Classroom Theme Resources

Nursery Rhyme Sequencing: Fun & Engaging Learning for Kids

Engage Your Students with Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Activities

Looking for an effective way to build sequencing skills in young learners? Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Activities are a fantastic way to help students develop storytelling, comprehension, and logical thinking in a way that feels natural and engaging. By using familiar rhymes, you can make sequencing lessons more interactive and meaningful—without adding extra prep to your workload!

Classic nursery rhymes like “Humpty Dumpty” and “Jack and Jill” provide the perfect structure for teaching first, next, and last. With the right activities, students will improve their ability to retell stories in order, predict events, and strengthen their understanding of time concepts—all while having fun!

Let’s explore how Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Activities can transform your literacy and comprehension lessons.

What is Sequencing and Why is it Important?

Sequencing is the ability to arrange events, ideas, or actions in a logical order. It is a critical early literacy and cognitive skill that helps children understand stories, follow directions, and develop problem-solving abilities. Mastering sequencing enables students to build stronger comprehension skills, recognize patterns, and structure their thoughts more effectively.

However, sequencing can be challenging for young learners. Some students struggle to understand the concept of time order, making it difficult for them to determine what comes first, next, and last in a story.

Others may have trouble recalling events in the correct sequence, especially if they have difficulty with memory or language processing. Using engaging and familiar nursery rhymes can make learning sequencing easier by providing clear, repetitive structures that children can remember and organize.

What Is Nursery Rhyme Sequencing in Early Childhood Education

Nursery Rhyme Sequencing is a foundational skill in early childhood education that helps children understand order, storytelling, and logical thinking. Nursery rhymes are perfect for sequencing activities because they have clear story structures, making it easier for young learners to grasp first, next, and last concepts.

In early learning, it involves understanding and ordering events based on time and logic. It includes:

• Using time vocabulary: First, next, last
• Ordering events before and after a specific event
• Comparing and arranging events in three-step sequences
• Answering sequencing questions such as:
  • What happened first?
  • What happens next?
  • What happened before ____?
  • What happened after ____?

By using Nursery Rhyme Sequencing, children can practice these concepts with familiar and engaging stories.

Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Activities

Our Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Activities support students in mastering the skill of sequencing everyday events with confidence. Perfect for whole-class lessons, small groups, or independent centres, these activities are versatile and engaging.

Each three-step resource includes nine simple-to-prepare activities that promote interactive learning. You can choose from vibrant full-colour sequencing cards for classroom displays or practical black-and-white worksheets for independent practice and assessments.

What’s Included:

• Print-Only PDF – Dual Spelling (colour & color)
• A4 Full-Colour Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Activity – First, Next, Last Ordering Students order the sequencing images in the correct order.
• A4 Full-Colour What Happens Before __? What Happens After __? Students look at the image and decide which image shows what happened before and after.
• A4 Full-Colour 1,2,3 Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Activity Cut and order the sequencing cards.
• A4 Full-Colour Wrong Order Activity Students check or cross the image that is in the wrong place and use sequencing cards to correct the order.
• 7 A4 Full-Colour Posters Perfect for classroom displays and reference.
• A4 B&W Worksheet – Colour & Order A Sequence Students match the number to the image to show the correct order.
• A4 B&W Worksheet – First, Next, Last Ordering Students colour, cut, order, and stick sequencing images into the correct order.
• A4 B&W Nursery Rhyme Sequencing Book A one-page foldable where students colour and sequence a nursery rhyme. A blank space is included for them to illustrate their own ending.
• A4 B&W Wrong Order Activity Students check or cross the image that is in the wrong place and use sequencing cards to correct the order.

Download now and start engaging your students with hands-on Nursery Rhyme Sequencing fun.