Teaching prepositions can feel a little tricky. Students often mix them up or struggle to see how they actually change the meaning of a sentence. The good news? With the right mix of visuals, movement, and practice, prepositions can become one of the most fun grammar lessons you teach. Below you’ll find engaging preposition activities, teaching tips, and free resources you can use right away.
Video + Organizer: Step-by-Step Lesson
This video is a great overview of several rules about prepositions. It includes definitions and examples for the following:
- place, time, and direction
- most common
- object of prepositions
- subject-verb agreement
- how meanings of the overall sentence changes when using different prepositions
The lesson pairs with a provided graphic organizer. Students listen to the first part of the video to hear the definition. When instructed to do so, students pause the video and complete their organizers. Finally, students watch the remainder of the video to check their answers.
All preposition activities, including handouts, organizers, posters, and PowerPoint files, are bundled for easy access.
More Preposition Activities
Activity #1 – Posters
This mini-set of posters highlights key rules and examples. Post them during your lesson for a quick reference.
If you are looking for additional classroom display materials, check out the Teaching Ideas website.
Activity #2 – Dice Game: Prepositions with a Twist
This game can be adapted for any part of speech, but it works exceptionally well for prepositions.
Set-Up
Prepare a list of sentence strips with long sentences that contain many prepositions. This could be a worksheet with sentences that have been cut apart.
How to Play
- Divide the class into groups of four.
- Provide each group with a set of sentence strips, an answer key, and a die.
- Players roll the die to see who goes first.
- On a turn, a player draws a strip, reads the sentence, and identifies all the prepositions.
- If correct, they roll the die again. Their score = die number × number of prepositions in the sentence.
- If incorrect, subtract that score from their tally.
Activity #3 – Preposition Videos
Preposition Song
Sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle, this catchy tune is always a hit with students.
Schoolhouse Rock
YouTube has a number of videos on prepositions. Try “Busy Prepositions” from Schoolhouse Rock. You will find the lyrics to this song on the Schoolhouse Rock website.
Activity #4 – Online Activities that Help Students Learn about Prepositions
These links take you to online games and lessons about prepositions.
Here are a few links to help you find lessons and practice pages:
Activity #5 – Picture Books that Help Teach Prepositions
Use literature to teach prepositions in context. Recommended titles include:
- Under, Over, By the Clover: What Is a Preposition? by Brian P. Cleary
- Behind the Mask: A Book about Prepositions by Ruth Heller
- Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse: Adventures in Prepositions by Rick Walton
Teaching Tip:
After reading, have students write their own short story using at least five prepositions from the book. Illustrate and share!
Activity #6 – PowerPoint Presentation
Use your editable PowerPoint to walk through definitions and examples. Pair it with student-created slides to reinforce learning.
Teaching Tip:
Challenge students to create a “Preposition Meme” slide. Choose a funny image and write a caption using a prepositional phrase.
Activity #7 – Prepositions Anchor Chart
This anchor chart covers the definition and various types, including where, when, how, and other prepositions.
Teaching Tip:
Let students create their own “Preposition Portraits”—draw themselves in a scene and label it with prepositions (e.g., “beside the tree,” “under the umbrella”).
📥 Downloadable Resources
All preposition activities, including handouts, organizers, posters, and PowerPoint files, are bundled for easy access.
See the product that inspired this post.
Ready to dive deeper?
To look at how Teaching Grammar with Animated Shorts can transform your grammar lessons, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store. You’ll find detailed lesson plans, interactive activities, and everything you need to bring grammar to life in your classroom!
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1 comment
These resources were awesome and engaging. The students will relate to them, and enjoy learning about them all. Thank you for sharing these jewels.