Our new cause and effect game turns a big second grade reading skill into a rainy-day adventure. Kids read a short sentence with Funzy, find what happened and why it happened, and mark each part with its own color.
Cause and effect is everywhere in stories: something happens, and there is a reason it happens. Children often can tell you both parts out loud, but in a written sentence the two parts run together. This game helps them pull the sentence apart.
Kids get two markers. They tap the blue marker and swipe across the effect, the part that tells what happened. Then they tap the red marker and swipe across the cause, the part that tells why. One press of Check, and Funzy cheers.
- A cause and effect game for 2nd grade (great for 1st and 3rd grade practice too).
- A guided example first, then 2 rounds with 10 everyday cause and effect sentences.
- Blue marker = the effect (what happened). Red marker = the cause (why it happened).
- Based on the Identifying Cause and Effect Worksheet, so you can play it, then print it.
Why kids love this cause and effect game
Reading skills can feel like hard work. This game feels like coloring. Kids swipe real underlines across the sentence, and every right answer brings a cheer, a streak and a star.
Funzy reads it all
Every direction is read aloud, and a speaker button reads each sentence for children still building their reading.
Two magic markers
Blue for what happened, red for why. Kids see how every sentence splits into two parts.
A rainy paper village
A cut-paper village with a rainbow on the way, and a star score at the end.
Fix just what you missed
If an underline is not quite right, Funzy gives a friendly hint, the wrong line wipes away and the right part stays.
Watch the cause and effect game
See the whole game, from the guided example to the five-star finish. Find more on the Have Fun Teaching YouTube channel.
How to play the cause and effect game
Press Play and Funzy takes it from there. A guided example comes first, so children see every step before it is their turn.
Read the sentence
A short, everyday sentence appears, like “The dog barked loudly because it heard a knock at the door.” Tap the speaker to hear it.
Blue = what happened
Tap the blue Effect marker and swipe across the part that tells what happened: “The dog barked loudly.”
Red = why it happened
Tap the red Cause marker and swipe across the part that tells why: “it heard a knock.”
Press Check
Funzy cheers a right answer. If one part is off, only the wrong line wipes away, and kids try just that part again.
The Identifying Cause and Effect Game is part of the Have Fun Teaching membership. Members can open it full screen on any device. New here? Start your 3 free days and play it today.
What kids learn from the cause and effect game
The game follows the way teachers teach cause and effect in the early grades: find what happened, then ask why it happened, and look for clue words that link the two.
Effect = what happened
Kids learn to name the event first, the thing they could see or hear.
Cause = why it happened
Then they find the reason, the part that answers the question “why?”
One color for each part
The blue and red markers make the two parts visible, like color-coding on an anchor chart.
Clue words: because and so
The sentences use both “because” and “so,” so kids see the clue word that joins the two parts.
Meaning, not word order
The cause comes first in some sentences and last in others, so kids think about meaning instead of position.
Hints that keep the right part
A wrong underline wipes away while the right part stays, so children correct their own thinking.
Teacher tip: play it, then print it
Play the game on the whiteboard as a class, then hand out the Identifying Cause and Effect Worksheet. Before each answer, ask together: “What happened? Why did it happen?” Check off each step as your class finishes it:
More cause and effect resources
Keep the practice going with a Micro Lesson, printables and activities for the same skill.
Reading · WorksheetIdentifying Cause and Effect Worksheet
Reading · Micro LessonIdentifying Cause and Effect Micro Lesson
Reading · WorksheetFind the Effect Cause and Effect Worksheet
Reading · WorksheetFind the Cause Cause and Effect Worksheet
Reading · WorksheetWhy did it happen? Cause and Effect Worksheet
Reading · WorksheetWhat Happened? Cause and Effect Worksheet
Reading · Graphic OrganizerCause and Effect Graphic Organizer Worksheet
Reading · ActivityCause and Effect Sequencing Activity
Want a guided lesson first? Read about the Identifying Cause and Effect Micro Lesson, which teaches the skill step by step before kids play.
Explore more resources
Get every game with a membership
Reading practice, ready for the whole year
Members play the Identifying Cause and Effect Game and every other Have Fun Teaching game, and download the reading printables, songs and videos that go with it.
- Every Have Fun Teaching game, including the Identifying Cause and Effect Game
- Every printable, song and video, Preschool–6th
- Unlimited downloads, new resources added daily
- Use it with your class or your kids at home
Cause and effect game FAQ
What is the Identifying Cause and Effect Game?
The Identifying Cause and Effect Game is an online reading game for kids from Have Fun Teaching. Kids read short, everyday sentences with Funzy, underline the effect (what happened) with a blue marker and the cause (why it happened) with a red marker, then press Check.
What grade is the cause and effect game for?
It is made for 2nd grade and works well for 1st and 3rd grade practice. Funzy reads every direction aloud, and a speaker button reads each sentence, so kids can play on their own.
How does the game teach cause and effect?
Each part of the sentence gets its own color, so kids see how a sentence splits into what happened and why. The sentences use both because and so, with the cause sometimes first and sometimes last, so kids think about meaning instead of word order. A wrong underline wipes away while the right part stays, so children fix just what they missed.
Can kids play it on a tablet or phone?
Yes. The game runs in the browser on computers, tablets, phones, Chromebooks and interactive whiteboards. There is nothing to install.
Is there a printable version?
Yes. The game is based on the Identifying Cause and Effect Worksheet, so kids can play the game and then practice the same skill on paper.
Ready to find what happened and why with Funzy?
Press Play and let your kids read each sentence, pick up the markers and underline the cause and the effect, all on their own.
Works on computers, tablets, phones and interactive whiteboards.
