--- title: "Play Quicksight and Farsight: two eye games" published: "2026-10-15" updated: "2026-10-15" author: "Dad Field Manual editors (drafted with AI help)" time: "30 min" cost: "$0" ages: "5 to 12" where: "A table for Quicksight, and the longest hall or room in the house for Farsight." topics: ["classic-skills","indoor"] print: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/print?p=quicksight-and-farsight" url: "https://dadfieldmanual.com/plans/quicksight-and-farsight/" --- # Play Quicksight and Farsight: two eye games > Thirty minutes, paper, a marker and a handful of checkers. Two 1911 games that train the eye: one tests what you see in five seconds, the other how far away you can see it. ## What you need - Paper, a ruler and a marker for two 5-by-5 grids and two rabbit cards (have) - 10 counters in two kinds: 5 red and 5 black checkers, or paper squares in two colors (have) - A dish towel or a book to cover the board (have) ## Before you start - **No nuts, coins or marbles as counters** if a baby or toddler is around. Use checkers or paper squares. - **Clear the hallway floor** before Farsight, since the player walks forward watching the card, not their feet. ## Steps 1. **Make two Quicksight boards** (Together) Draw two matching grids, 5 squares by 5, each about a foot across. The 1911 book used wooden boards; paper works the same. Give each player one board. 2. **Play Quicksight** (Together) Dad puts 5 red and 5 black counters on his board in any pattern while the kid looks away. Uncover it for five seconds ("one-Mississippi" to five), then cover it. The kid sets the same pattern on their board from memory. 3. **Score and swap** (Together) Uncover and compare. As the 1911 book scores it, one point for each counter in the right square, minus one for each wrong one. Swap roles and play turn and turn about. 4. **Draw two rabbit cards** (Kid) On two cards about six inches square, draw the same simple rabbit outline, or trace one onto the other against a window. Any animal works. 5. **Play Farsight down the hall** (Together) Dad draws 4 to 6 round spots, each about half an inch across, on one card and props it up in good light at one end of the hall. The kid starts at the far end with the blank card and steps closer, one step at a time, until they can copy the spots. Count the steps from the card. 6. **Check and try to beat it** (Together) Compare the cards. A correct copy at more steps away beats your last best. Then Dad takes a turn. For more, play [Kim's game](/plans/kims-game/) with the same towel. ## If it stalls - If five seconds is too short, start with ten, or with six counters instead of ten. - If the kid copies the spots but gets the places wrong, ask "Which spot is nearest the ear?" to give them a landmark. - If your kid squints or has to stand much closer than others the same age, mention it to their pediatrician. The AAP says nearsightedness often starts between 6 and 14. ## Variations - **Ages 5–6:** A 3-by-3 grid and four counters for Quicksight; three big spots for Farsight. - **Ages 7–9:** The full plan. - **Ages 10–12:** Cut Quicksight to three seconds, or play Farsight outdoors across the yard, counting paces as the 1911 book counted yards. ## Sources - **1911 scouting handbook, pp. 298–299.** The 1911 book describes Quicksight: two foot-square boards of 25 squares, five nuts and five pebbles placed in a pattern, shown for five seconds, then copied from memory, scoring one for each right and minus one for each wrong. It describes Farsight: two six-inch cards with matching rabbit outlines, half-inch black spots on one, and a player walking in from 100 yards until able to copy the pattern. (checked 2026-10-15) - **Choking hazards.** The American Academy of Pediatrics lists nuts, coins, marbles and toys with small parts among choking hazards for children, and says small round objects such as balls, marbles and pieces of toys cause the most choking deaths. (checked 2026-10-15) - **Nearsightedness in children.** The American Academy of Pediatrics says myopia (nearsightedness) often begins between ages 6 and 14 and makes distant objects blurry, lists squinting as a sign, and says to talk with your pediatrician if you think your child has symptoms. (checked 2026-10-15)