How to Teach Idioms and Figurative Language to Kids and Teens

• Hang on = Wait a moment
• Have a seat = Sit down
• You’re driving me up the wall = you’re annoying me
• Bend over backwards = Do everything you can
• Fishy = Weird or Odd
• Knocked my socks off = Impressed me very much
• Pulling my leg = Kidding me, making a joke
• Horsing around = messing around, playing
• Let the cat out of the bag = Told the secret or let someone know something they weren’t supposed to know
• Play it by ear = Improvise or make it up as you go
• Give it a shot = Try to do it
• That was a piece of cake = That was easy
• Slipped my mind = I forgot
• In hot water = In trouble
• Having second thoughts = Changed your mind
• Out of the blue = Random or unexpected
• I’m all ears = I’m listening
• In the same boat = In the same situation
• Don’t see eye to eye = Don’t agree
• Call it a day = Quit doing something for now

For children who are struggling to learn or understand idioms, speech therapy can help.  Idioms speech therapy will focus on helping children understand the meaning of these common (and sometimes uncommon) figures of speech that have non-literal meanings.  Here are the steps to doing speech therapy to help a child learn idioms:

1. Have the child read a passage (or read it aloud for him) that contains an idiom.  Ask the child to guess the meaning of the idiom based on the context in which it is given.
2. Have the child come up with a scenario in which that idiom might be used (aside from the example already given).  Role play the scenario and have the child use the idiom.
3. Give the child an assignment to use the idiom at an appropriate time sometime before your next session.  Ask him to write down in a journal when he used it and what the context was.  Review during the next session.
4. During your next session, ask the child to tell you the true meaning of the idiom.  For this, just say the idiom out loud, don’t give it in context.  If the child is unable to tell you the meaning, repeat the steps above.
5. Repeat the steps above with a new idiom.

1. John was super busy. He was talking on the phone with his office while he stirred the soup that was cooking on the stove and starting to burn.  His son Billy walked up to him and said “Dad, I need help with my homework”.  John replied with “Hang on!”
2. The children walked into the classroom and found their teacher, Ms. Donna waiting for them. All of the chairs were arranged in a circle around Ms. Donna.  As they approached the circle of chairs, Ms. Donna said “Have a seat” and waved her hand toward the chairs.
3. Batson was clearly having a rough day. The children in her class were running around the classroom and screaming.  There were toys and art supplies everywhere.  Three children were pulling on her clothes and singing as loudly as they could.  Mrs. Batson looked at the children and said “You’re driving me up the wall!”

What is a Simile?

A simile is a comparison between two unlike things that uses the word “like” or “as”.  For example, you could say your Grandma is as friendly as a grizzly bear (meaning that she’s not very friendly) or that your socks are as warm as a fireplace (meaning that they are very warm).

How to Teach Similes to Children:

Step One: On a piece of paper, write an adjective in the middle.  On the left side of the paper, write objects that can be described by that adjective.  On the right side of the paper, write objects that are not described by that adjective.  You should have a list like this:

Step Two: Have the child choose two items from either side of the paper and create a simile for them.  For example, you could use “this blanket is as rough as a kitten”.  You can also do this with a verb in the middle and the word “like” in the simile, such as “you jump like a kangaroo”.

Step Three: Practice using some of the similes that the child created in written or spoken language.  Come up with scenarios or situations where it would be appropriate to use those similes and either role play scenarios or write out paragraphs that include them.

What is a Metaphor?

A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things but instead of using “like” or “as”, you just replace one word with another word.  For example, you might say that your child is a doll, or that your chocolate bar is heaven.

Literature is full of metaphors.  Go through a pleasure-reading book with the child and pick out any metaphors that come up.  Talk with the child about what the literal meaning of the metaphor would mean and ask if he thinks the author meant that.  Then, decide on the figurative meaning that the author was going for.  For example, if the author wrote, “Jason was a pig at dinner”, ask your child if the author meant that he actually turned into a pig.  No, probably not.  Then help the child determine that the author really meant he ate sloppily like a pig would.