Story sequencing cards to retell a bedtime story.
Three free sets of four picture cards, each retelling one of our gentle bedtime stories: a beginning, something that changes, what the characters do, and a calm ending. Print them, mix them up and tell the story back together, in order or in your own way.
3 sets of 4 cardsages 3 to 6US Letter and A4free to print
How to play
Mix them up, then tell it back.
- Print a set and cut out the four cards. Read the story first if you like, or keep it as a surprise.
- Mix the cards up and lay them face up on the table or the bed.
- Story order: your child puts them in the order they think the story goes, telling what happens on each card. The reference order is below each set.
- Free retelling: or let your child choose any order and tell their own story. There's no wrong answer in this version.
- Finish with the last card, the calm one, and say goodnight to the characters.
This is shared play, not a test. If your child would rather just look at the pictures and listen, that's a fine way to play too.
Three sets
Four cards, one story.
Mother Hen's chicks
Retells Mother Hen Counts Her Chicks, free to read.
Card 1
Time for bed, chicks!
Mother Hen calls her chicks together in the farmyard at dusk.
Card 2
One chick is missing.
Mother Hen searches by the wheelbarrow for her littlest chick.
Card 3
Found in the boot!
She finds Little Peep fast asleep inside a green rubber boot.
Card 4
All five, asleep.
Mother Hen sleeps in the henhouse with all five chicks tucked under her wings.
Reference order: beginning, something changes, what they do, the calm ending (Time for bed, chicks → One chick is missing → Found in the boot → All five, asleep).
Where is Big Ted?
Retells Where Did Big Ted Go?, free to read.
Card 1
Big Ted isn't on the pillow.
At bedtime, Isa points at her empty pillow while her dad kneels beside her.
Card 2
Looking under the table.
Isa and her dad search the kitchen with a flashlight.
Card 3
There he is!
Isa finds Big Ted sitting on the laundry basket in the bathroom.
Card 4
Asleep together.
Isa sleeps in bed with Big Ted in her arms.
Reference order: beginning, something changes, what they do, the calm ending (Big Ted isn't on the pillow → Looking under the table → There he is → Asleep together).
The paper boat
Retells The Boat That Needed a New Fold, free to read.
Card 1
A paper boat for the bath.
Felipe sets his paper boat on the bath water.
Card 2
Oh no, it tips over.
Felipe frowns as the boat goes wrong in the water.
Card 3
A new fold.
Wrapped in a towel, Felipe folds a new boat with a wide, flat bottom while his mom watches.
Card 4
It floats!
The new boat floats across the bath and Felipe laughs.
Reference order: beginning, something changes, what they do, the calm ending (A paper boat for the bath → Oh no, it tips over → A new fold → It floats).
Questions parents ask.
What are story sequencing cards?
Picture cards that each show one moment from a story. You mix them up, then put them back in order and tell the story as you go. These three sets retell three of Pimlo's free bedtime stories.
What age are these sequencing cards for?
They are made for children of about 3 to 6, with four cards per story: a beginning, something that changes, what the characters do, and a calm ending. Younger children may like to do it with a grown-up.
Does my child have to get the order right?
No. There's a reference order if you want one, but a child's own order, with their own story to go with it, is a perfectly good way to play.
Can we read the story first?
Yes. Each set links to the full story, free to read. Some children like hearing it first; others enjoy guessing the story from the pictures and reading it afterward.
Tomorrow, the story continues
A story can be written anywhere. Pimlo remembers the world.
Telling a story back is a lovely way to keep it. In Pimlo, your child's own stories remember the characters and places from one night to the next.
Parents set the age band and what to avoid, and stories are checked before playback.
For parents and caregivers. No child information needed.