Figurative Language Teaching Resources

You use figurative language in your classroom every day, but if you are on the hunt for figurative language worksheets, chances are you are struggling to find good resources for your lesson plans. Our teacher-created resource collection has you covered with instructional slide decks about idioms, onomatopoeia writing activities, figurative language anchor charts and more figurative fun.

Each resource has been reviewed by the teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure it's curriculum-aligned so students can meet Common Core and state-level standards.

Hey, we don't all teach the same classes every year, and between the list of students with peanut allergies and the latest mandate from administration, you've got a lot of information already packed into your brain. Let the expert ELA teachers on our Teach Starter team provide a quick refresher course.  (Already know the answer? Feel free to skip right to downloading the printable activities and worksheets!)

What Is Figurative Language? A Kid-Friendly Definition

Do you need a simple way to explain what figurative language is to your students? Try this definition from our teacher team:

Figurative language is the term we use to describe words that aren't literally or strictly true in order to convey meaning. Wait, huh?

Think of it this way — if you say your friend says the homework was a piece of cake, you know they're using an idiom, but you also know what they mean. That's using figurative language!

Literal Language vs. Figurative Language — What's the Difference?

Figurative language gives meaning to something by referencing something else. So how is it different from literal language?

Literal language is more explicit.

Let's take the "piece of cake" example above.

If that student were being literal, they could have simply said, "That homework was so easy!"

While figurative language is more colorful and fun for the reader, it can also make reading comprehension challenging for students, particularly multi-lingual learners.

Something else to consider?

Children's figurative language acquisition and development aren't just crucial for reading and writing — studies show they're also a core part of social and emotional learning as children learn better ways to express their feelings.

And let's face it — metaphors, hyperbole, idioms, and all types of figurative language make reading and writing more engaging and exciting. In turn, helping us encourage students to develop a lifelong love of reading.

Figurative Language Examples for Your Students

As you're sitting down to lesson plan and explore this teaching resource collection, we thought a look at the main figurative language examples might help! Here are examples of all of the types of figurative language that our teacher team has covered in this collection, with editable options that allow you to differentiate lessons to meet the needs of each student in your classroom:

1. Similes
2. Metaphors
3. Personification
4. Alliteration
5. Onomatopoeia
6. Idioms
7. Oxymorons
8. Hyperbole