By Tessa Lancaster, M.A., CCC-SLP
Does your child struggle to use spatial concept terms correctly? There are many ways to teach preposition words, including teaching through play! In order to teach prepositions in play, use your child’s toys (e.g., figurines or stuffed animals) to show and talk about spatial concepts. Describe what you are doing As you and your child are playing, describe the actions you are making. For example, “The bunny wants to go down the slide. First, he has to climb up the stairs! He is climbing up. Now he is at the top of the slide. Watch him slide down. He is sliding all the way down. Now is at the bottom of the slide!” As seen in the example, you can show your child several different spatial terms within one short play sequence! Make a purposeful error In play, make a purposeful error and watch for your child to catch the mistake! For example, “The tiger is at the top of the steps. Watch him walk. He is going up, up, up” (rather than ‘down’). If your child looks confused, make another comment, such as “Hmm… that is not right. He didn’t go up! He went…” See if your child is able to finish your sentence using the correct preposition. Ask your child about location A simple way to address spatial concepts is to ask your child about the location of an object. Pretend you lost something. Ask, “Hmm, where is that dog? I don’t know where he went! Do you know where the dog is?”. If your child says, “yes,” try to elicit a preposition by continuing to ask about location. For example, “Can you tell me where he is? Is he under the stairs? No…. Is he on top of the table? No… Hmm, where is he?”. Play Hide and Seek You and your child can take turns hiding an object and finding it. After your child finds the object, ask, “Where was it?!”. Help your child to use the correct preposition, if necessary.
Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center has locations in Johnston and North Liberty, IA, with virtual services also available. We provide individualized speech-language therapy, dyslexia and reading intervention, academic support, and executive functioning services to help children build skills and confidence. Contact us to learn more about how we can support your child.
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