Preschool picture sequencing worksheets
Sequencing is telling what happens first, next and last. Two short picture stories print out of order on this sheet, and a preschooler puts a 1 under the picture that comes first, then 2, 3 and 4. Most of the learning is in saying the story out loud. The numbers only write it down.
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The kind of stories you'll get
Look at all the pictures in a row. Write a number in each box so the story goes in order, starting with 1.
planting a tree, step 1
planting a tree, step 2
planting a tree, step 3
planting a tree, step 4
Each print draws two wordless stories from the picture bank and shuffles their panels, so the row is never already in order. Under every panel is a box for the number; the key shows each story in the order it happens.
Every print pulls a new set of picture stories at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.
What's on a preschool sheet
- Story order. Look at all the pictures in a row. Write a number in each box so the story goes in order, starting with 1. 2 stories per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Name every picture together before anything goes in a box, and use first, next and last as you talk. Then ask which picture has to come first. The bread comes before the sandwich, and the tooth comes out before it goes under the pillow. If numerals are new, your child can point to the pictures in order while you write the numbers, or you can write them lightly for tracing. One story at a sitting is plenty for a three-year-old. Save the second one for later.
Watch for: Numbering straight across. A child who writes 1, 2, 3, 4 left to right has put the page in order, not the story. Cover the boxes, sort the pictures out loud first, then write. Reading each picture on its own. The panels only mean something together. Ask what changed between two of them: what got bigger, what moved, what is gone. Starting at the end. Some children spot the finished cake or the open flower and number it 1 because it is the best picture. Ask which one could not have happened yet.
Common questions about preschool picture sequencing
- Is this too hard for a three- or four-year-old?
- The stories are everyday things: brushing teeth, putting on rain boots, eating an apple. Most preschoolers can point to the pictures in order well before they can write the numbers, so let them point while you write, or write the numbers lightly for them to trace.
- What if my child puts the pictures in a different order?
- Ask them to tell you the story their way. Then look together for the clue that fixes the order, like the apple getting smaller or the boots going on after the socks. The answer key shows the order each story happens in.
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Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.
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