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Position and direction worksheets for kids help them distinguish left from right and east from west while improving their spatial awareness, geography, math, and language skills. This age-appropriate worksheet allows the practice of positional language and the cardinal and intercardinal directions. We have also included colorful pictorial illustrations to help children become aware of the types of positions and the eight directions. Use this free and printable worksheet for at-home tutoring or in the classroom. Keep reading to learn about positions, directions, and tips for teaching your child to use them effectively.

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Position And Direction: What Is The Difference?

Direction and position are not the same thing. Here’s how you can tell the difference:

Position

The position of an object refers to its placement, describing where it is concerning another object.

For example: There is a toy under the table.

Direction

The direction of an object is the line it moves along, points to, or lies in. It describes where the object is and where it is moving, with or without relation to another object.

For example: The wind is coming from the east today.

Types Of Positions

Positions can be described in many different ways. Here are some you can teach your little one:

Positional Language

These terms or phrases describe a person or object’s position. While your child will learn more complex terms in higher grades, you can teach them simple terms like: ‘in,’ ‘on,’ ‘above,’ ‘under,’ ‘inside,’ ‘outside,’ ‘around,’ ‘across,’ ‘behind,’ ‘near,’ ‘far,’ ‘next to,’ and ‘in front of.’

Here are some example sentences:

The book is in the bag.
The pencil is on the table.

Birds fly above the clouds.
A cat is hiding under the bed.
There is a tree behind the house.
The children ran around the playground.
There is a pond near our house.
My friend lives far from school.
There is a path next to the lake.
We have a lawn in front of our house.

Positions In Races And Queues

These positions describe the order of something in relation to other numbers. They are also called ordinal numbers. These include: ‘first,’ ‘second,’ ‘third,’ ‘fourth,’ and so on, along with ‘between’ and ‘last.’

Here are some examples to make learning easier:

Andy finished the spoon and egg race in first place.
Tina came second in her class for the mid-term exams.
Kelly stood between Meg and Sam.
My brother was last in line to buy the movie tickets.

Left, Right, Up, And Down Positions

To help your child differentiate left from right, ask them to look at their hands to describe an object’s position. If they get confused, a simple trick is that the left-hand makes the letter L—L for Left.

For up and down, your child just needs to look up or down to tell the difference.
Read on for some sample sentences:

Ryan sits on my left side in English class.
The swings are on the right side of the see-saw.
He held his hand up.
She is going down the stairs.

Types Of Directions

Directions may seem simple, but kids need time to get them right. Here is how you can introduce your child to cardinal and intermediate directions:

Cardinal Directions

These are the four compass directions: North, South, East, and West. They are used in maps, so you may have seen them in worksheets like reading a map worksheet. Cardinal directions can be used in sentences like:

The church is east of the hospital.
Our house faces south.

Intermediate Directions

These directions lie between the cardinal directions. Northeast lies between North and East, Southeast between East and South, Southwest between South and West, and Northwest between West and North. Here are some example sentences:

Our school faces northwest.
The river flows in the southeast direction of the mountains.

Tips For Teaching Positions And Directions To Kids

Younger children learn best through interactive and fun methods. While worksheets can help practice vocabulary, here are some tips to make learning more interesting:

1. Play games like Ludo or Snakes and Laddersto practice words like up, down, left, right, forward, and backward.
2. Use colored blocks on a table and help them describe the blocks’ position relative to one another.
3. Take them out to have them note the sun’s direction at different times of the day, or point out the direction of objects around the house.
4. Buy them a compassand pair it with a directions worksheet to improve their sense of direction.

It is important to teach kids positional and directional terms from a young age. Position and directions worksheets can help them learn the vocabulary needed to describe where and in what direction an object is moving. As they grow and become independent, understanding object placement will become crucial for them to relate to their surroundings. They will need to follow directions to complete tasks, and this lesson on positions and directions will provide a strong foundation for these activities.

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