Hello, young mathematician! Maths starts when you notice where things are, what comes first, and how things can be grouped. You will use words such as inside, above, and before.
Caregiver: Please read each short instruction aloud. Let the child point, move an object, draw, and then say the answer.
This guide follows the ideas in Chapter 1 of NCERT’s Joyful Mathematics for Class 1. Every example, question, and activity here is original.
Words to Know
inside
within a space or boundary
A pencil inside a pouch
outside
beyond a space or boundary
A bicycle outside a room
above
higher than something
A fan above a table
below
lower than something
A mat below a chair
on
touching a top surface
A plate on a tray
under
beneath something
A ball under a cot
near
not far away
A book near your hand
far
a longer distance away
A hill far from home
before
earlier or in front in an order
A comes before B
after
later or behind in an order
C comes after B
Caregiver tip: If a definition sounds difficult, move one real object and ask a choice question: “Is it tucked inside the cup, or is it out in the open?” Let the child point first, then say the full position sentence.
Hide and Guide: Use one small soft toy or eraser, a cup, a book, and a table. Ask an adult or an older child to place the toy inside the cup, under the book, on the table, near the cup, or far from the cup; then find it from one clue and say a full position sentence. Keep all objects on a low table or the floor, and do not climb on furniture or hide anything near plugs, stairs, or breakable items. (5-10 min)
Your Learning Plan
- Learn one pair of position words at a time.
- Point to or move a real object while saying the word.
- Use a full sentence to explain the position.
- Finish with sorting and the eight practice prompts.
1. Position Words Tell Us Where
Imagine that someone asks, “Where is my pencil?” Saying “there” may not help. Saying “inside the blue pouch” gives a useful direction. A position word tells us where one object is when we compare it with another object or place.
Start by noticing boundaries. A box, bag, room, and circle drawn on paper each have an inside and an outside. Next, notice height. One object may be above another, while the other is below it. Then notice contact. A cup can be on a table because it touches the top surface. A cup held in the air can be above the table even when it does not touch.
Situation: A crayon is kept in a pencil box. A sharpener is lying beside the box.
- Look at the boundary of the pencil box.
- The crayon is within that boundary, so it is inside the box.
- The sharpener is beyond that boundary, so it is outside the box.
Answer: The crayon is inside. The sharpener is outside.
Situation: A clock hangs high on a wall. A small table stands directly beneath it.
- Find the object that is higher: the clock.
- Find the object that is lower: the table.
- Say both relationships so the pair becomes clear.
Answer: The clock is above the table. The table is below the clock.
2. Learn Position Words in Pairs
Many position words are easier to remember in pairs: inside and outside, above and below, on and under, near and far, top and bottom, before and after. When you say one relationship, try saying the reverse relationship too. If the lamp is above the desk, the desk is below the lamp.
Near and far depend on what we compare. Your school may be near your home but far from another city. For Class 1 practice, use two objects in the same room so the difference is easy to see. Top and bottom usually name parts of one object. A bottle has a top and a bottom. Above and below compare the places of two things.
Caregiver tip: Use the same two objects for both directions. Ask, “Where is the cup compared with the book?” Then reverse it: “Where is the book compared with the cup?” This helps the child understand that position words describe a relationship.
Situation: Look at a slide in a playground picture. One child waits at the top. Another child stands at the bottom.
- Point to the highest end of the slide.
- That end is the top.
- Point to the end touching the ground.
- That end is the bottom.
Answer: One child is at the top of the slide. One child is at the bottom.
On usually means touching a surface. Above means higher than something and may have a gap. A notebook can be on a desk. A wall clock can be above the desk.
3. Before and After Show Order
Before and after tell us about order. Read this line from left to right. Aman is first. Then come Bina, Charu, and Dev. In a daily routine, waking up comes before breakfast.
Situation: Four children stand in a line: Aman, Bina, Charu, and Dev.
- Read the line from left to right.
- Bina comes immediately before Charu.
- Dev comes immediately after Charu.
Answer: Bina is before Charu, and Dev is after Charu.
Who is after Aman? Bina. Who is before Dev? Charu. Aman is before Dev, but Bina and Charu are between them. Immediately means nobody is in between.
4. Sorting Means Making Groups
Sorting is a way to organise objects by a feature we can notice. We may sort crayons by colour, blocks by shape, pencils by length, or classroom items by use. Before sorting, say the rule. A clear rule helps another person understand why the groups were made.
The same set of objects can be sorted in different correct ways. Four buttons may form colour groups first and shape groups later. Neither choice is wrong if the rule is clear and every object is placed carefully. Sorting helps us compare, count, store, and find things.
Situation: There are two red round buttons, one blue round button, and one blue square button.
- To sort by colour, place both red buttons together and both blue buttons together.
- To sort by shape, place the three round buttons together and the one square button separately.
- Notice that the same objects can be grouped in more than one sensible way.
Answer: By colour: 2 red and 2 blue. By shape: 3 round and 1 square.
After sorting, check your work. Ask: Did I use one clear rule? Did I look at every object? Is any object missing? Does each object fit its group? If an object could fit two groups, explain which rule you used.
5. Put the Words into Clear Directions
Good directions use a known starting place and one or two position words. “Look under the chair near the window” is clearer than “Look over there.” Practise with safe objects that are easy to see. A direction should help, not trick or confuse.
You can also follow two steps in order: first put the pencil inside the pouch; then place the pouch on the desk. Listen for the order words first, then, and after. Repeat the direction in your own words before moving the objects.
Pictures can give directions too. Look from left to right unless an adult tells you another direction. Point to the object you are describing. Then speak a full sentence: “The red block is before the yellow block.” Full sentences make your mathematical thinking easy to understand.
Practice Time
Try each prompt before opening the answer. You may point, speak, draw, or write as the question asks.
Practice 1. Point-and-say: A spoon is in a cup. Is the spoon inside or outside the cup?
Answer: Inside.
Practice 2. A kite is high in the sky and a child is on the ground. What is above the child?
Answer: The kite.
Practice 3. Draw a box. Draw one ball inside it and one star above it.
Answer: The ball should be within the box. The star should be higher than the box and not inside it.
Practice 4. A mat touches the floor. A toy car is resting on the mat. Where is the car?
Answer: The car is on the mat.
Practice 5. Looking from left to right, the line is Ravi → Noor → Tara. Who is before Tara? Who is after Ravi?
Answer: Noor is before Tara. Noor is after Ravi.
Practice 6. A pencil is next to your hand. A cupboard is across the room. Which is near? Which is far?
Answer: The pencil is near. The cupboard is far.
Practice 7. Sort these words into two groups: red cap, blue sock, red bag, blue cup. Use colour.
Answer: Red group: red cap and red bag. Blue group: blue sock and blue cup.
Practice 8. Point to the top and the bottom of a slide, bottle, or tree in a picture.
Answer: The top is the highest part. The bottom is the lowest part. Pointing to the correct parts is a good answer.
Kaizen close: Make one position sentence today, then make a clearer one tomorrow.
Continue Learning
- Explore CBSE learning guides
- Browse PrincipalSaab study notes
- Next in Joyful Mathematics: What is Long? What is Round? (Shapes)