What are stories? A story is a set of events that happen in sequence. But, before expecting your child to narrate a long story, help him or her build sequencing skills, with these simple ideas…

1-pic 1-line

Pick out 3 or 4 sequence pictures. Show them to your child one by one. Ask your child to describe what’s happening in each picture in one or two lines.

Follow the child’s instructions

Reverse your roles from the usual. Your child gives the instructions, you follow them. Ask your child a question, ‘Tell me how to draw a cat.’ Encourage him or her to describe it in steps, and use words like ‘First, then, next, in the end’.

As your child gives you instructions, draw the cat on a paper. Prompt the child with leading questions, ‘Yes, I’ve drawn the cat’s head. So, what do I do next?’

Practice with DIY videos

Simple DIY videos are a great way of helping children build sequencing skills. Pick any craft video without a voice-over or just mute the audio. Ask your child to speak along, giving instructions as the video plays.

Found a DIY video of How to make a stick puppet? Help your child give the voice-over!

• Step 1: Take a chart paper.
• Step 2: Draw the picture of a dog on it.
• Step 3: Cut out the picture.
• Step 4: Paste it on an ice-cream stick. Now, your stick puppet is ready!