Lost Ball
A little ball rolls away. Look, discover, and tell the story of finding it again.
What sets the orderThe ball has to roll under the bench before anyone can look for it: a short, clear cause-and-effect chain.
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Printable Story Sequencing Cards for Speech Therapy and Preschool
Everyday picture stories cut into cards. Put them in order, talk about what happened first, next and last, then tell the story again.
What are story sequencing cards?
Sequencing cards show the key moments of one short story. Putting them in order helps children notice cause and effect, use time words like first, next and then, and retell events in their own words. Every pack here comes from a complete story, so the order makes sense instead of being a guessing game.
Example: the scenes of Lost Ball, in story order.
Try a free activityPlaying together
The ball rolls away
Looking underneath
Found it
4-scene stories
A good place to start: a clear beginning, problem and ending.
Picnic Prep
Pack a basket, find a spot, share a picnic, and leave the park tidy.
What sets the orderA familiar routine: pack, walk, eat, tidy up. Children can check the order against their own day out.
$19.99 · Browse story packsThe Wet Painting
A bright painting is still wet. Sam spots a smear, finds a place to let the paper dry, and decides what to do next.
What sets the orderThe smear only happens while the paint is wet, and drying takes time, so the last card happens “later”.
$19.99 · Browse story packs6-scene stories
More steps and details to notice, once four-card stories feel easy.
A Box Becomes a Boat
Jo and Noor turn an empty box into a pretend boat, test a sail, and change their design when it tips.
What sets the orderTwo tries: the sail tips over, so the stand gets wider. A problem card is followed by a fix card.
$19.99 · Browse story packsA Place for the Seed
Lina plants a large seed with an adult, notices changes across several days, and finds a tiny shoot.
What sets the orderTime words carry this story: first soil, then the seed, then water, then several days of waiting.
$19.99 · Browse story packsThe Library Book
Omar wants to return a borrowed book. A librarian helps him find the right place, and he chooses another story.
What sets the orderFollow the book from the bag to the return trolley, with asking the librarian in the middle.
$19.99 · Browse story packsThe Missing Mitten
Tess finds one mitten, follows a clue near the coat, and discovers its partner in a basket.
What sets the orderA search story: one mitten, a clue, a hiding place, the pair. Position words help: on, under, inside.
$19.99 · Browse story packsA Quieter Spot
A busy park sound interrupts a picnic. Nia shows that she wants a change, and her family helps her find a quieter place.
What sets the orderThe music starts, Nia shows what she needs, then the family moves: a story about signals and choices.
$19.99 · Browse story packsThe Toy Bridge
A toy bus needs to cross a pretend river. Ben and Imani try a paper bridge, notice a bend, and build a stronger support.
What sets the orderTry, notice a problem, change the plan, try again: the classic order of a problem-solving story.
$19.99 · Browse story packs8-scene stories
Longer stories with a change of plan or several connected events.
Rain Changes the Plan
Kai and Ava plan an outdoor game. Rain arrives, so they compare ideas, try an indoor version, and make room to play together.
What sets the orderEight cards with a turning point: an outdoor plan, rain, two indoor ideas, then a choice.
$19.99 · Browse story packsThe Windy Delivery
Milo and Ruby carry a picture invitation to a neighbor. Wind sends it into a bush, so they ask an adult, recover it, and protect it for the rest of the trip.
What sets the orderEight connected events: a gust, a card in a bush, asking for help, then keeping it safe in a folder.
$19.99 · Browse story packs10-scene stories
Longer stories with a change of plan or several connected events.
The Dentist Visit
Kai and his grandma visit the dentist. He tries the chair first, agrees a stop signal, uses it when the water straw is too loud, and finishes when he is ready.
What sets the orderTen steps from the calendar to home, with a turning point: the straw is loud, Kai raises his hand, the dentist stops.
$19.99 · Browse story packs11-scene stories
Longer stories with a change of plan or several connected events.
When I Can't See My Grown-up
In the supermarket, Lina wanders toward the pinwheels and loses sight of Grandma. She stops, looks around, finds a worker in a green apron, shows her card and waits at the help desk until Grandma comes.
What sets the orderSafety steps in a fixed order: stop, look around, find a worker, show the card, wait. Good for practising “what do I do first?”
$19.99 · Browse story packs12-scene stories
Longer stories with a change of plan or several connected events.
First Day in the New Classroom
Omar starts in a new classroom. A picture schedule, a hook of his own and a 'play together' card help him through saying goodbye, a tricky moment with the blocks, and missing home until pick-up.
What sets the orderA whole day in order: schedule, goodbye, circle time, a tricky moment, missing home, pick-up. The picture schedule itself is the clue.
