In these lyrics for Humpty Dumpty, students will learn what is positional words and what is opposite words.

What is Positional Words

Positional Words are typically taught in preschool and kindergarten. They are words that describe the location of something with respect to another object. Without an understanding of opposites, children may have a harder time understanding these words. Youtube offers videos and songs that encourage preschoolers to sing about prepositions of place.

Lyrics for Humpty Dumpty teach What is Opposite Words

Opposite words are two words with completely different meanings. We can find opposite words within any part of speech. They can be nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. For this reason, opposites are a much broader concept than positions. Therefore, understanding opposites can be more difficult for young children. It is important to realize that learning what opposite words are is different than understanding positions. However, they go together. If a child is able to demonstrate and describe opposite positions, their understanding of the concept is growing.

In the book, Humpty Dumpty Learns About Positions, the lyrics include seven different groups of these words. Students enjoy reading and reciting a familiar rhyme while gaining knowledge of how these words are used. The seven positional and opposite words kids learn in this version of Humpty Dumpty are:

1. on – off
2. over – under
3. in – out
4. left – right
5. above – below
6. fast- slow
7. around – to

Activities for Positional Words

The best activities for positional words should engage students in the demonstration. Get students active and use their behaviors as a way to assess if they understand the words. It is important to remember that their ability to demonstrate the positions and recognize them in others are two different skills. Young children may be able to describe that they are above something without seeing that someone else is also above the item.

First, find an item such as a small stuffed animal, a pencil, or, the picture of Humpty Dumpty below printed and secured on the end of a popsicle stick. Then, ask the students to put the item over their heads. Next, ask them to put the item under their chair. Repeat the directions using other positional words from the list. Then ask the student to be the teacher and give you the directions while watching you place the object in the correct position.

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