Prepositions are small words, but they do an important job.

They help us understand how people, places, objects, events, and ideas relate to one another.

Unfortunately, simply giving children a list of words like in, on, under, beside, behind, and between isn't a particularly memorable way to teach them.

So let's make prepositions something children can see, experience, move, manipulate, draw, and use.

One of the easiest places to begin is with location prepositions because children can physically demonstrate what the words mean.

A child can stand beside a box.

A toy can hide inside a container.

A ball can roll under a table.

Once children experience the relationship each word represents, the grammatical term preposition becomes much easier to understand.

What Is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another part of a sentence.

Prepositions often tell us about location, direction, time, or other relationships.

For example:

The cat is UNDER the table.

The word under tells us the relationship between the cat and the table.

Change the preposition, and you change the relationship:

The cat is ON the table.

The cat is BESIDE the table.

The cat is BEHIND the table.

The cat and table haven't changed.

Their relationship has.

That's the idea I want children to understand before asking them to memorize terminology or identify prepositions on a worksheet.

A Simple Way to Remember the Word “Preposition”

Here's a useful memory connection.

Break the word apart:

PRE + POSITION

Pre means before.

A preposition is commonly positioned before a noun or pronoun that completes its meaning:

under the table

behind the chair

inside the box

beside Mom

That noun or pronoun is called the object of the preposition.

This isn't a complete grammatical definition—prepositions are defined by the relationships they express, not simply by where they appear—but PRE + POSITION can be a helpful memory clue for children who are first learning the term.

If your child needs a broader introduction to nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and the other parts of speech, see Parts of Speech Simplified.

Start by Teaching Prepositions of Location

Prepositions can express different types of relationships.

Some relate to location or place, such as:

in
on
under
over
above
below
beside
behind
between
near
inside
outside

Others relate to time, such as:

before
after
during
until
since

I recommend starting with location prepositions because they're especially easy for children to experience directly.

You don't have to explain what inside means only with words.

The child can climb inside a box.

You don't have to define behind abstractly.

The child can stand behind the box.

Now the preposition has meaning.

Once children understand the concept through concrete location relationships, we can build on that understanding when introducing less visible relationships.

Picture Prepositions as Relationships

One of my favorite visual ways to think about prepositions is to picture one object in relation to another.

Imagine a box in the center.

Now imagine a little red ball moving around it.

The ball can be:

ON the box

UNDER the box

BESIDE the box

BEHIND the box

IN the box

The box stays in the center while the preposition tells us the ball's relationship to it.

That's a powerful visual because the child isn't memorizing disconnected words.

They're seeing:

object + relationship + object

Now let's turn that idea into a lesson.

Activity 1: Act Out Prepositions With a Box

This is one of the simplest—and most memorable—ways to introduce location prepositions.

What You'll Need

• A large empty box or other safe object children can move around
• Cards containing location prepositions
• Optional popsicle sticks with children's names

If you're teaching a group, write each child's name on a popsicle stick and place the sticks in a jar.

Choose one child.

Then choose a preposition.

Suppose the word is:

BESIDE

Say:

“Michael is BESIDE the box.”

Michael moves beside the box.

Choose another child and another word:

INSIDE

Say:

“Maria is INSIDE the box.”

Maria climbs safely inside.

Continue with:

BEHIND the box

IN FRONT OF the box

NEAR the box

BETWEEN two boxes

BESIDE the box

OUTSIDE the box

Let every child participate.

Ask children to say the relationship

Don't stop with movement.

After a child moves, ask:

“Where is Maria?”

Encourage the complete response:

“Maria is inside the box.”

Now the child is connecting:

word → movement → spatial relationship → spoken sentence

That's much more meaningful than memorizing a list.

Activity 2: Let the Child Give the Directions

Once children understand the basic activity, reverse the roles.

Let a child choose a preposition card.

Now the child gives the direction:

“Stand behind the box.”

“Sit beside the box.”

“Put your hand over the box.”

This is a useful progression because the child must understand the word well enough to use it correctly.

You can even have another child decide whether the direction was followed correctly.

Activity 3: Teach Prepositions With Toys and Manipulatives

Now shrink the lesson.

Give each child:

• a small toy;
• a small container; and
• several preposition cards.

A toy animal works beautifully.

Say:

“Put the bear IN the box.”

Then:

“Put the bear BEHIND the box.”

Then:

“Put the bear BESIDE the box.”

Continue changing the relationship.

This activity provides a natural transition from whole-body movement to manipulating a smaller representation.

Then reverse it again

Let the child position the toy without telling you which preposition was chosen.

Ask:

“Where is the bear?”

The child describes the relationship:

“The bear is under the box.”

Now the learner is producing the preposition independently rather than simply following your direction.

Activity 4: Draw Location Prepositions

After children have physically experienced the words, move to pictures.

Display several prepositions where children can see them.

For example:

under
above
beside
behind
inside
between

Ask each child to choose one.

Then choose an object.

Suppose the child selects:

UNDER

and:

BALL

They might draw:

a ball under a chair.

Another child might choose:

BETWEEN

and draw:

a dog between two trees.

Have children create their own images and then explain their drawings to the group.

That explanation is important.

Ask:

“Tell us about your picture.”

The child might say:

“The dog is between the trees.”

Again, we're connecting the visual representation with language.

Activity 5: Make a Preposition Art Project

Now bring back our orbiting-object idea.

Create a central object from construction paper—perhaps a box, house, tree, or table.

Then create a smaller object that can move around it.

