Free Preposition Instruction with Pierre the Proposition Mouse

Making Prepositions Come Alive with Playful Teaching

Recently, one of my students expressed confusion about prepositions — those small but mighty words that describe relationships between objects. Rather than turning to a worksheet, I decided to make the lesson hands-on and memorable. I reached into my cabinet of teaching tools and pulled out a rubber mouse stress toy and its accompanying block of Swiss cheese.

I explained to my student that a preposition is anything that the mouse could do to or around the cheese — and that’s when the magic happened. We named the mouse Pierre, gave him his own playful “voice,” and began exploring the many ways he could interact with his cheese. Pierre could climb on the cheese, crawl under it, peek through its holes, and even hide behind it.

Soon, we were laughing, experimenting, and inventing new scenarios — all while my student internalized the meaning and function of prepositions without even realizing they were learning grammar. It was a joyful reminder that when students connect language to imagination, learning truly sticks.

Watch Pierre in Action!

To share our fun and help other students visualize this concept, we created a short YouTube video that brings Pierre’s adventures to life:
🎥 Watch Pierre the Mouse Explore Prepositions

This quick visual demonstration can be a delightful addition to any language arts lesson, helping students “see” grammar in motion.

Meet Preppy the Preposition Penguin

If you’d like to extend this learning into a creative classroom activity, I’ve designed a multisensory publication called Preppy the Preposition Penguin. Students first complete an art project, creating their own penguin (Preppy) and his cozy igloo. Then, just like Pierre, they explore what Preppy can do to or around his igloo — sliding over it, waddling around it, or peeking inside.

This downloadable resource includes:
✅ Step-by-step lesson ideas
✅ Fun worksheets and activity templates
✅ Three interactive games that reinforce prepositions through movement and creativity

Preppy the Penguin is part of my Grammar Games Collection, a series designed to make language learning lively, visual, and fun.

👉 Click here to learn more and download Preppy the Preposition Penguin!

When learning is playful, students don’t just remember — they engage, laugh, and truly understand.

Cheers, Erica