Prepositions For Kids To Improve Their Language Skills

Early learning can help children to get a command over the English language and make it easy for them to comprehend what is being taught. Prepositions in English are one topic that children find tricky to understand. Therefore, we must introduce our little ones to prepositions at an early age. This will also benefit them academically in the future when they learn about prepositions.

In this article, we have covered the definition of a preposition, the benefits of learning prepositions, a list of common prepositions and some activities related to prepositions for kindergarten children.

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Let’s get started!

What Is Preposition?

A preposition helps to recognise the relationship between the words in a sentence. These linking words come before a noun or a pronoun and convey the relationship that exists between the noun or pronoun and the rest of the phrase.

Some examples of prepositions are before, after, under, over and more.
Now that your child knows the meaning of prepositions, let’s understand why children should learn about prepositions.

When Do Kids Learn About Prepositions?

Kids learn about prepositions in third or fourth grade. But, you can introduce the common preposition words to your child at an early age too. If you feel that your child is ready to learn about prepositions, do teach them, but don’t force them to learn.

Benefits Of Learning Preposition For Kids

Let’s look at some benefits of learning prepositions.

1. Improved Communication

Preposition words might look small and easy to use, but they can be tricky for children. Understanding the meaning of these words and using them correctly makes a big difference in communication. When your child has a good grasp of prepositions, they will be able to express themselves more clearly.

2. Enhances Vocabulary

When your child learns about the new preposition words, they will add these words to their vocabulary. This way, they’ll be able to use these new words in their daily conversation.

3. Represent Thought & Ideas

Once your child has a grasp on preposition words, they’ll be able to represent their thoughts and ideas in a better way using these words.

Identifying Prepositions In A Sentence

Here are a few sentences that use prepositions to give further details to the reader. Let us see these examples here, and understand the various types of prepositions in the next section.

1. Gujarat is situated on the shores of the Arabian Sea.
2. The celebrity was spotted among the crowd.
3. The homeless took shelter under the tree.
4. Divide the treats between the two children.
5. The old lady lies in bed all day.
6. I am fond of pizza.
7. They visited Paris during Christmas.
8. They are talking about the upcoming elections.
9. Argentina is playing against France in the World Cup finals.
10. We rowed across the river.

List Of Prepositions For Kids

Here is a table of all preposition words that you can teach your child. Let’s have a look.

Now, let’s look at some more prepositions of place, movement and time that children must know.

1. Prepositions Of Place

Here are the most used prepositions of place with examples.

• In
  Example: The glass is in the kitchen.
• At
  Example: The boy is looking at the stars.
• On
  Example: The book is on the table.
• Under
  Example: The cat is hiding under the table
• Behind
  Example: The boy is hiding behind that tree.
• Between
  Example: Leave some space between the chairs.

2. Prepositions Of Movement

Here are the most used prepositions of movement with examples.

• To
  Example: I’m going to the market.
• Towards
  Example: He was walking towards the train with a bag in his hand.
• Into
  Example: Put the fruits into the fridge.
• Along
  Example: Walk along the white line on the road.
• Across
  Example: Gauri walked across the street to buy a balloon.
• Through
  Example: I chose to walk through the subway.

3. Prepositions Of Time

Here are the most used prepositions of time with examples.

• Before
  Example: I’ll visit the library before lunch.
• After
  Example: We are going to a movie after dinner.
• During
  Example: I fell asleep during the ceremony.
• In
  Example: Mary retired in October.
• On
  Example: Divya’s birthday is on 17 Dec.
• At
  Example: Let’s meet at dinnertime for dessert.

Some Important Prepositions

Now that your child knows about the types of prepositions, let’s look at some more important prepositions that you can teach your child.

Ways To Teach Preposition To Children

Confused about how to teach prepositions to your child? Worry not! We have mentioned some amazing games and activities that you can use to teach your little ones about prepositions.

1. Circle The Prepositions

Give your child a short story of around one page to read. Ask them to circle all the prepositions they come across while reading. You can also ask your child to write all the prepositions in the story on a sheet.

2. Follow The Instruction

Give your child simple instructions like “get a book from the table”, “put the glass in the sink”, etc., and see them learning prepositions with the help of simple instructions.

3. Fill In The Blanks

If your child can write, give them the worksheet of sentences to fill in the prepositions. You can use the following sentences we have given below.

• Rahul is going __ the market.
• Pick a book ___ the table.
• The plant is placed ____ the chair and the cabinet.
• Can I get something __ you?
• I’ll be there __ 7 pm.

Answers

• to
• from
• between
• for
• by

4. Stop Me When

Tell your child that you will slowly read a book, and they have to stop you every time they hear a preposition. This will help to make them learn prepositions and also sharpen their concentration and listening skills.

5. Make A Sentence

Show a picture of any object to you child your child and ask them to make a sentence on it using any preposition. For example, if you are showing a picture of a ball to your child, they can make sentences like “The ball is under the table” or “Throw a ball towards me”.

6. Find The Error

Give your child a sheet of sentences with an incorrect preposition. Your child has to fix these prepositions to make a meaningful sentence. You can use the following sentences.

• I have a swimming class at Monday
• Pick up the book in the table.
• Can you bring biscuits between the kitchen?

Answers

• I have a swimming class on Monday.
• Pick up the book on the table.
• Can you bring biscuits to/from the kitchen?

We hope that this article helped you to teach your little one about preposition grammar. Remember to use the activities to make the learning process easy for your child.

Also Read:

Adverbs for Kids
Adjective for Children
Pronouns for Kids to Improve Vocabulary