Prepositions Worksheet: In, On, Under (Free PDF)

What’s in the PDF

• Page 1 (Level 1, easier): a rule box and nine picture scenes (a cat in a box, a ball on a table, a dog under a table and more) where children circle in, on or under.
• Page 2 (Level 2, harder): write in, on or under in six sentences, then draw a ball under a table and an apple in a bowl.
• Page 3: an answer key for both levels.

Read the instructions aloud for early readers. Children can point or say the answer before they write it.

What are in, on and under?

Prepositions tell us where something is. In means inside something, on means on top of something and under means below something. They are some of the first grammar words children use, long before they know the word preposition: the cat is under the table.

Examples

• in: in the box, in the bath, in the car
• on: on the table, on my head, on the shelf
• under: under the bed, under the chair
• in the fridge, on the wall
• under the ground, in the water

How to teach it

Use a box and a teddy. Put teddy in the box, on the box and under the box, and say each position. Then give your child instructions: “Put teddy under the chair.” Children learn position words fastest with their whole body, so try “stand on the mat” or “crawl under the table” too.

Common mix-ups

Children sometimes mix up on and in for containers with no lid. Talk about whether the object is surrounded (in) or sitting on the top (on). Under and behind are often confused, so focus on under first.

Game: Where is teddy?

While your child covers their eyes, hide a teddy in, on or under something. They find it and must say where it was, using the right word: “Teddy was under the cushion!”

Questions to ask

• Where is the cat?
• Can you put the cup on the table?
• What is under your bed?

Practise next

Try opposites, nouns, rhyming words. Hunt for shapes in, on and under things with our shapes worksheets.