7 Super Easy Activities for Teaching Prepositions of Time

Try These 7 Super Easy Activities for Teaching Prepositions of Time

1. 1

   In, On or At

   Put random times on slips of paper including years, months, specific dates and times. Each student takes a turn drawing one of the times. He must then tell the class what he was doing at that time and must choose the correct preposition of time to express himself. Examples: I was vacationing in June. I was studying on Sunday. I was eating lunch at noon.

2. 2

   Check Your Calendar

   Have students fill out a calendar with either real or fictional events in their lives. Then, have pairs discuss what they will be doing and at what times. Students should choose the appropriate preposition of time for each event during their discussion times.

3. 3

   What Came First?

   Bring some smiles to the classroom when students use the Sunday comics to practice the phrases “before that” and “after that”. Pairs of students should choose one comic strip and create a dialogue describing the events in the pictures. They should use “before that” and “after that” as many times as possible in the dialogue. After about ten minutes, have students present their dialogues to the class.

4. 4

   What Time?

   Set up a Family Feud style relay to practice using the phrases “in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, and at night.” Divide your class into two teams, and have one person from each team come to the front of the room to stand on either side of a desk or table. Ask a question about an activity most people do every day. For example, “What time do most people eat breakfast?” Students should race to slap the table, and the first person who gets her hand down answers with one of the following: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening or at night. If a person gives the correct answer, she scores a point for her team. If she gives an incorrect answer, she loses a point for her team. After everyone in the class has had a turn, tally the scores to see who wins.

5. 5

   Roll the Dice

   If you have a game store near you, get some blank dice to use with this fun preposition of time activity. On one six sided die, write for, while, and during on two sides each. On the other die, write six different activities (draw a picture if you don’t have enough room to write it out). Have a student roll both dice and then compose a sentence which uses both the preposition and the event correctly.

6. 6

   Roll Again

   Using standard six sided dice, have students take turns rolling two dice two times. These two rolls represent two times of the day. After her roll, each student must create a sentence expressing the duration of an event using those two times. She should use the prepositions from and to to express the duration of an activity she did or will do. For example, a student might roll an 8 and a 4. She would then say, “I will be at school from 8 to 4.” You can also have students use until and till when creating their sentences.

7. 7

   Write On

   Have students put their knowledge of prepositions of time together with a little creativity as they write their own pieces of fiction. Encourage students to write simple fictional stories in ten sentences using a preposition of time in each sentence. Once their stories are written, students should cut the sentences apart and shuffle them. Then have students exchange stories with a partner and put their partner’s events in the correct sequence.

What are your favorite activities for teaching or reviewing prepositions of time with your students?