Up, down, over, under, inside, outside are all preschool prepositions.
Preschool prepositions are important terms to help expand your child’s vocabulary and thinking.
And you know, these counting bears are LIFE. This hands-on literacy activity is the perfect way to get your child thinking and learning by doing! – the winning combination.
RELATED: Simple activities like this are found on our activity cards!
Positional words are words to show placement and direction.
Use positional words throughout the day:
- During daily conversations – Let’s go inside the tub now to take a bath.
- In one-step directions – Put the bear ON the ladder.
- Giving two-step directions – Put the bear ON the ladder and then move him UP the ladder.
You also know that we a huge fan of these counting bears. You have seen them in Bear Soup, Bring Home the Bears, and lots more here!
Simply put, these counting bears are the bomb. They are a helpful manipulative for preschool learning.
*The counting bears we use have a suggested age of 3+. Please read the box and make your own decision about using the counting bears before playing. If you are not yet comfortable, you will find many more activities for toddlers here.
RELATED: Curious about the ABC’s? Here is what you need to know about letter recognition.
Preschool Prepositions are Fun!
This preschool activity took minutes to set up and allowed two of my sons to expand their imagination.
Basically, as I stood near my two-year-old, he moved the bears up and down the ladder and onto the tree. As he grasps each bear, he is also strengthening his fine motor muscles preparing for pencil grip.
As your children play, reinforce with these conversation starters:
Oh, I see! Your red bear is going UP the tree!
Does the blue bear want to come DOWN the ladder and join his friends?
How can the yellow bear get ON TOP of the tree?
RELATED: Keeping the right supplies on hand is key. Our supply list has everything you need to get started.
Before I knew it, my four-year-old had joined, and I watched him creating color patterns up the ladder.
You know what?
I didn’t suggest making a pattern. This was something my four-year-old decided to do on his own since we’ve taken the time to plant the seeds with our weekday Breakfast Invitations.
Essentially, my four-year-old took what he has been introduced to and applied it to his independent play.
RELATED: More about the play is explained in our startup guide HERE.
Independent play can sometimes use a little prompt like this to get started!
Eventually, the bears were on top of the tree having a party, and imaginary play was in full force! – It reminded me of Go, Dog, Go!
Days with Grey is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
A lot like the other toddler toys we suggest, this material list will have endless amounts of learning through play.
Let’s get set up!
First, tape down your white paper roll. Add a tree with two ladders and place the counting bears to the left of the drawing.
Invite your preschoolers to come to play!
- White paper roll – this is the one we use!
- Counting bears
This prepositional play game is quick and easy.
RELATED: Looking for more literacy supplies? These are our favorites supplies to boost alphabet recognition.
