For parents of young learners

Prepositions for kids

Prepositions are small words like in, on and under that tell us where something is. Children learn them fastest by moving toys around and talking about it. Here are 10 common prepositions, 40 example sentences and a quick practice.

By the Eloqova team · Updated 1 November 2026

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Quick tip: Teach prepositions with real objects. Put a ball in a box, on a box and under a box, and say the sentence each time.

10 common prepositions of place

Preposition	Meaning	Example
in	inside something	The pencil is in the box.
on	touching the top of something	The cup is on the table.
under	below something	The cat is under the bed.
behind	at the back of	The boy is behind the tree.
in front of	facing the front of	The car is in front of the house.
beside	at the side of	Sit beside me.
between	in the middle of two things	The ball is between the chairs.
above	higher than, not touching	The fan is above the bed.
near	close to	The school is near my house.
over	covering or going across	The bird flew over the wall.

20 sentences with in, on and under

The fish is in the bowl.
My books are in my bag.
Mumma is in the kitchen.
The milk is in the fridge.
The bird is in the cage.
The toys are in the basket.
We play in the park.
The clock is on the wall.
The cap is on my head.
The plate is on the table.
The cat is sleeping on the sofa.
My shoes are on the mat.
The picture is on the page.
The dog is under the table.
The ball rolled under the car.
My slippers are under the bed.
We sat under a big tree.
The kitten is hiding under the chair.
The box is under the stairs.
The shoes are under the bench.

20 sentences with other prepositions

The garden is behind our house.
I stand behind Riya in the line.
The teacher is in front of the class.
A bus stopped in front of the school.
My brother sits beside me.
The lamp is beside the bed.
I am standing between my parents.
The letter B is between A and C.
The sun is above the clouds.
The kite is flying above the trees.
There is a park near my house.
The shop is near the school.
The plane flew over the city.
Put a blanket over the baby.
The cat jumped over the wall.
My bag is beside my bed.
The swing is behind the slide.
The moon is above the house.
The tap is near the door.
The ball is between the two goalposts.

Practice: choose the right preposition

Sentence	Answer
The fish is ___ the water.	in
The book is ___ the table.	on
The dog is sleeping ___ the bed.	under
The moon is ___ the clouds.	above
I sit ___ my friend.	beside
The tree is ___ the house.	behind
The ball is ___ the two boxes.	between
My school is ___ my home.	near

How to practise at home

Play "Where is teddy?": hide a toy and ask your child to say where it is in a full sentence.
Give simple instructions: "Put the spoon in the cup", "Stand behind the chair".
Look at a picture book and ask "Where is the cat?"
Let your child give you instructions too, so they practise saying the words.

Questions parents ask

What is a preposition for kids?

A preposition is a small word that tells us where something is, such as in, on, under, behind or near.

What is the difference between in and on?

In means inside something (in the box). On means touching the top or surface of something (on the table, on the wall).

What class learns prepositions?

Most schools introduce in, on and under in UKG or Class 1, and add behind, between, above and near in Classes 1 to 3.

More free guides

Want expert help? See our spoken english classes for kids: live 1:1 online classes for UKG to Grade 8.