Can a preschooler do this?

Yes. Saying where something is comes years before reading the word, and tracing gives the hand something to do while the mouth does the learning. An adult reads the words; the child says and traces.

Why the same cat every time?

So the only thing that changes is the position. A new animal for every word would test picture reading instead of the word.

Preschool positional words

Preschool positional words worksheets

Position words say where something is: on, in, under, beside, behind. Preschoolers use them long before they can read them. This sheet gives a three or four year old six pictures of the same cat, and the word to trace under each one.

Free printable PDF worksheet.

Each print is a different sheet. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of words you'll trace

Look at each picture. Say where the cat is, then trace the word.

beside
between
far from
under
above
in front of

Six pictures to a sheet. Beside every picture the word is printed as a dotted outline on a writing guide, ready to trace; the key page writes the same six out in ink.

Every print pulls a new set of pictures at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a preschool sheet

Preschool sheets draw from 7 pictures, 6 to a page.

Some of the words:

underbesidein front ofbehindbetweenabovefar from

Trace the word. Look at each picture. Say where the cat is, then trace the word. 6 pictures per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Say the word first, then move something real. Put a toy on the box, in the box, under it. The child says the word before they see it printed. Then they trace. Six words in one sitting is plenty, and repeating the same six tomorrow is better than adding more.

Watch for: Guessing from the picture's mood instead of its place. The cat is doing nothing different in any of these; only where it sits changes, so look at the cat and the box together, never the cat alone. Mixing up beside, behind and in front of. Stand the child next to a real box and say the word as they move. Behind means the box hides part of the cat; in front of means the cat hides part of the box. Writing next to or by for beside. Those are good answers in speech and the sheet asks for the word in the bank, which is beside. Reading far from as a small gap. It is the one word on the sheet that needs the whole picture: the cat is at one edge and the box at the other.

Common questions about preschool positional words

Can a preschooler do this?: Yes. Saying where something is comes years before reading the word, and tracing gives the hand something to do while the mouth does the learning. An adult reads the words; the child says and traces.
Why the same cat every time?: So the only thing that changes is the position. A new animal for every word would test picture reading instead of the word.

Preschool positional words worksheets

The kind of words you'll trace

What's on a preschool sheet

How to teach this

Common questions about preschool positional words

Related worksheets

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