Spot the Difference: A Visual-Spatial Activity for K-2

Here is an activity that I used for enrichment with Kinder and 1st grade during a time when we were working on visual-spatial discrimination (In the P.E.T.S.™ curriculum, this is Max the Magician’s specialty). I was so surprised by the results! It had me wondering if this activity could even aid in identifying gifted kinder and first graders.

The lesson can be summed up in a few words. Begin by asking students if they’ve ever done a puzzle called “Spot the Difference.” Share a few examples, such as the ones found HERE, and “play” together as a class. Then, in the most enthusiastic way, explain to students that they will get to try to make their own “Spot the Difference” puzzle.

Show this page (you could even display it on a large screen) and discuss with students how they might go about creating their own. Explain that they will color the two pictures ALMOST exactly the same, but they will choose SMALL things to color differently. Ask questions such as:

• “What are some small things in this picture that we could color differently?” (e.g. tail of the kite, one spot on the turtle, the chimney on the house)

• “What if we colored this entire turtle (on the left) BLUE and the other turtle (point to the one on the right) GREEN, would that be a difference that is hard to spot?” (“Nooooo….” the kids will respond).

• “Are there some small things we could add to the picture on the right?” (elicit ideas such as a small sun in the sky, smoke coming from the chimney, a flower by the rocks, etc.)

Pass out copies of the page and have students begin working on creating their own. In several classes, K-1 students amazed me with their ideas. The sample below is a first-grader’s work.

A BIG THANKS TO the folks at NELIBLU for granting permission to reproduce these two samples from their 5 x 7 coloring book collection. You can find the coloring books HERE.

If you have any activities to share, or if you try this activity and can share feedback, your comments are welcome. Also, you might like to join our Facebook group where we share ideas and discuss how to incorporate novelty, depth, and complexity into classroom lessons and activities.

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