Idioms for Children: A Fun Guide to Figurative Language

Understanding idioms is a crucial part of mastering the English language, especially for children. Idioms are phrases where the words together have a different meaning than the individual words on their own.

Learning idioms helps children improve their comprehension skills, expand their vocabulary, and appreciate the nuances of the English language. This article will guide children and educators through common idioms with clear explanations, examples, and exercises to make learning fun and effective.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What are Idioms?
3. Structural Breakdown of Idioms
4. Types of Idioms
5. Examples of Idioms
6. Usage Rules for Idioms
7. Common Mistakes with Idioms
8. Practice Exercises
9. Advanced Topics in Idioms
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. Conclusion

What are Idioms?

Idioms are expressions or phrases whose meanings cannot be understood from the ordinary meanings of the words it contains. In simpler terms, an idiom is a group of words that has a special meaning different from the literal meaning of each word.

They add color and depth to the English language, making it more expressive and interesting. Think of them as little puzzles where the meaning is hidden within the words.

For example, “It’s raining cats and dogs” doesn’t mean that animals are falling from the sky. It means it’s raining very heavily.

The figurative meaning is what makes an idiom unique.

Classification of Idioms

Idioms can be classified based on various features, such as their structure, the part of speech they act as, or the theme they relate to. Some common classifications include:

• Phrasal Verbs: These idioms combine a verb and a preposition or adverb (e.g., look up, give up).
• Clichés: These are idioms that are overused and have become predictable (e.g., as busy as a bee).
• Proverbs: These idioms offer advice or a general truth (e.g., Actions speak louder than words).
• Figurative Expressions: These are idioms that use metaphors or similes to create a non-literal meaning (e.g., a piece of cake).

Function of Idioms

Idioms serve several important functions in communication:

• Adding Color and Interest: Idioms make language more vivid and engaging.
• Expressing Complex Ideas Simply: Idioms can convey complex meanings in a concise way.
• Showing Cultural Understanding: Knowing idioms demonstrates familiarity with a culture.
• Enhancing Comprehension: Recognizing idioms helps in understanding spoken and written English.

Context of Idioms

Idioms are typically used in informal settings, such as conversations, stories, and less formal writing. While they can appear in formal writing, it’s important to use them carefully to ensure they fit the tone and audience.

Understanding the context is important to correctly interpret and use idioms.

Structural Breakdown of Idioms

Idioms don’t follow regular grammatical rules. Their meaning is derived from the entire expression rather than the individual words.

It’s crucial to understand that changing the words in an idiom usually destroys its meaning.

For example, the idiom “hit the nail on the head” means to do or say something exactly right. If you change it to “hit the screw on the head,” it no longer carries the same meaning.

Idioms can be made up of different parts of speech, including:

• Nouns: A piece of cake
• Verbs: Break a leg
• Adjectives: As cool as a cucumber
• Prepositions: In the same boat

The structure of an idiom is fixed, meaning the words must be in a specific order to retain the intended meaning. Rearranging the words can make the idiom nonsensical.

Types of Idioms

Idioms can be categorized in several ways, based on their meaning or the situation they describe. Here are a few common categories:

Animal Idioms

These idioms use animals to describe people or situations.

Food Idioms

These idioms use food-related terms to express different ideas.

Color Idioms

These idioms use colors to convey specific meanings.

Body Part Idioms

These idioms use body parts to describe actions or feelings.

Examples of Idioms

Here are some common idioms with explanations and examples, organized by category.

Animal Idioms Examples

Animal idioms are a fun and engaging way to introduce figurative language to children. They often use animal characteristics to describe human behavior or situations.

