Prepositions of Place ESL Activities, Games & Worksheets
Hide and Seek
ESL Prepositions of Place Game - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work
In this entertaining prepositions of place game, students ask yes/no questions with prepositions of place to find out where objects are hidden in the classroom. Before you start the activity, you will need...
Prepositions of Place Dominoes
ESL Prepositions of Place Game - Grammar: Matching, Forming Sentences, Freer Practice - Group Work
In this free prepositions of place matching game, students play dominoes to practice the prepositions of place: in, on, at. The first player puts down one of their dominoes on either side of the domino...
Up, Down, Left, Right
ESL Up, Down, Left, Right Activity - Reading and Listening: Reading and Following Instructions, Drawing - Pair Work
In this enjoyable up, down, left, right activity, students follow instructions using the words 'up', 'down', 'left' and 'right' along with prepositions of place and draw pictures in certain squares on a grid...
Where are the objects?
ESL Prepositions of Place Game - Vocabulary: Writing Sentences, Matching - Group Work
Here is a productive prepositions of place game to help teach the prepositions of place: under, on, in, in front of, and next to. In the activity, students write sentences about where objects are located and play...
Where are these places?
ESL Prepositions of Place Activity - Speaking: Information Gap, Asking Questions, Giving Locations - Pair Work
In this useful prepositions of place speaking activity, students describe the locations of shops and buildings on a street map. In pairs, students take it in turns to ask their partner about the location of the...
At the Shopping Mall
ESL Prepositions of Place Activity - Vocabulary and Listening: Listening for Locations - Group Work
In this engaging prepositions of place activity, students listen to clues that contain prepositions of place and work out where various places are located in a shopping mall. Students take it in turns to...
Location, Location
ESL Prepositions of Place Worksheet - Grammar Exercises: Matching, Gap-fill - Speaking Activity: Asking and Answering Questions - Pair Work
This comprehensive prepositions of place worksheet helps students learn and practice the ten prepositions of place: on, in, under, above, in front of, next to...
Picasso
ESL Prepositions of Place Activity - Reading and Listening: Following Instructions, Drawing - Group and Pair Work
In this fun prepositions of place drawing activity, students follow instructions and draw objects in certain positions in a picture frame. In two groups, students follow the instructions on their worksheet and draw...
Prepositional Preferences
ESL Prepositions of Place Worksheet - Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises: Gap-fill, Writing Sentences - Speaking Activity: Freer Practice - Group Work
In this free prepositions of place worksheet, students use the topic of preferences and habits to practice the prepositions of place: in, on, at. Students begin by...
Prepositions in the Park
ESL Prepositions of Place Activity - Speaking: Picture Dictation, Describing, Drawing - Pair Work
In this interesting prepositions of place picture dictation activity, students use prepositions of place and the present continuous to describe and draw park scene pictures. In pairs, one student goes first and...
This is Asia
ESL Prepositions of Place Game - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this memorable prepositions of place game, students ask yes/no questions in order to locate countries on a map. One student secretly chooses one country on the map and writes the name of the...
Where are the carrots?
ESL Prepositions of Place Activity - Listening and Vocabulary: Reading Clues, Matching - Group Work
In this handy prepositions of place activity, students listen to clues containing prepositions of place and work out where various fruits and vegetables are located on a stall. Students take it in...
Where is your classroom?
ESL Prepositions of Place Activity - Reading and Writing: Labelling, Writing a Paragraph, Freer Practice
This challenging prepositions of place activity is ideal for reviewing a variety of prepositions of place. First, students read clues about the location of places in a school and label the rooms on a floor plan...
Understanding Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place are words that describe where someone or something is located in relation to something else, such as 'on', 'in', 'under', 'beside', and 'between'. Students who confuse these prepositions give inaccurate location information, which in everyday situations like giving directions or describing a room can send someone to entirely the wrong place.
This page covers prepositions of place across A1-A2 and A2 levels, with thirteen activities ranging from grammar worksheets and domino games to picture dictation and information gap tasks, including two free downloads.
