Fun games and activities to teach "in," "on," "under" to first graders

🎯 Learning Objectives

• 📖 Students will correctly identify and use the prepositions 'in,' 'on,' and 'under' in sentences.
• 🗣️ Students will follow simple instructions involving 'in,' 'on,' and 'under.'
• ✍️ Students will demonstrate comprehension of spatial relationships using these prepositions.

🛠️ Materials Needed

• 🧸 A variety of small objects (e.g., toy car, block, ball)
• 📦 A box or container
• 📚 A book or mat
• 🪑 A chair or table
• 🖼️ Large flashcards with 'in,' 'on,' 'under' words and pictures
• 📝 Whiteboard or large paper
• 🖍️ Markers or crayons
• ✂️ Optional: Construction paper, glue sticks for craft activity

👋 Warm-up (5 minutes): Simon Says!

• 🗣️ Begin with a quick game of 'Simon Says' to get students moving and listening.
• 🧍‍♀️ Incorporate simple actions like 'Simon says touch your nose,' 'Simon says stand up.'
• 👂 Introduce a few spatial commands: 'Simon says put your hands on your head,' 'Simon says put your feet under your chair.' (Don't explicitly teach 'in, on, under' yet, just use them naturally).

🧠 Main Instruction: Engaging Preposition Play

🎲 Activity 1: Preposition Scavenger Hunt

• 🕵️‍♀️ Hide several small objects around the classroom.
• 📜 Provide students with clues using 'in,' 'on,' and 'under' (e.g., 'Find the red block under the table,' 'Look for the blue car in the box,' 'The green ball is on the shelf.').
• 🏃‍♂️ Students search for the objects, verbally stating where they found them using the correct preposition.
• 🏆 Reinforce correct usage and provide praise.

🧸 Activity 2: Teddy Bear's Adventure

• 🐻 Use a large teddy bear or puppet as a prop.
• 🗣️ Model sentences: 'Teddy is on the chair.' 'Teddy is in the box.' 'Teddy is under the table.'
• 🔄 Have students take turns giving commands to the teddy bear (or moving it themselves) using the target prepositions.
• 💬 Encourage full sentences: 'Put Teddy under the book!'

🎨 Activity 3: 'In, On, Under' Art & Craft

• ✂️ Give each student a piece of construction paper and several small cut-out shapes or stickers.
• ✏️ Instruct them to draw a simple object (e.g., a tree, a house, a box).
• 🖍️ Then, give commands: 'Glue a star *on* the tree,' 'Put a circle *in* the house,' 'Place a square *under* the box.'
• 🖼️ Display their preposition artwork around the room.

🎵 Activity 4: Preposition Song & Movement

• 🎶 Teach a simple song or chant that uses 'in,' 'on,' 'under' repeatedly with actions. (e.g., 'The bear is IN the cave, the bear is ON the rock, the bear is UNDER the tree, oh what a shock!').
• 💃 Encourage students to act out the prepositions as they sing.
• 🔄 Repeat the song with different objects and locations.

📝 Assessment: 'Where Is It?' Quiz

• 🖼️ Show students pictures or real-life scenarios (e.g., a cat on a mat, a book in a bag, a ball under a chair).
• ❓ Ask 'Where is the cat?' 'Where is the book?' 'Where is the ball?'
• ✅ Students respond verbally or by pointing to the correct preposition flashcard.
• ✍️ For written assessment, provide a simple worksheet with pictures and a blank for students to write 'in,' 'on,' or 'under.'