LA 7.08The Preposition Game
The child reads phrases such as "the pencil on the box" and "the pencil under the box" and places objects to match, learning that prepositions show where one thing is in relation to another.
Presentation
Search videos (opens YouTube in a new tab)- 1
Place the box on the mat. Hand the child the slip "the pencil on the box." The child reads it and puts the pencil on the box.
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Hand over "the pencil under the box." The child reads it and moves the pencil.
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Point to "on" and "under": "These words tell where the pencil is compared with the box. They are called prepositions."
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Continue with beside, behind, and in.
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Mix the slips and invite the child to read each one and place the pencil, reading the phrase aloud.
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Invite the child to write a phrase for you, and you place the pencil.
What catches the child’s eye
- One pencil and one box making many different phrases
- Changing a single small word to move the pencil
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Farm phrases such as "the cow behind the barn"
- Command cards for the child's own body ("Stand behind the chair.")
- More prepositions: between, above, near, in front of
- Finding prepositions in sentence strips
Control of error
The objects: the adult or a partner checks that the pencil is where the phrase says.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Reads preposition phrases and places objects correctly
- Explains that a preposition tells where one thing is compared with another
- Writes a preposition phrase for a friend
Guide note
The child already knows these words from the Spatial Words game; here the child reads them and learns their name and job.