The table below maps twelve common prepositions of place to their core meaning and shows each one in a short example sentence.
| Preposition | Core Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| on | touching and supported by a surface | 'The book is on the desk.' |
| in | inside an enclosed space or area | 'She is in the kitchen.' |
| at | at a specific point or location | 'We met at the entrance.' |
| under | directly below something | 'The cat is sleeping under the table.' |
| above | higher than something, not necessarily touching | 'The clock is above the fireplace.' |
| next to | immediately beside something | 'The pharmacy is next to the supermarket.' |
| beside | at the side of something | 'He sat beside her at the meeting.' |
| near | close to something, but not right next to it | 'The hotel is near the train station.' |
| behind | at the back of something | 'The car is parked behind the building.' |
| in front of | directly before something, facing it | 'There is a fountain in front of the museum.' |
| between | in the space separating two things | 'The post office is between the bank and the library.' |
| opposite | directly facing something across a space | 'The café is opposite the park entrance.' |
When to Use Prepositions of Place
Describing Where Something Is: Speakers use prepositions of place whenever they need to tell someone the position of an object or person in a static situation, as in 'Your keys are on the counter, behind the coffee machine.'
Giving Directions: Writers and speakers reach for prepositions of place when guiding someone through a physical space, combining them with landmarks to make locations precise, as in 'Turn left at the lights, and the office is between the pharmacy and the bank, opposite the park.'
Setting a Scene in Writing: Writers use prepositions of place to build a picture of a physical environment for the reader, placing people and objects in relation to each other so the scene feels concrete, as in 'A lamp stood in the corner, and a figure sat in the chair beside the window.'
3-Step Framework for Teaching Prepositions of Place
1. Build the Foundation With Pictures and Patterns: Start by presenting the full range of prepositions students need through a structured worksheet. Students match prepositions of place to pictures and then complete sentences using those prepositions before moving into a speaking task where they ask and answer questions about the location of objects in the classroom itself, which grounds the vocabulary in a space students can actually see.
2. Make It Communicative With a Guessing Game: Once students have the vocabulary, give them a reason to use it under real pressure. Teams leave the classroom while two objects are hidden, then return and ask yes/no questions using prepositions of place to locate them, such as 'Is the key under something?' The scoring system rewards efficiency: teams score one point for every question they ask, so the team with the lowest score wins and students are pushed to choose their prepositions carefully.
3. Push Into Free Production: Finish by asking students to describe a scene using prepositions of place without any written prompts. In pairs, one student describes a picture to their partner using prepositions of place and the present continuous while their partner listens and draws what they hear. The rule that students cannot look at each other's pictures makes precision essential, and students immediately see which prepositions they got right when they compare drawings at the end.
Common Mistakes with Prepositions of Place
Omitting the Preposition Before a Location: Students often drop the preposition entirely before a location word, particularly with institutional places like school, work, or hospital, because their first language does not require one in the same position. Wrong: 'I was school all morning.' Correct: 'I was at school all morning.'
Confusing 'in front of' and 'opposite': Students often use 'in front of' and 'opposite' interchangeably, not realizing that 'in front of' means directly before something on the same side, while 'opposite' means facing it across a space, which causes real confusion when giving directions or describing layouts. Wrong: 'The bank is in front of the post office.' Correct: 'The bank is opposite the post office.'
Common Questions About Teaching Prepositions of Place
What is a fun prepositions of place game?
The game Hide and Seek puts real pressure on students to choose prepositions carefully. Teams leave the room while two objects are hidden, then return and ask yes/no questions to find them, such as 'Is the key under something?' Every question costs a point, so the team with the fewest questions wins.
What is a useful prepositions of place worksheet?
The worksheet Location, Location takes students from recognition to production in a single session. Students match prepositions to pictures, complete gap-fill sentences, answer questions about a picture, and then ask and answer questions about real objects in the classroom, making all ten prepositions feel immediately applicable.
What is an engaging speaking activity for prepositions of place?
The activity Prepositions in the Park is a picture dictation where one student describes a park scene using prepositions of place and the present continuous while their partner draws it. Neither student can see the other's picture, so precision matters, and comparing drawings at the end gives instant feedback.
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