Why Teach Prepositions?

The proper use of positional language (or prepositions), such as in front, behind, on top and under, is vital for developing a student’s literacy and numeracy skills.

Prepositions can be difficult to learn because of the sheer number of them in the English language and their capacity to have many meanings. They are crucial for both understanding and conveying instructions.

Prepositions Flashcards

What’s included

  • 40 clear and captivating cards
    That will keep your student engaged

  • 7 spatial concepts That are a key part of early literacy and numeracy skills

  • A clear label on the reverse side of each card
    To keep you on track with your teaching

  • A step by step activity guide that’s easy to use
    That encourages you to use the cards in a variety of ways

Teaching Targets

There are 7 types of prepositions included in this set.

These prepositions are relevant to everyday life.

  • in front
  • next to
  • on top
  • between
  • inside
  • behind
  • under

Teaching Support

  • A step by step activities guide is included
    That gives focus and direction to your lessons

  • The activities are listed in order of complexity
    Starting with the earlier activities foster a feeling of success

  • Suitable for early through to more advanced learners
    So the way the cards are used can evolves as your student progresses

  • There are a variety of touching, sorting and saying activities
    This variety adds interests and will deepen your student’s understanding of prepositions

  • There are suggestions for how to generalise to everyday life
    The greatest success come with integrating the lessons learned into day to day living

Activity Examples

Two activity examples are described below.

  • Touching

  • Sorting

About
This is a simple activity that requires the student to touch a prepositions flashcard when asked to do so.

How to
Place 4 prepositions cards on the table.
Example: Between, on top, under and inside.
Ask the student to “Touch the (preposition).”
Example: “Touch inside.”
The student is expected to touch the ‘inside’ card.

Prompting for success
If the student is struggling, gently guide their hand to touch the correct card and state the name of the preposition (Say “Inside”)

About
This is a simple activity that requires the student to sort a range of flashcards by preposition.

How to
Place 4 preposition cards on the table.
Example: Next to, under, between and in front.
Hand the student up to 12 cards.
The student is expected to place the cards they are holding on top of the matching cards on the table.
So the ‘in front’ card handed to them would go on top of the ‘in front’ card on the table and so forth

Prompting for success
If the student is struggling, gently guide their hand to place each card they are holding on top of the correct card on the table.

Free Download: Flashcard Activity Guides

Take the guess work out of how to use the cards by following our activity guides. With simple, step-by-step advice and helpful pictures, they’ve been designed so that you get the most out of the cards and out of each lesson with your student. Feel purposeful, organised and confident whilst you teach.

Prepositions Buying Options

Purchase the Prepositions flashcards separately or as part of a larger language pack.

Prepositions
Conveying 7 spatial concepts across 40 images, this set depicts abstract language concepts in a clever way.

Language Flashcard Set
Our five sets in one box option . The five sets are Prepositions, Categories, Go Togethers, Emotions (Vol 1)  and Verbs (Vol 1). There are dividers which carefully organise each set.

Language Flashcard Library
Our eight sets in one box option. The eight sets are Prepositions, Emotions (Vol 1 and 2), Categories, Go Togethers, Opposites and Verbs (Vol 1 and Vol 2). Buy this product and our Nouns Set to purchase our entire range.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The proper use of positional language (or prepositions), such as in front, behind, on top and under, is vital for developing a student’s literacy and numeracy skills. Prepositions tell us where something is in space and are crucial for both understanding and conveying instructions.

Students for learning English as a second language may find the concept of prepositions difficult. So too may those with autism or a learning disability, because of the abstract nature of spatial reasoning. Young children will often confuse certain prepositions, such as on and in, which tends to resolve over time and with the appropriate type of educational support.

The set consists of eight scenes. For example, one scene is of a microwave, a mug and a kettle. There are five cards dedicated to this scene. On each of these cards, the mug is in a unique position – it’s in front, inside, on top, next to and between the microwave and the kettle. When these cards are placed next to each other, it’s easy for the teacher to explain each of the prepositions because the only item which has moved is the mug.

The purpose of the white background is to remove distracting or confusing elements. It encourages the student to focus on the preposition (or spatial positioning) of the main object.