Playtime Felts — Little pieces. Big storytelling.

← All Storytime Ideas

Animal habitats · Story sequencing

Desert animal story trail for preschool

Take a desert animal down a picture trail and tell what happens first, next, and last.

Try the activity
Playtime Felts Desert Habitat precut felt set with a gecko, jackrabbit, cactus, and other desert pieces.View this felt set on Etsy Opens in a new tab

Tell a story along the trail

Gather · Three paper cards, a crayon, and a picture, sketch, or felt piece of a desert animal such as a gecko or jackrabbit.

  1. Set up the trail. Draw a cactus, a rock, and a shady spot on three cards. Lay them from left to right and choose an animal for the story.
  2. Move and tell. Move the animal along the trail. Try “First the gecko walked past a cactus. Next it climbed a rock. Last it rested in the shade.”
  3. Take another trip. Hand over the animal. Have your child move it to each spot and tell a new version using first, next, and last.

Try saying · “Where did your animal go next? Move it there and tell me what it did.”

Make it easier · Start with two stops and add the third after one round.

Keep it going · Swap two trail cards and have your child tell how the story changes.

Get the materials

Storytime Club · Annual library

Print it for your next storytime

Find the Desert animals worksheet PDF in the annual library. Print a worksheet page and ask your child to choose an animal for the next trip.

Bring more stories to life with printable story pieces and themed worksheets. The annual pass gives you instant access to the full Storytime Club library for $97 a year.

Explore the Annual Pass