Long o Mystery Box

Phonics doesn’t have to feel like a chore. When students are engaged, they retain more—and that's where our Long O Mystery Box Game shines. This free printable game is perfect for Year 1 and Year 2 students who are learning to identify and spell words with the long o sound using o, oa, ow, and o_e phonemes.

What Makes This Game Special?

Unlike traditional worksheets, this game adds a layer of excitement and strategy to phonics

lessons. Students aren't just memorising—they're thinking, choosing, and spelling as they go. The interactive design means every round is different, keeping students motivated and involved.

Whether you’re working in small groups during literacy rotations or looking for an independent learning task, the Long O Mystery Box Game adds variety and fun to your phonics toolkit.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

To play the game, simply print:

Page 2: The reusable scoreboard (one per player)
Pages 3–10: Double-sided cards with long o words (print, back-to-back, and cut out)

Optional: Laminate the scoreboards so students can write with dry-erase markers and reuse the game again and again.

How the Game Works

Here’s how to play:

Shuffle and lay out the Mystery Box cards face down with the picture side showing.
Player 1 chooses a card (by pointing—not turning it over).
Player 2 picks up the card and reads the long o word aloud.
Player 1 writes the word on their scoreboard.
If spelled correctly, they earn 1 point.
Then Player 1 chooses to keep or discard the card—each card has hidden bonus or penalty points!
Swap roles and repeat until all cards are played.
The player with the highest total score wins.

Learning Through Play

What makes this game so powerful is how seamlessly it weaves together phonics knowledge with decision-making and spelling practice. Students are exposed to a variety of long o spellings and must actively apply what they’ve learned.

Phonemes covered include:

o (e.g., go, no)
oa (e.g., boat, road)
ow (e.g., snow, grow)
o_e (e.g., home, rope)

Why Teachers and Students Keep Coming Back to It

It’s low-prep: Print, cut, and go.
It’s flexible: Perfect for partner work, literacy centres, or fast finishers.
It’s effective: Reinforces key spelling patterns through repetition and writing.

Plus, the element of surprise built into the scoring keeps students laughing, thinking, and asking to play again.

Download the Long O Mystery Box Game

If you're looking for a way to make phonics more engaging, the Long O Mystery Box Game is ready for you to download and use in your next lesson. It’s one of many free literacy resources available from Smart Boarding School, where we believe that learning should be meaningful, fun, and accessible to all.

Click the button below to grab your free copy and see how much your students enjoy mastering the long o sound!

DOWNLOAD