About this worksheet
The old version of this page asked which word belonged first, in the middle or last in a sentence, and one of its items keyed A as the only word that could begin “___ truck stops” while offering Truck, which begins that sentence perfectly well. Slot analysis is a school-age skill and it was producing items with two right answers. Position words themselves, though, are core preschool language: in, on, under, by, up, down, behind, above. A child who follows them can follow a direction, and a child who cannot is lost at tidy-up time. The first level takes one direction at a time and asks for the matching arrow, so up and down become something you can point at. The second level shows an object and names the place it belongs, so the child has to know what a lunchbox, a vase or a ladder is for. The third level packs two directions into one sentence and then asks about only one of them, which is the listening a two-step instruction really needs.
What your child will learn
- Match a spoken direction to an arrow that shows it
- Follow the words in, on, under and by to a place
- Choose the container or place an object belongs in
- Hold a two-part direction in mind and answer one half of it
Worked example
You say, “Boots by the door, hat on the hook. Point to what goes by the door.” Both things were named, but only the boots were sent to the door.
Common mistake
Answering with the last thing named. In a two-part direction the second half is the one still in the ear, so a child often points to it.
Helpful hint
Act the direction out with your hand while you say it.
Worksheet 1