Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Lighthouse Escape Story: Free Printable Game for Year 5
- ForYear 5
- StageKey Stage 2
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Lighthouse Escape Story is a free printable word game for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10). Children read an adventure set in a lighthouse tower and fill in the missing words to help the characters escape. They use the clues in each sentence to pick the right word, then spell it correctly. Page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas and a stretch task.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well, and it needs only a pencil.
What is on the sheet
Children read a short adventure story set in a lighthouse. Some words are missing from the sentences, and a word box offers the choices. Children use the clues around each gap to decide which word fits, then write it with the correct spelling. The story moves towards an escape from the tower, so reading closely matters. A word can look right but still make no sense in its sentence.
Ways to build on the story
Write a keeper's log
Pretend to be the lighthouse keeper. Write a short log entry about the night of the storm. Use at least three words from the story and check their spelling.
Draw the tower
Draw a cutaway picture of the lighthouse. Label the stairs, the lamp room and the door. Add a caption using a word from the word box.
Sound effects
Choose three moments from the story and invent a sound for each. Read the story aloud while a partner makes the sounds at the right time.
Word detective
Reread the finished story and underline the words that gave you the best clues. Explain to a grown up how each clue helped you choose.
Why lighthouses make a good story setting
A lighthouse is a tall tower with a powerful light at the top. It helps ships and boats stay safe at night and in poor weather. The light warns sailors about rocks and shows them where the coast is. Lighthouses are often built on cliffs, headlands or rocks in the sea. Britain has many of them, because it is an island with a long coastline.
A tower, a storm and a long climb make an exciting adventure, and children can picture them easily. Writers choose strong, exact words to build the mood, such as words for weather, movement and feelings. This sheet asks children to notice those choices. Using the words around a gap as clues is a reading skill that helps in every subject.
Lighthouse facts
- A lighthouse lamp is built to send its light far out over the sea.
- Many lighthouses flash in their own pattern, so sailors can tell which one they can see.
- Lighthouses are often painted in bright colours or stripes, so they stand out in daylight.
- Some lighthouses have a foghorn or bell to warn ships when it is too foggy to see the light.
- Many lighthouses in the UK now work automatically, so a keeper no longer needs to live there.
Skills and curriculum link
- Using context
- Spelling
- Reading closely
- Year 5 vocabulary
- Reading aloud
- Checking that a sentence makes sense
Ideas for helping with word choice
- Read it aloudHearing a sentence often shows when a word is wrong. Ask your child to read the sentence with their chosen word and listen to how it sounds.
- Look at the type of wordAsk what the gap needs. Is it a thing, an action or a word that describes how something happens? This narrows down the choices in the box.
- Use the clues nearbyLook at the sentences before and after the gap. Writers often leave hints about the weather, the setting or how a character feels.
- Check the spelling lastChoose the word first, then copy it carefully from the box. Look at it letter by letter and say it in syllables as you write.
Key words
- ContextThe words around a word that help you work out what it means or which word fits.
- ClueA small piece of information that helps you work something out.
- VocabularyThe words a person knows and can use.
- NarrativeA story, told in order from beginning to end.
- SyllableA beat in a word. Clapping the beats can help you spell a long word.
- ProofreadRead your work again to check that the spelling and meaning are right.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2 for the grown up.
- Read the whole story aloud before filling any gaps. Check that each sentence makes sense.
- Work through the activity together the first time. Talk about each choice and why it fits.
- Check against the notes on page 2. Ask, "What clue helped you choose that word?"
- Come back to it another day. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Read each sentence aloud and try every word in the box until one fits. Cross out words as you use them. If a gap is tricky, move on and come back to it once more of the story is filled in.
To stretch confident children
Write your own ending to the story. Describe how the characters leave the tower and what happens next. Use at least three strong describing words, and swap your ending with a friend to proofread each other's spelling.
Make it a game
Act out the climb up the stairs with sound effects. Take turns to read a sentence aloud while a partner adds footsteps, wind or creaking doors. Swap roles halfway so everyone has a go at both jobs.
Talk about it
- Which part of the story would you most like to be in, and why?
- Which clue in a sentence helped you pick a word?
- Can you find a word in the box that you could use in your own writing?
- How would you describe the weather in the story without using the word from the box?
- What would you do if you were stuck at the top of the tower?
- Which word was hardest to spell, and how did you remember it?
Take it off the page
Spelling stairs
Write a word from the story on each step of a staircase you draw. Climb it by saying and spelling each word aloud, then try writing each one from memory.
Storm in a jar of words
Write describing words about weather on slips of paper and put them in a jar. Pick three and use them in a short story opening.
Torch story
Dim the lights and read the story aloud with a torch. Move the beam across the page as you read, like a lighthouse sweeping the sea.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. Read the story aloud together first. Praise careful thinking, not only the right word, and ask how they chose.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary, an early finisher task or a table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. Page 2 has support and stretch ideas for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider reading and spelling plan. It pairs well with a lighthouse picture book or a talk about stories. You can print it again for brothers and sisters or for revision later.
Where this skill fits
Before this, children in earlier years practise using the rest of a sentence to work out a missing or unfamiliar word. They also learn to read aloud with expression and to check that what they read makes sense.
After this, children meet a wider range of vocabulary in reading and in their own writing. They apply spelling patterns to longer words and learn to choose precise words to build mood in their own stories. These sit within the reading and spelling strands of the National Curriculum for England.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Lighthouse Escape Story for?
It is written for Year 5 (ages 9 to 10), in Key Stage 2. Children in Year 4 or Year 6 may also enjoy it, depending on how confident they are with reading and spelling.
- What will children practise?
Children practise using context to choose the right word and then spelling it correctly. The sheet includes Year 5 vocabulary such as tempest, spiral and cautiously, so it also builds careful reading.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters or revision a few weeks later.
- What if it feels too hard?
Read each sentence aloud and try the words in the box until one fits. Fill in the easier gaps first, then return to the trickier ones. Working together the first time also helps.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has support and stretch ideas.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It needs only paper and a pencil, so it works well for quiet time, rainy days and school holidays. Children read, think and write by hand.
- Do I need to print in colour?
No. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper. Colour is not needed for any part of the game.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.