Grade by Grade
E. Spatial Sense · Shapes, Position and Measurement

Where Is It? Positional Words

E1.4About 25 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can use position words like above, below, beside, between, in front of, behind, inside, outside, on, under, left and right.
  • I can describe where an object or person is.
  • I can use first, second, third, last to describe a place in a line.

Words to know

above / below
Higher than / lower than something.
on / under
Resting on the top of something / underneath it.
beside (next to)
Right at the side of something.
between
In the middle of two things.
in front of / behind
Closer to you than something / on the far side of it, hidden by it.
inside / outside
In something, like a box / not in it.
left / right
The two sides. Hold up your hands with fingers up and thumbs out: your left hand makes an L shape.
first, second, third, last
Words that tell order in a line.

"Where are my mitts?" "They are under the bench, beside your boots!" Words that tell where something is are called positional words. They help us find things and explain where people are.

boxcupballbearbirdtable
A cup is on the table, a ball is under the table, a bird is above the table. A box is to the left of the table and a bear is to the right of the table.
Position wordExample from the picture
onThe cup is on the table.
underThe ball is under the table.
aboveThe bird is above the table.
beside / next toThe box is beside the table.
betweenThe table is between the box and the bear.
left ofThe box is to the left of the table.
right ofThe bear is to the right of the table.

Left or right?

Hold up both hands, palms away, fingers up. Stick out your thumbs. The hand that makes the letter L is your left hand!

Worked example

Describe where the ball is

Use at least two position words to tell where the ball is in the picture.

  1. Find the ball. It is the circle on the floor.
  2. What is it near? The table is above it, so the ball is under the table.
  3. What else? The ball is between the two table legs.
  4. Say a full sentence.

"The ball is under the table, between the two legs."

Order words: first, second, last

When people stand in a line, we use order words to tell where each person is.

Ava1stBen2ndCam3rdDev4thEli5thfront of the line is on the left
Five friends in a line. Ava is first and Eli is last.
Worked example

Who is where in the line?

Use the picture of five friends. Who is third? Who is between Ben and Dev? Who is in front of Ben?

  1. The front of the line is on the left. Count from the front: Ava is 1st, Ben is 2nd, Cam is 3rd.
  2. Find Ben and Dev. The friend in the middle of them is Cam.
  3. In front of Ben means closer to the front of the line. That is Ava.

Cam is third. Cam is between Ben and Dev. Ava is in front of Ben.

Thinking tip

Position words depend on where you are looking from. If you face a friend, your left hand is across from their right hand! Tell your listener whose left you mean.

Just for fun

Where do polar bears keep their money?

In a snow bank! (Is the money inside the bank or outside? Inside!)

Hands-on activity

Teddy bear hide and seek

  1. Take a stuffed animal and a box or a basket.
  2. A grown-up says a position and you place the bear: inside the box, on the box, beside the box, behind the box, under the table, between two chairs.
  3. Swap! You hide the bear and describe where it is using position words. The grown-up finds it using only your words.
  4. Line up 5 toys. Ask: Which toy is first? Which is last? Which is between the 2nd and the 4th?
  5. Play "Simon Says" with position words: "Simon says put your hand above your head", "Simon says stand behind the chair".

Your turn!

1

Look at the picture with the table. What is above the table?

2

What is to the right of the table?

3

In the line of friends, who is last?

4

In the line of friends, who is second?

5

Who is between Cam and Eli?

6

Your shoes are on the floor and your bed is over them. Where are your shoes?

7

Fill in: When I eat dinner, my plate is ___ the table.

8

Describe where your nose is using a position word.

More practice: warm-up

1

In the line of friends, who is first?

2

What is the opposite of above?

3

True or false: in the table picture, the cup is under the table.

4

When the fridge door is closed, the milk is ___ the fridge. Choose: inside, on top of, or under.

5

🐶🐱🐭

Which animal is between the dog and the mouse?

More practice: on your own

1

🍎🍌🍇🍓🍊

Start at the left. Which fruit is third? Which fruit is last?

2

Use two position words to tell where the cup is in the table picture.

3

In the line of friends, who is right behind Cam?

4

Kai faces you and holds up his right hand. Is that hand on your left side or your right side?

5

🚗🏠🌳

Fill in the blanks: the house is to the ___ of the car and to the ___ of the tree.

Challenge

1

Three toys sit in a row: a bear, a ball and a truck. The ball is first. The truck is not beside the ball. What is the order? How do you know?

2

Find the mistake! Zoe says, "In the line of friends, Dev is in front of Cam." Is she right? Fix her sentence.

3

Ava leaves the line of friends. Now who is first? Who is fourth?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

The cat is sleeping in a box. Which word tells where the cat is?

2.

In a line, Lily is in the middle of Omar and Zoe. Lily is ___ Omar and Zoe.

3.

In the five-friend line (Ava, Ben, Cam, Dev, Eli with Ava at the front), who is fourth?

4.

The bird is flying higher than the table. The bird is ___ the table.

5.

In the five-friend line (Ava, Ben, Cam, Dev, Eli with Ava at the front), who is right in front of Eli?

6.

Look: 🐻🎁🐰. The present is ___ the bear and the rabbit.

For parents and teachers

What your child is learning: describing where objects and people are using positional language, including order words like first and last (Ontario Grade 1, E1.4).

Common mistakes:

  • Mixing up left and right. This is very normal at age 6. Use the "L hand" trick, a bracelet or sticker on one hand, or always say "the side your window is on".
  • Confusing "behind" and "in front of" when the object is turned. Act it out with real bodies and toys.
  • Using vague words ("over there", "by that"). Encourage a precise word: "Is it on, under or beside?"

How to help: use position words all day: "Your mitts are in the bin under the bench." Hide a toy and give clues. When reading picture books, ask "Where is the dog? Use a position word." Praise clear, complete sentences.