or with printable worksheets because of the many ways to address visual discrimination, eye-hand coordination, visual figure ground, visual attention, coloring, number formation, and so many other areas. Let’s break this down with a penguin themed I Spy worksheet.
You’ll also love these penguin activities that can be combined with this I spy PDF.
Penguin I Spy PDF
What I love about this kind of pdf printable is its versatility. The session could be a social emotional exercise on identifying emotions, a visual perceptual task matching the faces, a visual motor task coloring/cutting/pasting the penguins, a game of BINGO or a combination of all of these.
A side note about using printable resources like this Penguin I Spy in therapy sessions…
Today during therapy sessions, we were talking about winter and snow. I came to a couple of conclusions. Children who are from South Carolina can NOT name ten things to do in the snow. They also do not understand ice skating, snow shoes, sledding, ice fishing, or the difference between skiing and snowboarding. One of my students exclaimed that he would like to move to Antarctica, but only where the penguins are. He said, “unlike penguins; polar bears, seals, and other arctic animals like to eat people.”
Almost all of the posts I write talk about how to grade and modify activities. On the fly, I had to grade and modify this task for every student today. An independent writing activity became long discussions, google searches to discuss snow shoes and ice fishing, copying from a model (they can’t spell skiing if they do not know what it is), along with a little bit of letter formation/sizing/line placement. As an OT, this is what we do. Adapt and modify.
Because my student showed an interest in penguins, I decided to use this as a platform for an upcoming treatment session. Check out some of the other posts by typing “penguins” into the search bar on the OT Toolbox. An entire week-long lesson plan can be made out of one simple idea.
To kick off my penguin theme I will be using this Penguin I Spy Emotions free printable. I will throw in some talk of emotions and maybe a little humor. What would it feel like to be chased by a polar bear? How would you feel if you had a penguin for a pet? This is one way to incorporate self-regulation and emotional coping tools in the discussion.
Because students are fluid learners and unpredictable, the task may need to be modified for each student or adapted on the spot.
How to use a Penguin I Spy PDF
You can use this penguin I spy PDF in several different ways. Print off the I spy PDF and modify the worksheet for each student depending on the needs of the individual learner.
How can this task be modified?
- Add elements to make it more difficult such as cutting on the lines or writing the name of the emotions under each penguin
- Make it easier by having all the pieces pre cut
- Laminate the page and add velcro dots to make this reusable (using velcro dots is a great way to build finger strength). This also takes out the visual motor task of cutting and coloring, making the focus more concentrated on visual perception
- Talk about each of the emotions and have learners name something that would elicit that emotion
- Change the weight of the paper for easier/harder cutting
- Make it a social activity by creating a game such as BINGO, Memory Match, or Hide and Seek.
- Add a gross motor element by scattering the pieces all over the room
- Add a sensory element by putting the pieces in a snow themed bin
- Project this onto a smart board to make it interactive
The penguin I spy PDF at the bottom of this page can be combined with our Penguin Therapy Kit, as well as the other penguin resources here on the site.
Gross Motor – Use these yoga positions to incorporate gross motor skills. Click here for the penguin yoga activities.
Executive Functioning Activity – Try making these penguin snacks for a family treat.
Self-Regulation Activity– This penguin deep breathing activity can be a coping tool or a sensory strategy to help with self-regulation skills.
Emotions Game- This free penguin emotions therapy slide deck challenges kids to identify emotions based on facial expressions.
If you prefer all of your treatment ideas in one bundle, the OT Toolbox has a Penguin Therapy Kit deal going on right now for the Penguin Therapy Kit!
Every day I look for humor in my job. Let’s face it, kids are funny! While not so funny that these kids had so little knowledge about winter snow, it WAS funny that one student stated “in the snow you stay inside and drink hot cocoa.” Another student somehow knew nothing about snow, but told me how you have to lay on the ice if it is cracking. Lastly there was the little girl who worked so diligently on this task, then out of nowhere stated she wants a hamster for her birthday, and could we look that up on Google too (for the record, we did).
Flexibility is synonymous with Occupational Therapist. The more flexible you are able to be, the more fun you are able to have doing this amazing job. Flexibility is looking up hamsters, suddenly describing what snowshoes are for, or somehow making your failing activity a success!
I’m thinking that the boy who said snow is for indoors and hot cocoa is onto something.
Free Penguin I Spy PDF
Interested in adding the Penguin I Spy to your therapy toolbox? Enter your email address into the form below. Or, if you are a Member’s Club member, log into your account and access this resource in our Penguin Therapy Theme.
Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.
