Prepositions are words that show relationships in space, time, and logic. Even in English, some students may not be familiar with the concept, though they might know some basic prepositions. Learning how to teach French prepositions, therefore, may be students’ first introduction to the term.
Unlike other aspects of language, prepositions involve real-world relationships between objects. “The boat is under the bridge” or “the hat is on the man’s head.” Such words lend themselves to interactive learning, whether it be by song, reading, or playing games.
Let’s cover some fantastic options for how to teach prepositions in French immersion.
How to Teach Prepositions in French
Start with a Song
So many children’s songs involve prepositions: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (e.g., “Up above the world so high”) or “The Wheels on the Bus” (e.g., “The people on the bus go up and down”). They’re the perfect way to introduce French prepositions.
But before you move on to these more complicated songs, you can start with a song that includes just prepositions. Sing it to the tune of ‘London Bridge is Falling Down.’ Use the following lyrics:
“Sur, sous, dans, devant, derrière, devant derrière, devant derrière, sur, sous, dans, devant derrière, à côté de.”
As you sing, use your hands to demonstrate the actions. For example, put one hand on top of the other for “sur” (on), vice versa for “sous” (under), and so on. Connecting the word with the action helps the students understand how the preposition relates to an object. Try this fun ‘prepositions song‘ video.
Use a Book
French prepositions are inherently visual. We use them in everyday language to describe the world around us. Using a book with both pictures and descriptions, therefore, is an excellent way to introduce prepositions to your students.
Pick a book with vivid illustrations that match your students’ reading level. As you read through the story, ask your students where things are on the page. For example, if the page says, “The bird is on the tractor,” ask the students, “Where is the tractor?” They might respond, “It’s on the hill.”
Go one step further by encouraging the students to describe the locations of other objects on the page. Challenge them to put the French preposition into a sentence.
After reading, give each student a mini book that they can read and colour. Instruct them to circle the prepositions on each page and circle the corresponding objects in the pictures. It’s a brilliant way to reinforce the connection between the preposition and the relation of the objects on the page.
To take your lessons to the next level, try my resources, including a specially designed book featuring 16 different prepositions. It provides a structured and engaging way for students to practice prepositions.
Play Games
Who doesn’t love learning new vocabulary by playing games? Inject a little fun into your French preposition lessons with a game of charades.
Here’s how it works:
Start with charades: have a student act out a preposition while others guess it. Next, call out a preposition and have all students act it out simultaneously.
For a fun twist, play “Où est le hibou?” Print and laminate a photo of an owl. While students have their heads down, hide the owl. Once they find it, they must say where it is (e.g., “Le hibou est sous la chaise”).
You can also play a simple memory game, matching sentences to the photo. You can be especially tricky by including the same objects in different positions. For example, a hat could be on a man’s head in one picture and beside a tree in another.
Use Worksheets
Mastery of French prepositions isn’t going to come from a single lesson. Worksheets let your students practice their skills independently – either at home or during a quiet learning session.
Use worksheets to boost reading comprehension with read-and-draw pages, identify opposites, describe the placement of objects in images, and find prepositions in sentences. These activities reinforce students’ understanding and application of prepositions.
Part of my bundle of French preposition activities includes an evaluation you can use to assess students’ understanding of French prepositions at the end of your unit.
Use Centres
Start with “Write the Room” activity (download my free recording template), hide words from my preposition unit around the classroom, and have students hunt for them and write them down. For efficiency, scale the posters down to print multiple cards per page.
Next, use task cards: provide preposition clip cards where students look at the picture and clip the correct word.
For another center, use prepositions mats: students read the sentence on the card and place a manipulative in the correct position on their mat.
Lastly, incorporate puzzles: students read the preposition and match it to the right picture to complete the puzzle.
Listening Activities
With a big classroom of students, it’s hard to tell who’s getting it and who isn’t. After all, your students can follow along to the song or copy other students in the centres. However, listening activities force students to hear what you say and draw the correct response.
Give each student a whiteboard and pen, and tell them to draw what they hear. The first couple can be relatively easy. But go as silly as possible (e.g., Draw a bird with a cow on top of it.) The sillier and more absurd the example is, the more it tests the students understanding. They’re not just drawing what they’d expect; they’re drawing what they hear.
To test the students’ understanding, read a whole paragraph and have students draw it on paper. It’s a great way to assess their knowledge and works as a listening evaluation that you can also use for report cards.
