What Are Some Sequence of Events Activities?

Sequence of Events Activities

Sequence of events activities can begin at the pre-reading level to introduce children to the concept. Any daily routine can be used to allow the child to begin to think in terms of sequence. An excellent example here is the routine of going to sleep at night.

Daily Routines

Parents can make going to bed a sequence of events learning activity. Break the routine down into four or more events: putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, reading a story and going to sleep. Make picture cards depicting these events and use them as each event is taking place. The parent can then review with the child before the evening routine what they are going to do. This is a pre-reader exercise to start sequence of event comprehension.

Using Pictures

Pre-K children can use slightly more advanced exercises by combining pictures with word descriptions of an activity. These activities can be based on anything that has a sequence, from the steps involved in leaving the classroom for the day to feeding the class pet. They can be used for individual instruction or in small groups to foster cooperation and shared understanding.

Putting Sentences in Order

As children grow in reading ability, pictures will be replaced for sentence descriptions of activities. Children at this stage could be given short lists of activities and asked to put them in the correct order. This allows development of reasoning skills while promoting higher level sequencing development. The activity could follow a movie or activity that incorporated the sequences the children are being asked to put in the correct order.

Story Order

As children further progress in development, the sequence of learning activities will more and more involve reading assignments. The basic reasoning behind why events took place in a certain order in a story can be incorporated into an exercise. One exercise could involve reading a story and then writing simple sentences as a summary of the story’s sequence of events.

An example of such an exercise is illustrated here:

Children read the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Afterwards, they are asked to write down the sequence of events in simple sentences. This could be summarized as:

Goldilocks finds the Three Bears house.
Goldilocks eats the porridge.
Goldilocks breaks the chair.
Goldilocks falls asleep.
The bears return home.

This is a simple example but can grow in complexity and reasoning as reading skills are developed.

Computer Based Training

Many exercises of these sorts can also be adapted to computer based training for home tutoring and distance learning. Drop and drag lists accompanied by pictures or related text material can form good review material. Other programs allow teachers and parents to create their own exercises and flash cards using sequence of events tasks ranging from making a homemade pizza to getting dressed for school.

A variant of both the computer and pencil and paper exercises let students alter stories by substituting alternative events in place of an original story line. This develops greater understanding of sequencing in written stories and narratives.

Development of Sequence of Events Skills

Sequence of events exercises are useful at all reading levels from pre-K through middle school and even beyond. As they grow in complexity, they develop analytical reading on comprehension skills in the students. They can be developed around an almost infinite number of recognizable tasks and events.

Computers and sophisticated audio-visual technology make it simple for both parents and educators to create sequence of event exercises and tailor them to an individual child. This makes learning enjoyable and can engage the child’s attention more easily than pen and paper worksheets. Regardless of the medium for conducting the exercises, however, they are valuable tools in reading development.