How to teach prepositions
for children
What does the word mean?
If we break the word into
parts, we have PRE and POSITION. A preposition when used in a sentence is a
word that is positioned before (pre) another word or phrase and relates
directly to that second word.
Some
examples.
The red word is the
preposition; the italicized word is the word it refers to:
She ran down the hill.
She
put it on the table.
She hide behind Sharon.
We
can go after lunch.
The
bird flew over the trees.
We
are in the house.
Types
of prepositions.
Location:
under, over, in, by, between, upon, near, beneath, beside, inside, outside,
below, etc. The word that follows the preposition is the central object such as
in the sentence, “The runners sprinted across the
river.”
Time:
before, after, since, during, until, as, etc. These relate to a specific time
such as in the sentence, “We will play before lunch.”
Lunch is the central event… and playing will happen in relation to that event
in time.
Rule
A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is never followed by a verb.
A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:
- noun (cat,
money)
- proper
noun (name) (Jakarta,
Sharon)
- pronoun (you, him,
us)
- noun
group (my
first job)
- gerund (reading)
A preposition cannot be followed by a verb. If
we want to follow a preposition by a verb, we must use the "-ing"
form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form.
Here are
some examples:
|
Subject + verb
|
preposition
|
"noun"
|
|
The book is
|
on
|
the table.
|
|
She lives
|
in
|
Japan.
|
|
Jean is looking
|
for
|
you.
|
|
The letter is
|
under
|
your blue book.
|
|
John is used
|
to
|
English people.
|
|
She isn't used
|
to
|
working.
|
|
I ate
|
before
|
coming.
|
There are so many good
activities for teaching prepositions
Songs and chants for prepositions of position
For example, before each “verse” of Head Shoulders Knees and Toes
you can shout out a preposition, e.g. getting students to put their hands under
the head, knees and toes and then in front of their eyes, ears, mouth and nose.
Picture
Other activities for prepositions of position
Prepositions magazine search
This is a classic activity that can be used for all kinds of language points. Give students books, catalogues or magazines with lots of pictures (it doesn’t matter if they all have the same one or different ones from each other). Say something that they should have a chance of finding in what they are holding, e.g. “A man on something” or “One person between two people”, and give a point to the first person to find a picture of exactly that.
This is a classic activity that can be used for all kinds of language points. Give students books, catalogues or magazines with lots of pictures (it doesn’t matter if they all have the same one or different ones from each other). Say something that they should have a chance of finding in what they are holding, e.g. “A man on something” or “One person between two people”, and give a point to the first person to find a picture of exactly that.
Prepositions normal or strange
Students try to work out if things are normal or strange from descriptions by a teacher or their classmates, e.g. shouting out “Strange” if the teacher says “My head is under my bottom”, touching the flashcard that say “Normal” if their classmate says “The teacher is in front of the whiteboard” or holding up their left hands when they read an OHP that says “A monkey in next to the zoo”.
Students try to work out if things are normal or strange from descriptions by a teacher or their classmates, e.g. shouting out “Strange” if the teacher says “My head is under my bottom”, touching the flashcard that say “Normal” if their classmate says “The teacher is in front of the whiteboard” or holding up their left hands when they read an OHP that says “A monkey in next to the zoo”.
Prepositions sentence completion guessing
game
Students complete sentences to make them true for themselves, e.g. “I like sugar on/ in my milk and cereal”, “I often put sugar on _______”, “I often put sugar in _______” and “I can put my foot _______”. They then read out just the part they have written (not the original printed bit) for the other students to guess which gap they wrote that in. This can also be done without the first writing stage.
Students complete sentences to make them true for themselves, e.g. “I like sugar on/ in my milk and cereal”, “I often put sugar on _______”, “I often put sugar in _______” and “I can put my foot _______”. They then read out just the part they have written (not the original printed bit) for the other students to guess which gap they wrote that in. This can also be done without the first writing stage.
