By manipulating pictures from a story or rhyme they have listened to or read, children improve their ability to understand, retell and---in the case of rhymes---recite it. Rhyme sequencing cards, such as "Humpty Dumpty" (see Reference 3), are ideal for early childhood education.
Picture cards help children to develop more complex skills, such as drawing "story maps" about a story's events, setting and characters. This begins as a collaborative brainstorming activity in which students share what they remember about a story. The teacher draws pictures, and then the class puts the pictures in order.
Children may be better able to describe their experiences with growing plants after viewing pumpkin life-cycle sequence cards (see Reference 4), in which a seed transforms through logical steps into a pumpkin. Such cards teach and reinforce concepts of cause, effect, structure and function that are fundamental to science studies.
Picture sequence cards are available online and at teaching supply stores. Alternatively, parents can help children draw cards for their favorite stories or make cards from photos of everyday events, such as a child's day from waking to sleeping. Homemade sequence cards can also prepare young children for experiences that might otherwise be confusing or frightening, like visiting the doctor or starting school.