Christmas Prepositions Speech Therapy

Engaging, No-Print Practice for Receptive and Expressive Language

Prepositions are a foundational language skill—and one that many students struggle with when following directions or describing where objects are located.

That’s why Christmas prepositions speech therapy activities are such a great fit. They allow students to practice prepositional concepts in a visual, motivating, and functional context, while still targeting real language needs.

These no-print, teletherapy-friendly Christmas preposition activities are designed to be simple, engaging, and effective.

Why Prepositions Matter in Speech Therapy

Prepositions describe the relationship between objects and their location in space. They are essential for:

• Following directions
• Understanding classroom language
• Producing clear, grammatically complete sentences

When students struggle with directions, the issue is often not attention alone. Common breakdowns include:

• Limited vocabulary
• Poor understanding of prepositions
• Difficulty processing sentence structure
• Weak expressive language formulation

Rather than separating “receptive” and “expressive” goals, it’s more effective to identify which language component is breaking down—and target that skill directly.

Quick Overview: What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions are words that describe the location of a noun in relation to another noun.

A simple way to identify a preposition is to pair it with the phrase “the box.”
If it makes sense, it’s likely a preposition.

Examples:

• in the box
• on the box
• under the box
• around the box

This simple strategy helps students (and adults!) understand how prepositions function in language.

Research-Informed Approach to Teaching Prepositions

Research supports the use of varied input and explicit instruction when teaching prepositions, especially for children with developmental language disorder.

One influential study that informed this approach is:

Nicholas, K., Alt, M., & Hauwiller, E. (2019). Variability of input in preposition learning by preschoolers with developmental language disorder and typically developing language.
Child Language Teaching and Therapy.

This research highlights the importance of repeated exposure, clear contrasts, and meaningful practice—principles built directly into these Christmas prepositions speech therapy materials.

How to Use the Christmas Prepositions Materials

These activities are designed to be interactive and straightforward, making them ideal for teletherapy or in-person sessions with a shared screen.

How to use:

1. Click the materials link
2. Open the file and select “Present”
3. Ask the student to find the hidden object
4. Have the student describe where the object is located using a complete prepositional phrase
5. Click to check the answer
6. Continue through the slides for repeated practice

Tip:
Students can click directly on the object, which visually highlights the answer and keeps engagement high.

Christmas Prepositions Speech Therapy Materials

Inside the membership, you’ll find four targeted Christmas prepositions decks, each designed to reduce cognitive load and clearly contrast spatial concepts:

• In vs. On
• Over vs. Under vs. Next To
• In Front Of vs. Behind
• Mixed Prepositions

These decks allow for:

• Focused practice
• Visual discrimination
• Repeated exposure
• Easy data collection

Access the Materials

Members

Log in and navigate to Winter Games to access the Christmas prepositions speech therapy materials.

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Membership includes access to:

• Language and grammar materials
• Articulation resources (English & Spanish)
• Teaching strategies and cueing techniques
• WH-question tools
• RTI and screening materials
• Early language and late talker resources

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Final Thoughts

Christmas prepositions speech therapy activities make it easier to:

• Target a complex language concept
• Keep students motivated
• Provide meaningful, repeated practice

With the right visuals and structure, prepositions become clearer—and progress becomes easier to see.

Reference:

Nicholas, K., Alt, M., & Hauwiller, E. (2019). Variability of input in preposition learning by preschoolers with developmental language disorder and typically-developing language. Child Language Teaching and Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265659019830455/,