Prepositions are the salt and pepper in your students’ parts of speech stews! 🧂

When mixed with nouns, adjectives, and verbs, prepositions add the spice that creates an effective link between the people, places, and things in a sentence. 

Take, for example, this simple statement: 

We went to the park. 

Adding prepositions gives the writer an opportunity to provide more details, changing the statement into a sensory experience: 

We walked through the park under an umbrella of maple trees that cooled us as they blocked out the sun. 

Well-placed prepositions leave zero doubt as to where you’ll find something and where to follow the subject on their journey, lifting the words right off the page and into the mind of the reader.

🧩 Piece Together Prepositions & Their Meanings

This activity shows that students can identify frequently occurring prepositions, understand their meaning, and use them correctly. 

To play, students will identify the preposition word on each puzzle piece and cover the matching descriptive picture on the game board, completing the puzzle. 

The prepositions students will explore in this activity are:

above around behind between in

in front near next to on over

through to the left to the right under

Scaffolding + Extension Tips 

Challenge students who already understand the concept to act out the prepositional word. 

Support students who need help understanding the concepts with a visual reference, like a poster or anchor chart explaining what a preposition is, with examples. 

Get our 10 Best Scaffolding Strategies here! 

Turn This Prepositions Puzzle Into Even More Activities!

Download this resource for an additional fast finisher activity in your writing center! 

We also suggest using it in your writing center or with your whole class in the following ways:

👀 Scavenger Hunt

Hide the letter card pieces around the room when your students are not around and put the picture board in the center of the room. Then set your students loose! As soon as they find a piece, they bring it up to the picture board, read the preposition on their piece, and put it on the matching picture. NOTE: You may want to make a rule of only 1 student at a card at one time. If not, things could get a little crazy! 

✏️ Write It Out

This activity can also be used as a formative assessment. Project the picture board and have each student pick 3 prepositions. Students will write the preposition described in the picture on a piece of paper. (Optional: have students work the preposition into a sentence.)

👯‍♀️ Puzzle Teamwork

In your small group, divide the puzzle pieces among students. Then, point to a picture on the board and have them say the preposition as a group. The student who has the matching preposition word piece lays it down on the puzzle.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Cut pieces on the dotted lines and store them with the puzzle board in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

Before You Download

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

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This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

 

Make prepositions a regular part of your students’ literacy exploration with these activities: 

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