For example, make a red ball.

Show the ball in different positions:

under the box

on the box

beside the box

behind the box

inside the box

Label each relationship.

It reinforces the idea that the preposition tells us how one thing relates to another.

Activity 6: Play “Where Is It?”

This one requires almost no preparation.

Choose a familiar object, such as a stuffed animal.

Put it somewhere in the room.

Ask:

“Where is the bear?”

The child answers:

“The bear is ON the bookshelf.”

Move it.

“The bear is UNDER the chair.”

Move it again.

“The bear is BETWEEN the pillows.”

Once that becomes easy, let the child hide the bear and make you describe its location.

Children usually enjoy catching adults making deliberate mistakes:

“The bear is behind the chair.”

“No! It's UNDER the chair!”

That correction requires the child to attend closely to the relationship represented by the preposition.

Activity 7: Go on a Preposition Hunt

Once children understand location prepositions, look for them in real sentences.

Start with sentences where the relationship is easy to visualize:

The puppy slept under the table.

The bird flew over the house.

The shoes are beside the door.

The children sat between their parents.

Ask:

“Which word tells us the relationship?”

Then have the child act out or draw the sentence.

This is an important step because we are moving from:

concrete experience

to

visual representation

to

written language.

How to Find a Preposition in a Sentence

Once children understand what prepositions do, we can begin identifying them grammatically.

Consider:

The puppy slept under the table.

Ask:

What is the relationship word?

under

Then ask:

Under what?

the table

So:

under = preposition

the table = object of the preposition

Together:

under the table

forms a prepositional phrase.

You don't necessarily need to introduce all of that terminology in the first lesson.

The child's developmental level matters.

For a younger learner, understanding:

“UNDER tells us where the puppy is in relation to the table”

may be enough at first.

For an older learner, you can explicitly identify the preposition, its object, and eventually the entire prepositional phrase.

Location Preposition Examples for Kids

Once children have had plenty of concrete practice, use examples like these:

The book is ON the desk.

The shoes are UNDER the bed.

The dog is BESIDE the girl.

The ball rolled BETWEEN the chairs.

The bird flew OVER the tree.

The cat hid BEHIND the couch.

The pencils are INSIDE the box.

The children waited OUTSIDE the classroom.

For each sentence, ask three questions:

1. What is the preposition?

2. What two things are being related?

3. Can you show or draw that relationship?

That last question keeps grammar connected to meaning.

Preposition Practice

Have children complete each sentence with a location preposition that makes sense.

1. The cat is ______ the table.

2. The shoes are ______ the bed.

3. The bird flew ______ the house.

4. The girl stood ______ her two friends.

5. The toy is ______ the box.

There's deliberately more than one possible answer for some of these.

For example:

The cat is under the table.

and

The cat is beside the table.

are both grammatically correct.

That's useful!

Ask the child to draw each version.

Then compare:

The objects are the same. What changed?

The relationship.

And the preposition tells us what that relationship is.

What About Prepositions of Time?

Once children understand location prepositions, they're ready to explore another kind of relationship: time.

Compare:

The dog is UNDER the table.

The preposition describes a location relationship.

Now:

We will eat AFTER the game.

Here, after tells us when one event occurs in relation to another event.

We can't physically put dinner underneath the game, but we can still understand their relationship.

That's why location is such a useful starting point.

Children first learn the concept with relationships they can see and act out, and then we expand it to more abstract relationships.

Continue with:

How to Teach Prepositions of Time to Kids

What Are Prepositional Phrases?

As children become comfortable identifying prepositions, they can begin learning about prepositional phrases.

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and includes its object and any words that modify that object.

For example:

under the old wooden table

beside the tall tree

inside the little red box

These phrases add useful information to sentences.

How to Teach Prepositions: Prepositional Phrases & Reading Fluency

A Simple Sequence for Teaching Prepositions

If you're wondering how to teach prepositions to a child, I recommend this progression:

1. Begin with location.
Choose relationships children can see.

↓

2. Act them out.
Let children physically experience in, under, beside, behind, and other words.

↓

3. Use manipulatives.
Recreate the same relationships with toys and objects.

↓

4. Draw them.
Translate physical relationships into visual representations.

↓

5. Say them.
Have children describe the relationship using a complete sentence.

↓

6. Read them.
Find prepositions in written sentences.

↓

7. Identify them grammatically.
Name the preposition and, when appropriate, its object and prepositional phrase.

↓

8. Expand the concept.
Move from location to time and other relationships.

That gives children both understanding and terminology.

Make Prepositions Something Children Can Experience

Prepositions don't have to be one more list of grammar words children memorize for a test and promptly forget.

Start with meaning.

Put a child inside a box.

Stand beside the box.

Hide a toy behind it.

Hold something above it.

Put two chairs down and stand between them.

Then draw those relationships.

Talk about them.

Write them.

Find them in sentences.

And finally give the relationship a grammatical name:

preposition.

By moving from concrete experience → visual representation → spoken language → written language → grammatical terminology, children have multiple ways to understand and practice the concept.

And what could have been a very dry grammar lesson becomes something children can see, do, and remember.

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Continue Learning About Prepositions

Parts of Speech Simplified
Start here for a broader introduction to nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and other parts of speech.

How to Teach Prepositions of Time to Kids
Continue from concrete location relationships to prepositions that show relationships in time.

How to Teach Prepositions: Prepositional Phrases & Reading Fluency
Explore how prepositional phrases work in sentences and how they relate to fluent reading.