Putting three things in order is harder than comparing two, because the middle one has to be compared both ways. These free printable worksheets line up three objects at a start line and ask a child to number them, with an answer sheet.
If they get stuck
The answer key prints on a separate page.
A good way to work is to find the two ends first. The one that stops soonest is the shortest and gets a 1. The one that goes furthest is the longest and gets a 3. Whatever is left must be in the middle, so it gets a 2. That is a real piece of reasoning for a six-year-old, and it is worth saying out loud.
Every question runs from shortest to longest, so the numbers always mean the same thing and a child can concentrate on the comparing. If they are getting muddled, have them point to the object as they say first, next and last. The objects sit in any order on the page, so the answer is not always 1, 2, 3 going down.
Write 1, 2, 3, shortest first.
