Skip to main content
← Back to the stories

Print “Picnic on the Mat”

Level 1 · Short words · black-and-white friendly, A4. Untick any sheet you don’t need.

Sheets to print
Name Date

1. Picture answers

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 1 · Roo Bloom

Read the story. Circle the right picture.

Picnic on the Mat

  1. Sam and Mum set a rug in the sun.
  2. They have jam buns and a jug.
  3. Pit, pat! It rains on the rug.
  4. Sam and Mum run in and sit on the mat.
  5. They have the picnic on the mat!
  1. 1. What did they have with the jam buns?

    • bowl
    • spoon
    • jug
  2. 2. Where did they set the rug?

    • sun
    • snow
    • moon
  3. 3. What fell on the rug?

    • rainbow
    • snow
    • rain
Name Date

2. Word answers

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 1 · Roo Bloom

Read the story. Tick the right word.

Picnic on the Mat

  1. Sam and Mum set a rug in the sun.
  2. They have jam buns and a jug.
  3. Pit, pat! It rains on the rug.
  4. Sam and Mum run in and sit on the mat.
  5. They have the picnic on the mat!
  1. 1. What did they have to eat?

    • eggs
    • jam buns
    • cake
  2. 2. Where did they have the picnic at the end?

    • on the rug
    • on the mat
    • on the bus
Name Date

3. Find the clue

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 1 · Roo Bloom

Find the clue. Write the number of the sentence, then underline it.

The answer can be hiding in the story.

Picnic on the Mat

  1. 1Sam and Mum set a rug in the sun.
  2. 2They have jam buns and a jug.
  3. 3Pit, pat! It rains on the rug.
  4. 4Sam and Mum run in and sit on the mat.
  5. 5They have the picnic on the mat!
  1. 1. Why did Sam and Mum run in?

    The clue is in sentence number

    Now say or write the answer:

Name Date

4. Short answers

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 1 · Roo Bloom

Read the story. Write or say your answer.

Picnic on the Mat

  1. Sam and Mum set a rug in the sun.
  2. They have jam buns and a jug.
  3. Pit, pat! It rains on the rug.
  4. Sam and Mum run in and sit on the mat.
  5. They have the picnic on the mat!
  1. 1. Who is with Sam?

  2. 2. Where did they sit after the rain came?

Name Date

5. Put it in order

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 1 · Roo Bloom

What happened first? Write 1, 2, 3 in the boxes.

Picnic on the Mat

  1. Sam and Mum set a rug in the sun.
  2. They have jam buns and a jug.
  3. Pit, pat! It rains on the rug.
  4. Sam and Mum run in and sit on the mat.
  5. They have the picnic on the mat!
  • It rains on the rug
  • A picnic on the mat
  • A rug in the sun

Tell a grown-up the story in your own words: first, next, last.

Name Date

6. Draw the story

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 1 · Roo Bloom

Draw something you remember from the story.

Picnic on the Mat

  1. Sam and Mum set a rug in the sun.
  2. They have jam buns and a jug.
  3. Pit, pat! It rains on the rug.
  4. Sam and Mum run in and sit on the mat.
  5. They have the picnic on the mat!

Draw Sam and Mum having a picnic on the mat.

Write a word or sentence about your picture:

Answers for grown-ups

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 1 · Roo Bloom

Picnic on the Mat · Level 1 (Short words) · focus words: rug, sun, jug, buns, mat, picnic · tricky words: they, have, the, rains

1. Picture answers

  1. Yes! They have jam buns and a jug.
  2. Yes — Sam and Mum set the rug in the sun.
  3. Yes! Pit, pat — it rains on the rug.

2. Word answers

  1. Yes — they have jam buns.
  2. Yes! They have the picnic on the mat.

3. Find the clue

  1. Sentence 3. It rained on the rug, so Sam and Mum ran in.

4. Short answers (any wording that shows they understood is fine)

  1. Mum is with Sam.
  2. They sit on the mat.

5. Put it in order

1. A rug in the sun · 2. It rains on the rug · 3. A picnic on the mat

There is no score. If an answer is not the one, read the sentence together and ask the question again.