Cracking the Code: What a Board Game Taught Me About Learning to Read

A few days ago, I was sitting at the table with my daughter, playing a board game called Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Code Breaker.

At first glance, it looks simple enough. Guess the colours, get feedback, try again. But within minutes, we were both deep in that familiar space educators know well: the learning space.

You know the one. That uncomfortable middle ground where things feel hard, progress feels slow, and frustration starts to creep in. The moment where a child sighs, slumps back, and says, “I can’t do this.”

Watching her, I was struck by how closely this mirrored what so many children experience when learning to read and spell.

The learning space is not a failure zone

In the game, you don’t crack the code on the first try. Or the second. Or sometimes even the fifth.

You make a guess, wait for feedback from the “code master,” and then realise you’re only partly right. Some colours are correct. Some are in the wrong place. Some don’t belong at all.

This is exactly what happens when children are learning the written code of our language.

They try.

They get feedback.

They adjust.

That moment of “This feels impossible” isn’t a sign that something is wrong. It’s a sign that learning is happening.

Feedback matters, but so does perseverance

One of the most powerful parts of the game is the feedback system. The code master doesn’t give you the answer. They don’t fix it for you.

Instead, they tell you what worked and what didn’t.

That feedback acts like mentoring support. It guides thinking without removing the cognitive load. In literacy instruction, this is the role of effective teaching: precise, timely feedback that supports deliberate thinking rather than bypassing it.

But feedback alone isn’t enough.

The game requires multiple trials. Confusion. Thinking time. Backtracking. Perseverance.

Just like reading.

Strategy changes everything

At some point, my daughter stopped guessing randomly.

She paused, thought, and said something like, “I’m just going to try to get one colour right first.”

That was the moment it clicked for me.

This is exactly how we teach reading and spelling effectively.

We don’t throw the whole code at children at once.

We teach one grapheme–sound correspondence at a time.

One spelling pattern.

One meaningful step forward.

We privilege logic and progression over guessing.

When children focus on one element, just like isolating one colour in the game, they begin to build a strategy. That focus doesn’t happen by accident — it’s shaped by what they’ve been shown and practised. Strategies then compound. With each attempt, understanding deepens, even when the full code hasn’t been cracked yet.

More attempts build stronger thinkers

Even after many turns, the code still took time to solve.

But with each attempt, the thinking became clearer and the strategy more deliberate.

This is what structured, cumulative literacy instruction allows: time and space for

understanding to develop.

Learning to read is learning to crack a code

That afternoon reminded me that learning to read and spell isn’t about speed. It’s about logic, pattern recognition, feedback, and persistence.

It’s about staying with the problem.

And just like in the game, when children are supported with clear structure, meaningful progression, and patient guidance, they do crack the code — one pattern at a time.

Sometimes all it takes is a board game at the kitchen table to remind us how powerful that process really is.

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About the Author

Jess Manton

Hi, I’m Jess — a literacy therapist, former teacher, and passionate advocate for inclusive education. With over 18 years of experience, my mission is to create a safe and supportive space where every child (and their parents) feels seen, heard, and empowered through literacy.