$19.99 · Browse story packsAfter the Tower Fell
Jo's cup tower falls and Jo thinks Noor did it, but readers can see the puppy's tail. A mix-up, time apart, a new clue, and a cup offered as a way to make up.
What sets the orderReaders see the puppy’s tail before Jo does, so the order tells a misunderstanding, a clue and making up.
$19.99 · Browse story packsThe Night Light in the New House
Nia's family moves house. She packs her star night light last, finds the new room strange at night, goes to Dad for help and finds the light in her star box. In the morning she says hello to the new home.
What sets the orderFrom packing to a new morning: goodbye to the old home, a strange first night, finding the light, hello to the new home.
$19.99 · Browse story packsHow many cards to start with
There is no correct age for a number of cards. Watch how the child handles a story and choose the length that gives a small, reachable challenge.
3–4 cards: beginning, problem, ending
A good first step for young children, early speech goals or a new language. Each card shows one clear action, and the change from the first to the last picture is easy to see. Try Lost Ball, Picnic Prep or The Wet Painting.
6 cards: more steps in the middle
Six-scene stories add a try, a clue or a request for help between the start and the end. They are the natural next step once four cards feel easy, and they invite words like because, so and then.
8–12 cards: longer stories
Rain Changes the Plan and The Windy Delivery have a turning point in the middle. The 10–12 scene stories, such as The Dentist Visit or First Day in the New Classroom, follow a whole experience from start to finish and suit full retelling and story grammar work.
Ready for more? A child is usually ready for a longer story when they can order the current set without help and retell it with a few time words. If a longer story is too much, take out the middle cards and add them back one at a time.
Six ways to use story sequencing cards
Putting the cards in order is only the start. The same set can come out again and again with a different focus each time.
1Order the whole story
Share the story once, mix the cards and rebuild it together. Talk through each choice: “What happened just before this?”
2First and last, then the middle
Lay out the first and last cards and ask what happened in between. This is the gentlest way into a longer story.
3Which card is missing?
Remove one card while the child looks away. Can they work out what is missing and describe it?
4What happens next?
Show the first two or three cards and ask for a prediction before turning over the rest. Any reasonable guess counts.
5Spot the swap
Swap two cards and ask the child to find the mistake and explain why that order does not work.
6Retell, draw or write
Retell with first, next, then and at the end. Then draw a new ending, or write one short sentence per card with early writers.
In therapy, in class and at home
Speech and language therapy
Picture sequences give narrative goals a concrete structure: story grammar, time words, cause and effect, wh-questions and longer sentences. The short-text version models sentence structure; the wordless version is for independent retelling.
ESL and other new languages
The order of the pictures carries the meaning, so learners can take part before they have the words. Pre-teach a few key words, offer a frame such as “First… then…”, and repeat the same story over several sessions. Every pack comes in seven languages.
Preschool and kindergarten
Work in groups of four or five so everyone gets a turn. One child places a card, another says what happens, and the group checks the order against the story.
At home
Ten minutes at the kitchen table is enough. Pick a story close to everyday life, like a picnic or a lost mitten, and link it to something the child did that day.
How to use sequencing cards
- Share the whole story first, before cutting or mixing the cards.
- Start small: lay out the first and last card, then add the middle.
- Model time words such as first, next, then and at the end, and pause for a response.
- Accept any order the child can explain, and talk about what would make it fit.
A few helpful answers
What age are sequencing cards for?
Sequencing activities are often used with preschool and early elementary children, but there is no fixed age. Choose by attention and interest: start with 4 scenes and add more when it feels easy.
How many cards should I use?
Begin with three or four. Our stories range from 4 to 12 scenes, and you can always use a selection of the cards.
Is the full story included?
Yes. Each pack includes the complete story as a wordless version and a short-text version, so children can check their order against the story.
How do sequencing cards help with speech and language?
Putting events in order gives a child a frame for telling a story: who was there, what happened and how it ended. Speech-language therapists use picture sequences to practise time words, cause and effect, longer sentences and retelling. These materials support that kind of practice but do not replace an individual plan.
Which sequencing stories are best to start with?
Start with a short, familiar routine and a clear problem, such as Lost Ball or The Wet Painting. Lost Ball is free: sign in to download every file and try the format first.
Can I use the cards with English learners?
Yes. The pictures carry the story, so learners can show what they understand by ordering cards before they can say much. Each pack comes in seven languages, so a child can tell the story in their home language first and then in the new one.
Should I laminate the cards?
It helps if you plan to use them often. Print on card stock or laminate after cutting, and keep each story in its own envelope. The PDFs are made for A4 and US Letter paper.