I Spy “Flip” Board game: Long Vowel ‘A’
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Coordinating Activities
Long Vowel ‘A’ I Spy “Flip” Board Game
- 40 I Spy picture cards with words, 8 to a page (acorn, apron, cake, snake, train and more)
- 10 full-color I Spy game boards
- 1 page of 20 star tokens
- Table of contents and preparation directions
- I Spy “Flip” game instructions
The cards show long a spelled different ways, like acorn, cake, train and spray, so kids hear the same vowel sound with different spellings.
Required Materials:
- White cardstock, printer and ink
- Laminator
- Paper cutter or scissors
- Optional: mini erasers or counters to use as tokens
Standards for Long Vowels, Phonics and Speaking and Listening
This long a I Spy game supports early literacy standards connected to long and short vowel sounds, long vowel spelling patterns and taking turns in conversation.
Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3.B: Associate the long and short sounds with the common spellings for the five major vowels. Kids hear and say long a in every word.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.2.A: Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words. Kids listen for long a in words like cake, snake and train.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.C: Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds. The cards show long a with a final e, like cake and snake, and with the vowel teams ai and ay, like train and spray.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Players take turns, name the pictures and talk about each match.
Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and TEKS for English Language Arts and Reading
- TEKS K.2(B)(i): Identify and match the common sounds that letters represent. Kids match the letter a to its long vowel sound.
- TEKS 1.2(B)(iii): Decode words with open syllables, VCe syllables and vowel teams. The cards show long a with a final e, like cake and snake, and with the vowel teams ai and ay, like train and spray.
Virginia English Standards of Learning
- K.FFR.3.C: Discriminate between long and short sounds with common spellings for the five major vowels. Kids focus on the long a sound.
- 1.FFR.3.B: Decode and encode words with long vowels, open syllables and vowel consonant-e. Kids see long a words like cake, game and snake.
- 1.FFR.3.C: Use letter-sound correspondences to decode words containing common vowel teams. Cards like train, mail and spray show long a vowel teams.
The Long Vowel ‘A’ I Spy “Flip” Board Game gives kindergarten and first grade kids hands-on practice hearing, finding and saying the long a sound with 40 picture cards and 10 colorful game boards.
Flip a card, find the acorn and say long a! Kids race to spot each picture on a busy I Spy board, and every match is one more chance to hear the long a vowel sound.
Every picture in this game has the long a sound, like acorn, apron, cake, snake, train and spray. Long a is spelled different ways on the cards, like ape, snake, train, spray and baby.
Each card shows a picture and its word, so adults can name it the same way every time and early readers can look at the different ways long a is spelled.
With 10 different game boards, the same pictures land in new spots each round. That keeps the search fresh while kids build visual scanning, focus and vowel sound skills.
How to Play the Long A I Spy Game
- Choose one I Spy game board and place it where every player can see it. Deal the picture cards face down so each player has a small stack.
- All players flip their top card at the same time and race to find the matching picture on the board.
- The first player to point to the right picture says the word and the long a sound, then wins a star token or keeps the card as a point. Play until every card is flipped. The player with the most points wins!
Cooperative Play: Put the picture cards in one shared pile. Kids take turns flipping a card and work together to find it on the board. Cover each match with a token to see how many long a pictures the group can find.
Independent Play: Set one board and a stack of cards in a literacy center. Kids flip one card at a time, find the picture and say the word aloud. Covering each picture with a token or mini eraser adds a little fine motor practice.
Easy Ways to Differentiate This Long A I Spy Game
Every group has a mix of phonics, attention and visual scanning skills. These simple changes keep the I Spy routine familiar while meeting each child where they are.
For Children Who Need More Support:
- Start with 8 to 10 cards and one board.
- Say each word slowly and stretch the long a sound before kids search.
- Model the first flip, search and match.
- Accept pointing or touching as an answer.
For On-Level Practice:
- Play with all 40 cards and one board.
- Have kids say the word and the long a sound after every match.
- Switch boards so the same pictures land in new spots.
- Sort the cards by how long a is spelled.
For an Extra Challenge:
- Have kids read the word on the card before they start searching.
- Say a long a word without showing the card and let kids find it.
- Ask kids for another word with the long a sound after each match.
- Mix in a short a card and have kids tell which sound they hear.
For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support:
- Say the word and give plenty of wait time to find the picture.
- Accept pointing, gestures, AAC or any communication method the child already uses.
- Use the cards for articulation practice with the long a sound.
- Play cooperatively when the goal is speech practice, not speed.
- Have kids place a token on each match for added fine motor practice.
Long A I Spy Game Is Perfect For:
- Kindergarten
- First grade
- Long vowel practice
- Phonics and literacy centers
- Small-group instruction
- Reading intervention
- Speech and language therapy
- Special education
- ELL and multilingual learners
- Homeschool
- Early finishers
