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Prepositions of Place Game: Tidy Up for Mr Moon
Barry has made a mess of Mr Moon's living room and the guests are on their way. Mr Moon says where each thing goes, and the team at the board drags it into place before the doorbell rings. Then the party game: hide and seek with Barry, where only the spotter's sentence finds him in the dark.
Free, no sign-in. Ready to play on the board, with a printable worksheet at three levels and a home version.
- Ages: 5 to 11
- Words: In, on, under; next to, behind, in front of; between, opposite, above
- Players: 2 to 4 teams, the whole class, or one child at home
- Time: About 10 to 15 minutes
- Voice: Mr Moon says every line
How to play Tidy Up for Mr Moon
- Pick the level. Support plays in, on and under. Core adds next to, behind and in front of. Challenge adds between, opposite and above.
- Tidy up. Mr Moon says where a thing goes ("The cake goes on the table"). The team drags it into the room. A wrong drop lands there for a moment, and Mr Moon says where it really is.
- Say it. After each right drop the class says the sentence together.
- Hide and seek. One spotter sees where Barry hides, the lights go out, and the spotter tells the team. The team taps the dark room with a torch to find him.
Learning by doing
Children follow and give real directions to get a job done: tidying a room before guests arrive, then finding a friend in the dark from a classmate's sentence. The place word is the move, and the hide and seek round is an information gap where only clear English finds Barry.
The worksheet
The worksheet shows Mr Moon's room as your class tidied it, at Support, Core and Challenge: circle the place word, write it with a word bank, or answer in full sentences, then draw or write where Barry could hide. Answer key and home QR code included.
Tidy Up for Mr Moon FAQ
Is it free?
Yes, with no sign-in.
Which prepositions does it teach?
In, on and under at Support; next to, behind and in front of at Core; between, opposite and above at Challenge, the Cambridge Starters and Movers words.
Does it need a microphone?
No. The teacher taps Good sentence or Not quite when the spotter speaks.
Can children play at home?
Yes. The worksheet QR code opens a version for one child.
More ready-to-play games
- Sentence Builder Game: Barry's Comic Caper. Teams drag word tiles to write the captions for Barry's comic. A right sentence colours in the panel, and every panel has a twist.
- Listening Game for Kids: Mr Moon's Night Picnic. Mr Moon calls a word and teams race to find it, then match the pictures and play memory with every card spoken aloud.
- Guess Who Reading Game: Which Monster?. Someone took Mr Moon's hat. Read Barry's notes, send the monsters it can't be out of the line-up, and ask Barry yes or no questions.
- Interactive Teaching Clock: Teaching Clock. A free whiteboard clock: drag the hands, see and hear the time, follow Barry's day, then play Set the time I say and What's the time?