Eye Games for Kids

I Spy

• This eye game has been popular with children for generations. Two or more players can play it anywhere. One player starts by saying, "I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with ..." and names a letter of the alphabet. The other players must then look around and try to guess the object the first player was looking at. The turn is over when someone guesses correctly; the guesser then becomes the spyer.

Staring Contest

• Staring contests can be very competitive. The rules are simple: At the word "go," two players stare at each other to see who can last the longest without blinking or looking away. Many variations are possible, so decide beforehand whether to allow smiling, frowning or making sounds or faces. Games often end in riotous giggles.

Wink 'Em

• This game needs an odd number of players. Arrange a circle of chairs for players to sit on, leaving one seat empty. Have another player stand behind each chair. The person standing behind the empty chair starts. He tries to wink secretly at one of the seated players. She must then try to move to the empty chair without being tagged by the person standing behind her. If she succeeds, the player behind the newly empty chair becomes the winker. If she fails, the winker must try again.

Wink Murder

• Have everyone sit in a circle and close their eyes. One person who is not playing picks a "murderer" by tapping her on the head. The other players then open their eyes and look at the other people in the room. The "murderer" tries to kill all the other players, one by one, by winking at them without being detected by the others. If a person is winked at, she must wait five seconds, then "die" in spectacular fashion. Everyone else has to try to spot the murderer. If someone identifies the murderer correctly, the game is over. If the guess is wrong, the guesser is out of the game, and it continues.