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
As busy as a bee	Very busy	She’s been as busy as a bee, preparing for the school play.
Eager beaver	Someone who is very enthusiastic and hard-working	He’s such an eager beaver; he always volunteers for extra tasks.
Cat got your tongue?	Why aren’t you talking?	You’ve been quiet all night. Cat got your tongue?
Hold your horses	Wait a moment	Hold your horses! We need to plan this carefully.
Kill two birds with one stone	Accomplish two things at once	By walking to school, I kill two birds with one stone: getting exercise and saving on bus fare.
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret	He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Like a fish out of water	Feeling uncomfortable or out of place	She felt like a fish out of water at the fancy restaurant.
A little bird told me	I heard a secret from someone	A little bird told me it’s your birthday next week!
As quiet as a mouse	Very quiet	The children were as quiet as a mouse while the teacher read the story.
Smell a rat	Suspect something is wrong	I smell a rat; I don’t believe his story.
The world is your oyster	You have many opportunities	You’ve graduated! The world is your oyster.
Top dog	The leader or most important person	He became the top dog in the company after years of hard work.
Watch someone like a hawk	Observe someone very closely	The teacher watched the students like a hawk during the exam.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing	Someone who appears harmless but is dangerous	Beware of him; he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Chicken out	To back out of something due to fear.	He was going to enter the race, but he chickened out at the last minute.
Dog eat dog	A competitive and ruthless environment.	The business world can be dog eat dog, where everyone is trying to get ahead.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch	Don’t assume success before it actually happens.	They’re already planning the celebration, but I told them not to count their chickens before they hatch.
Have butterflies in your stomach	To feel nervous or anxious.	Before going on stage, she always has butterflies in her stomach.
Like a bull in a china shop	Clumsy and careless.	He’s like a bull in a china shop when he tries to help in the kitchen.
More than one way to skin a cat	More than one way to solve a problem.	If that method doesn’t work, remember there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Food Idioms Examples

Food idioms are another delicious way to teach children about figurative language. These idioms use food-related terms to describe various situations and feelings.

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
A piece of cake	Very easy	The test was a piece of cake!
Cool as a cucumber	Very calm and relaxed	He remained as cool as a cucumber during the crisis.
Cream of the crop	The best of the best	These students are the cream of the crop.
Cup of tea	Something you like or are interested in	Ballet isn’t really my cup of tea.
Full of beans	Energetic and lively	The children were full of beans after their nap.
Have a sweet tooth	To love sugary foods	She has a sweet tooth and always orders dessert.
In a nutshell	In a few words; briefly	In a nutshell, the movie was about a talking dog.
Like two peas in a pod	Very similar or close	They are like two peas in a pod; they do everything together.
One smart cookie	A very intelligent person	She’s one smart cookie; she always gets good grades.
Spill the beans	Reveal a secret	Don’t spill the beans about the surprise party!
Take something with a grain of salt	Don’t believe something completely	Take his advice with a grain of salt; he’s not always right.
Too many cooks spoil the broth	Too many people involved can ruin something	The project failed because too many cooks spoiled the broth.
Bread and butter	Main source of income	Teaching is his bread and butter.
Gravy train	An easy way to make money	He landed a job on the gravy train.
Bring home the bacon	To earn a living or be successful.	She works hard to bring home the bacon for her family.
Butter someone up	To flatter someone to get them to do something.	He tried to butter up his teacher so she would give him a better grade.
Eat humble pie	To admit you were wrong and apologize.	After being proven wrong, he had to eat humble pie.
Have bigger fish to fry	To have more important things to do.	I can’t help you with that now; I have bigger fish to fry.
Sour grapes	Pretending to dislike something because you can’t have it.	He said he didn’t want the prize anyway, but it was just sour grapes.
That’s the way the cookie crumbles	That’s how things go, and you must accept it.	We lost the game, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Color Idioms Examples

Color idioms add a vibrant touch to language, using colors to represent different emotions, situations, or qualities.

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
Feeling blue	Feeling sad	She was feeling blue after her friend moved away.
Green with envy	Very jealous	He was green with envy when he saw my new bike.
In the red	In debt	The company was in the red after a slow sales season.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	We only go to that restaurant once in a blue moon.
Out of the blue	Unexpectedly	The phone call came out of the blue.
See red	Become very angry	He saw red when he found out someone had lied to him.
Tickled pink	Very pleased	She was tickled pink to receive the award.
With flying colors	With great success	He passed the test with flying colors.
Black and white	Clear and straightforward.	The rules are black and white; there’s no room for interpretation.
Gray area	Unclear or undefined.	The issue is a gray area, with no easy solution.
White lie	A harmless lie.	He told a white lie to avoid hurting her feelings.
Paint the town red	Go out and have a good time.	After the graduation ceremony, they decided to paint the town red.
True colors	The real nature of someone.	His true colors were revealed when he started shouting.
Golden opportunity	A valuable chance.	This is a golden opportunity to learn a new skill.
Green light	Permission to proceed.	The project received the green light from the manager.
Red tape	Bureaucratic obstacles.	We had to deal with a lot of red tape to get the permit.
Silver lining	A positive aspect of a negative situation.	Even though we lost, the silver lining is that we learned a lot.
Feeling green	Feeling sick.	He was feeling green after the roller coaster.
Black sheep	A disgrace to the family.	He was the black sheep of the family because he didn’t follow the traditional path.
Out of the black	No longer in debt.	After years of struggle, the company is finally out of the black.

