Above and Below Worksheets
In preschool, sometimes not until kindergarten, students learn about the relative position of objects. Relative means where one thing is located based on the position of another thing. In most circumstances that is based on ground level. In other cases, we could be saying how far an object like a bookbag is from a desk. The distance between objects is the first step, but it does not tell us anything about which direction they are from each other. That is where the concept of position comes into play. Position gives us a clear picture of where the two things are exactly located, and we could even draw a diagram based on those directions. These worksheets are built to help students under what above or below something means.
Aligned Standard: K.G.A.1
- Above and Below: Step-by-Step Lesson- This is a very basic section. It is more geared towards preschoolers, but aligns to the core.
- Guided Worksheet - Tell us where the bubble is.
- Guided Explanation - I tried to give you one solid explanation to work with. This is a light writing activity as well.
- Independent Practice Worksheet - Where are the leaves in relation to the other things?
- Matching Worksheet - If you are working with a large group of kids, this one is great to work on as a group.
- Answer Keys - These are for all the unlocked materials above.
Lesson Sheets
Orientation is everything here. We try to get students comfortable with left, right, up, and down.
- Lesson 1 - If you are looking at a stair, where is above and below?
- Lesson 2 - This lesson covers basic directions and positions. If you look at the chart below you can see that: 1 and 4 are above Fish 3. Fish 2 is below Fish 3.
- Lesson 3 - Animals 2 and 3 are facing. Only Animal 1 is facing right.
Practice Worksheets
Students position multiple things in their field of vision.
- Practice 1 - Circle all the objects that are above the scooter. Draw a rectangle around all the objects bellow the scooter.
- Practice 2 - Draw a rectangle around the arrows that are facing right.
- Practice 3 - Circle all the objects that are above the Bunny.
- Practice 4 - Up and down, around the world!
Math Skill Quizzes
These are quick and effective for gauging a student's progress.
- Quiz 1 - Calling all balls and soldiers.
- Quiz 2 - The duck and the banana.
- Quiz 3 - Facing left or right.
What Does Above and Below Mean?
When we are trying to understand the location of something or the path that we need to travel to reach a certain point two forms of vocabulary words (directional and positional) make their first appearance. Positional words tell us where something is located compared to another. Positions start with determining a single fixed object and where the other is compared to it. Directional words point is in path to the correct route we are trying to travel. We describe objects in their environment using the names of shapes and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, besides, in front of, behind, and next to.
The position of any object can only be described in relation to other objects. It is impossible to describe the position of a single isolated object (at least in kindergarten terms). Therefore, we use the three basic planes of three-dimensional space on which objects can be related. The relative position in each plane can be described with conceptual pairs.
The vocabulary terms above and below are the simplest of these relative position pairs because there's really no choice - it comes down to gravity. As astronauts experience firsthand in space, above and below loses its meaning. But while our class is here on Earth, we assume the perspective of above and below in response to gravity. The terms are natural antonyms just like black and while, they are polar opposites. Above indicates that something is physically position over something else. Such as when we stand our head is located above our feet. Below indicates that something is vertically lower than something else. Using the same concept, we worked on previously, when standing our feet are below our heads.