SEQUENCING
Most things we do in life tend to follow a usual order – washing the car, feeding the dog, making a cake. Children need to learn these typical sequences, and how to put them together in order, from first to last. Retelling a sequence can also help your child in their story-telling.
Here are some simple things you can do at home to support your child’s sequencing:
- Model sequence words – model words like first, next, then & last through daily activities such as getting dressed, doing the washing; making a sandwich etc.
- Let your child perform a task while you tell them what to do; then get your child to tell you what to do – do it exactly as they say; even if it’s out of order.
- Tell your child a story and then discuss the story in the sequence that it happened. Ask your child to draw the story in picture squares to show the correct sequence (i.e. First, next, and then, at the end etc.)
- Retelling a Sequence – talk about each step before and as you are doing it. When you have finished doing the activity, ask your child to tell you how you did/made it – or ask them to re-tell the steps to someone else so that they can make one too, emphasising the connecting words like first, next, finally.
Example – ‘Making a Honey Sandwich’
1) First you need to get 2 slices of bread, a jar of honey, plate, knife and margarine.
2) Next you spread margarine on the bread, with the knife.
3) Then you spread honey on the bread.
4) Next you put the other slice of bread on top and cut the sandwich in half.
5) Finally you can eat the honey sandwich!
Speech Pathology Team