Body Part Idioms Examples

Body part idioms use parts of the body to express various actions, feelings, or situations. These idioms can be quite descriptive and add a unique flavor to language.

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
All ears	Listening attentively	I’m all ears; tell me what happened.
Break a leg	Good luck	Break a leg with your performance!
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive	That car costs an arm and a leg.
Get something off your chest	Confess or talk about something that’s been bothering you	I need to get something off my chest.
Keep an eye on	Watch carefully	Please keep an eye on my bag while I go to the restroom.
Lend an ear	Listen sympathetically	I’m here to lend an ear if you need to talk.
Pull someone’s leg	Play a joke on someone	I was just pulling your leg!
See eye to eye	Agree	They don’t always see eye to eye on politics.
By the skin of your teeth	Barely succeeding.	He passed the test by the skin of his teeth.
Face the music	Accept the consequences.	He had to face the music after breaking the rules.
Give someone a hand	Help someone.	Can you give me a hand with these boxes?
Head over heels	Deeply in love.	They are head over heels for each other.
Keep your chin up	Stay positive.	Keep your chin up; things will get better.
On the tip of my tongue	Almost remembered.	His name is on the tip of my tongue.
Play it by ear	Decide as you go.	We’ll play it by ear and see what happens.
Put your foot down	Be firm.	The parents had to put their foot down about the curfew.
Stick your neck out	Take a risk.	He stuck his neck out to defend his friend.
Turn a blind eye	Ignore something.	The teacher turned a blind eye to the students’ chatter.
Wet behind the ears	Inexperienced.	He’s still wet behind the ears, so be patient with him.
A pain in the neck	Annoying or bothersome.	That task is such a pain in the neck.

Usage Rules for Idioms

Using idioms correctly involves understanding their meaning and context. Here are some key rules to follow:

• Understand the Meaning: Always make sure you know what an idiom means before using it. Using it incorrectly can lead to confusion or miscommunication.
• Consider the Context: Idioms are often informal and may not be appropriate in formal settings. Consider your audience and the situation.
• Don’t Change the Words: Idioms have a fixed structure, and changing the words can alter or destroy the meaning. Stick to the original wording.
• Use Sparingly: While idioms can add color to your language, using too many can make your speech or writing sound unnatural.
• Practice: The best way to master idioms is to practice using them in different contexts. Read and listen to native English speakers to see how they use idioms.

Common Mistakes with Idioms

Here are some common mistakes people make when using idioms:

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
It’s raining dogs and cats.	It’s raining cats and dogs.	The correct order is “cats and dogs.”
Break a leg! I hope you actually break your leg.	Break a leg!	“Break a leg” means “good luck,” not literal injury.
He felt blue with envy.	He was green with envy.	The correct idiom is “green with envy.”
Spill the water.	Spill the beans.	The idiom is “spill the beans,” meaning to reveal a secret.
Take his advice with a salt of grain.	Take his advice with a grain of salt.	The correct phrase is “a grain of salt.”
He is pulling my foot.	He is pulling my leg.	The correct idiom is “pulling my leg.”
See face to face.	See eye to eye.	The correct idiom is “see eye to eye.”
Once in a red moon.	Once in a blue moon.	The correct idiom is “once in a blue moon.”

Practice Exercises

Test your knowledge of idioms with these exercises.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Choose the correct idiom to complete each sentence.

Question	Options	Answer
1. The test was so easy; it was a _______.	(a) piece of cake, (b) cup of tea, (c) full of beans	(a) piece of cake
2. She’s always _______, volunteering for everything.	(a) cool as a cucumber, (b) eager beaver, (c) smell a rat	(b) eager beaver
3. I _______ something is wrong with his story.	(a) spill the beans, (b) smell a rat, (c) break a leg	(b) smell a rat
4. Don’t _______ about the surprise party!	(a) kill two birds, (b) spill the beans, (c) hold your horses	(b) spill the beans
5. He passed the exam _______.	(a) feeling blue, (b) with flying colors, (c) in the red	(b) with flying colors
6. I’m _______; tell me what happened.	(a) all ears, (b) break a leg, (c) cost an arm and a leg	(a) all ears
7. That car _______!	(a) keep an eye on, (b) cost an arm and a leg, (c) lend an ear	(b) cost an arm and a leg
8. Please _______ my bag while I go to the restroom.	(a) pull someone’s leg, (b) keep an eye on, (c) see eye to eye	(b) keep an eye on
9. They are _______ for each other.	(a) head over heels, (b) face the music, (c) give someone a hand	(a) head over heels
10. Can you _______ with these boxes?	(a) by the skin of your teeth, (b) give someone a hand, (c) face the music	(b) give someone a hand

Exercise 2: Match the Idiom to the Meaning

Match the idiom in Column A with its meaning in Column B.

