Position words tell us where things are. Above means higher up and below means lower down. Left and right depend on where you look from, so look at the shelves from the front. Your left hand makes an L shape with its thumb and first finger. First find the thing named in the question, then look in the direction the words tell you.
Explore this idea with maths tools
Maths you can move
Build 8 + 5
Tap two gold counters to fill the ten-frame.
8 in the frame + 5 waiting. The total stays the same.
Words to know
- above
- higher up than something
- below
- lower down than something
- left
- the side of your left hand, the one that makes an L
Worked examples
The ball is on the top shelf and the cat is just below it. What is just above the cat?
- 1.Find the cat.
- 2.Look at the shelf just above it: the ball.
= ball
On the middle shelf, from the front, are a cup, a hat and a star. What is just to the left of the hat?
- 1.Find the hat.
- 2.Look to your left hand side: the cup.
= cup
The fish is just to the right of the cat, and the bell is just below the fish. Find the thing just to the right of the cat. What is just below that thing?
- 1.Just to the right of the cat is the fish.
- 2.Just below the fish is the bell.
= bell
For parents
Method: Play 'I spy' with position words: 'I spy something just below the clock'.
What to say: Can you find the cat first? Now look up. What is just above it?
Common mistakes:
- Mixes up left and right.
- Mixes up above and below.
- Uses only the first clue in a two-clue question.
- Answers with the thing named in the question instead of the thing in the position described.