Positional
Vocabulary
By: Karen Burns
Children need lots of time to hear, remember and then use positional vocabulary. There are a vast number of
‘positional’ words which we can use every day with children, such as:
• above, on, on top, over
• under, underneath, below
• beside, next to, near
• front, back, in front, behind, inside out
• forwards, backwards, through
• in, out
• straight, curved, right, left
To name but a few! I’m sure you can think of others.
As well as constantly modelling these words, use fun games to reinforce the meaning of
these words in a practical way.
Hide and Seek
Hide a teddy and give ‘clues’ – “he’s hiding under a chair”
or “he’s behind the cupboard”
Play with children and then talk out loud as you hunt for them; “I wonder if Tom is next to the cars?”
Simon Says
Use lots of positional vocabulary – “Simon says clap your hands above your head” “Simon says take 2 steps backward”
etc.
Treasure Hunt
Put some ‘treasure’, perhaps a favourite toy, somewhere then plan a route for the children to get there that includes lots
of positional vocabulary, eg. 5 giant steps forward, climb up the slide, go down the ladder, crawl under the bar and look
near the fence. Give the instructions one or two at a time, depending on the age of the children.
Flip a Coin Walk
Once children are learning right and left this is a fun way to reinforce
the concept. Step out of the classroom and flip a coin, if it lands
heads up you turn right, if it lands tails up you turn left. Every time
you come to a junction (or a wall) flip the coin to see which way