Column A (Idiom)	Column B (Meaning)	Answer
1. Hold your horses	(a) Very easy	1 – (d)
2. Kill two birds with one stone	(b) Feeling sad	2 – (f)
3. Feeling blue	(c) Very calm and relaxed	3 – (b)
4. Cool as a cucumber	(d) Wait a moment	4 – (c)
5. A piece of cake	(e) Reveal a secret	5 – (a)
6. Kill two birds with one stone	(f) Accomplish two things at once	6 – (f)
7. Face the music	(g) Very expensive	7 – (i)
8. Head over heels	(h) Stay positive.	8 – (j)
9. Cost an arm and a leg	(i) Accept the consequences	9 – (g)
10. Keep your chin up	(j) Deeply in love	10 – (h)

Exercise 3: Use the Idiom in a Sentence

Write a sentence using each of the following idioms.

1. As busy as a bee: She is as busy as a bee preparing for the school fair.
2. Let the cat out of the bag: He accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
3. Once in a blue moon: We go to that restaurant once in a blue moon.
4. Pull someone’s leg: I was just pulling your leg when I said I won the lottery.
5. A piece of cake: The math test was a piece of cake.
6. All ears: I’m all ears; tell me about your day.
7. Break a leg: Break a leg with your performance!
8. Cost an arm and a leg: That new phone costs an arm and a leg!
9. Face the music: He had to face the music after skipping class.
10. Keep your chin up: Keep your chin up; things will get better soon.

Advanced Topics in Idioms

For advanced learners, there are more complex aspects of idioms to explore:

• Idiomatic Variation: Some idioms have slight variations in wording or structure. Understanding these variations can enhance comprehension.
• Cultural Significance: Many idioms are deeply rooted in culture and history. Learning about the origins of idioms can provide a deeper understanding of their meaning.
• Figurative Language: Idioms often use metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech. Studying these literary devices can improve your ability to interpret idioms.
• Translation Challenges: Idioms are notoriously difficult to translate directly. Understanding the cultural context is crucial for finding equivalent expressions in other languages.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an idiom?

   An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the ordinary meanings of the words it contains. It’s a group of words with a special, non-literal meaning.

2. Why are idioms important for children to learn?

   Learning idioms helps children improve their comprehension skills, expand their vocabulary, appreciate the nuances of the English language, and understand cultural references.

3. How can I help my child learn idioms?

   You can help your child learn idioms by reading books with idioms, playing idiom-based games, watching movies and TV shows that use idioms, and encouraging them to use idioms in their own speech and writing. Regular practice and exposure are key.

4. Are idioms used in formal writing?

   While idioms are more common in informal settings, they can be used in formal writing if they fit the tone and audience. It’s important to use them carefully and ensure they enhance rather than detract from the writing.

5. Can I change the words in an idiom?

   No, idioms have a fixed structure, and changing the words can alter or destroy the meaning. It’s important to use the exact wording of the idiom.

6. How can I tell if a phrase is an idiom?

   If the meaning of a phrase is different from the literal meaning of the individual words, it’s likely an idiom. You can also look up the phrase in a dictionary or online resource to confirm.

7. What are some common mistakes people make with idioms?

   Some common mistakes include using the wrong words, misunderstanding the meaning, and using idioms in inappropriate contexts.

8. Are idioms universal across all cultures?

   No, idioms are often culture-specific and may not have direct equivalents in other languages. Understanding the cultural context is crucial for interpreting and translating idioms.

Conclusion

Understanding idioms is a valuable skill for children learning English. By grasping the non-literal meanings of these colorful expressions, children can enhance their comprehension, expand their vocabulary, and develop a deeper appreciation for the English language.

This article has provided a comprehensive guide to idioms, including definitions, examples, usage rules, and practice exercises. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be fluent in the language of idioms!

Remember, learning idioms is a journey, not a destination. Encourage children to explore idioms in different contexts, ask questions, and have fun with the language.

With consistent effort and a playful approach, they can master the art of understanding and using idioms effectively.