I find that my students (whether it be preschool or school-aged) have difficulty using specific language when answering questions. “Where is the doll house? Over there;” “What do you want? That.”
This is often due to lack of understanding and use of the content of language. Whether it be a lack of vocabulary (the name of an object) or lack of prepositional knowledge, a part of the message our kids are trying to communicate is being omitted.
Over the past few weeks I have been working on vocabulary related to “Spring,” and “Planting/Gardening.” I find that real like 3D activities help kids relate to better to their world, and try out their language use in a safe and interactive environment.
One activity I have worked on is increasing vocabulary and use/understanding of prepositions.
I have used the free materials available at Nick Jr. :
Coloring Pages (Great for teaching early vocabulary)
Gardening Games (Great for the kids to practice interactive planting with quicker growing times)
And I have put together some simple printables to target both vocabulary and preposition use. Click on the image to view the document in Google Docs.
You can make several copies of which ever level your students are on, laminate, and have the students match the symbol to the picture or the word to the picture, or the picture to the picture.
I also used all the pictures from the boardmaker board above to make larger images that can be printed on sturdy paper (attached velcro, magnetic backing, or even just glue) and used as a barrier game to practice expressive and receptive language. Here is a site that has a really wonderful description of barrier games Playing with Words 365.
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