Prepositions Worksheets for Beginners and Young Learners
45 worksheets, 7 lessons and 1 vocabulary deck · Nouns, adjectives & little words
Start here — 6 free samples
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Prepositions worksheets
45 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Prepositions lessons
7 ready lessons for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
Prepositions vocabulary
1 word deck with meanings, examples and pronunciation: flip, quiz, print as flashcards or play as a game.
About Prepositions
Prepositions show relationships of place, time and movement between things. At beginner level the focus is on place (in, on, under, next to, behind, in front of, between) and on basic time prepositions: at 7 o'clock, on Monday, in July. The cat is under the table. My birthday is in May.
Prepositions are taught from Kids and A1 onwards, and they stay difficult because learners' first languages rarely map onto English one to one. Typical mistakes include in Monday, at the morning, and translating a single preposition from L1 for every context. Picture-based practice is especially effective because meanings of place are visual.
This page brings together printable prepositions worksheets with answer keys for young learners and A1 adults, which can be printed as PDF or completed online via a class link.
Teaching tips: Prepositions
- Use a box and a small toy to demonstrate in, on, under, behind and next to before any worksheet.
- Watch for 'in Monday' and 'at the weekend' confusion; teach the pattern at + clock times, on + days and dates, in + months, years and seasons, noting that American English says on the weekend (British English: at the weekend).
- Play a describe-and-draw game in pairs: one learner describes a room picture, the other draws where everything is.
- Teach set phrases as chunks (in the morning, at night, on the bus) rather than trying to explain every use by rule.
Questions teachers ask
How do I explain in, on and at for time?
Use a size image: at for a precise point (at 6 pm), on for days and dates (on Friday, on May 3), in for longer periods (in June, in 2025, in the summer). Exceptions such as at night are best learned as chunks.
Is it 'in the bus' or 'on the bus'?
We say on the bus, on the train and on a plane for public transport and large vehicles, but in the car and in a taxi.
Which prepositions do Cambridge Starters learners need?
Young learners at Starters level work mainly with prepositions of place such as in, on, under, next to, behind, in front of and between, usually through picture descriptions.