Open the Box Games
Open the Box is a whole-class speaking game. The board shows a set of numbered boxes; a student or a team picks a number, the box opens and shows a question, a task, a word or a picture to talk about. Some boxes hide a surprise – a bonus of two points or a lost turn – which keeps everyone watching until the last box. Build your own game, browse the ones other teachers have shared, or open a random one for a warm-up.
Categories
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Open the Box?
The board shows numbered boxes. A student or a team calls out a number, you click that box, and it opens to show what is inside: a question to answer, a task to do, a word to explain or a picture to describe. Opened boxes stay open and turn grey, so nothing comes up twice. You can also open a box by typing its number on the keyboard.
Can the class play Open the Box in teams?
Yes. Choose 2, 3 or 4 teams under the boxes and click a team name to rename it. The team whose turn it is opens a box; press Correct to give it a point or No points, and the turn passes to the next team. Plus and minus buttons change any score by hand, and the winner is announced when the last box is open.
What are the surprise boxes?
A game can hide surprises among the ordinary boxes. A bonus box gives the team two points straight away, and a lose-a-turn box passes the turn to the next team without a question. The author can write their own text for a surprise, for example Free choice! Ask another team any question.
Is there a timer, and can the boxes be read aloud?
Choose a 15, 30 or 60 second timer under the boxes: it starts when a box opens and beeps when the time is up. Every open box has a speaker button that reads its text with the browser's own voice, and the author can make each box read itself aloud as soon as it opens, in British or American English.