Idioms for Kids: Common Idioms with Meanings and Examples

Idioms for kids are phrases whose meaning is different from the meaning of the words inside them. This guide gives a clear definition, 22 common idioms with meanings and example sentences, and ways to teach them in the classroom.

Idioms for kids

Imagine a student hears “It was a piece of cake” and looks around for dessert. That moment explains why idioms need teaching. English learners and young native speakers can both be puzzled when a phrase means something other than what the words say.

Idioms are everywhere in stories, conversations and school texts. Knowing them helps students understand what they read and hear. They also make writing more lively, as long as students use them on purpose and in the right place.

What are idioms for kids

If a student asks what are idioms for kids, here is a definition that fits on a card:

An idiom is a group of words that has a meaning different from the meaning of the words taken one at a time.

That is the idioms definition for kids in one sentence. The phrase “under the weather” has nothing to do with rain or clouds. It means feeling sick. The words alone do not tell you that. You have to learn the phrase as a whole.

Idioms are one type of figurative language. Figurative language means words used in a way that goes beyond their exact, literal meaning. Our guide to figurative language examples covers all the types, and the post on simile vs metaphor covers two of them in more detail.

Literal and figurative meaning

The two meanings of an idiom have names. The literal meaning is what the words say on their own. The figurative meaning is what the phrase means when people use it.

Here is one pair of sentences students can compare:

• Literal: “We had to break the ice on the pond to fill the bucket.” The ice is real, and someone really breaks it.
• Figurative: “A joke helped break the ice at the meeting.” Nothing is broken. The joke made people feel relaxed and ready to talk.

A good question for students to ask themselves is: does this make sense word for word? If it does not, the phrase is probably an idiom, and the figurative meaning is the one to look for.

Examples of idioms for kids with meanings

Here are 22 examples of idioms for kids, grouped by theme. Each one has a plain meaning and a sample sentence, which makes the idioms meaning for kids easy to read at a glance. This list of idioms for kids avoids phrases that are hard to explain, and every sentence uses the idiom in its usual figurative sense.

Idioms about school and daily routines

• Hit the books: to study hard. “I need to hit the books tonight because the science test is tomorrow.”
• Burn the midnight oil: to work or study late into the night. “She burned the midnight oil to finish her report.”
• Back to the drawing board: to start again after a plan did not work. “Our first model fell apart, so it was back to the drawing board.”
• Call it a day: to stop working for now. “We have done enough, so let’s call it a day.”
• Go the extra mile: to do more than is expected. “He went the extra mile and added a diagram to his project.”
• Hit the sack: to go to bed. “I was tired, so I hit the sack early.”

Idioms about food

These idioms about food for kids tend to be popular, because students enjoy picturing the literal meaning.

• A piece of cake: something very easy. “The spelling quiz was a piece of cake.”
• Spill the beans: to reveal a secret. “Don’t spill the beans about the surprise.”
• Easy as pie: very simple to do. “Once I learned the rule, the problems were easy as pie.”
• Out of the frying pan, into the fire: from a bad situation to a worse one. “He ran late, and then missed the bus too, so it was out of the frying pan, into the fire.”

Body part idioms for kids

Body part idioms for kids work well as a set because the parts of the body are already familiar words.

• Cost an arm and a leg: to be very expensive. “That camera costs an arm and a leg.”
• Pull someone’s leg: to tease someone with a joke. “I was only pulling your leg when I said the test was canceled.”
• Keep your fingers crossed: to hope for good luck. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain on our trip.”
• See eye to eye: to agree. “The two of us see eye to eye about the best book in the series.”
• Get cold feet: to become nervous and unsure just before doing something. “Mia got cold feet right before her turn to speak.”

Idioms about weather and nature

• Under the weather: feeling sick. “I stayed home because I was under the weather.”
• Once in a blue moon: very rarely. “We eat dinner on the porch once in a blue moon.”
• On cloud nine: extremely happy. “She was on cloud nine after winning the spelling contest.”
• Break the ice: to start a conversation in an awkward or quiet group. “A funny question helped break the ice on the first day.”

Idioms about trouble and choices

• In hot water: in trouble. “He was in hot water after he forgot his homework three days in a row.”
• The last straw: the final problem that makes someone lose patience. “When the printer jammed again, it was the last straw.”
• Bite the bullet: to do something unpleasant because it has to be done. “I decided to bite the bullet and clean my room.”

Funny idioms for kids

Funny idioms for kids are the ones that sound the strangest when taken literally. These make good conversation starters:

• “Cost an arm and a leg” sounds painful, but it only means very expensive.
• “Spill the beans” sounds messy, but it means telling a secret.
• “Pull someone’s leg” sounds rude, but it means a harmless joke.
• “Break the ice” sounds noisy, but it means starting a friendly talk.

Ask students to read the literal meaning with a straight face and then give the figurative meaning. The contrast is the fun part, and it makes the difference easy to remember.

How to figure out what an idiom means

Students will meet idioms that nobody has taught them. A short routine can help them.

1. Read the sentence. Does the phrase make sense word for word?
2. If it does not, look at the sentences around it. They often give clues about the feeling or situation.
3. Guess a meaning and put it in place of the phrase. Does the sentence still make sense?
4. Check the guess with a dictionary, a teacher or a reliable idiom list.

Step two uses the same skill as the one described in our post on context clues. A student who has practiced finding clues in the text will have an easier time with idioms too.

How to teach idioms

Literal picture and real meaning

Students pick an idiom and draw its literal meaning using objects only, such as a cake, a rain cloud or a bean. Next to it, they write the real meaning in their own words. Keep the drawings to objects and leave out people and animals, so that every student can draw them easily.

Matching cards

Write idioms on one set of cards and meanings on another. Students match them in pairs and then use each idiom in a sentence of their own. A good extension is to add a few cards with idioms that share a theme, such as ones about the body, so that students sort them into groups first.

Idiom of the day

Put one idiom on the board each morning with its meaning. Students look for chances to use it in their talk or writing that day. Keep a class chart of the idioms you have covered, which can serve as a reference for writing tasks.

Write a short scene

Ask students to write four or five sentences that use two idioms correctly. The sentences should show the meaning. For example, “I was on cloud nine” works better with a reason, such as “because my science project won first prize.”

Support for English learners

Idioms often cause trouble for students who are new to English, because translating word for word does not help. Teach a small number at a time, give a picture or a clear situation for each, and let students compare idioms with phrases in their home language if they like. Many languages have idioms of their own.

Printable idioms for kids and practice material

Repeated practice helps idioms stick. Eduminate has figurative language packs that include idioms and the other types of figurative language. Here is what each pack contains.

• The figurative language bundle holds three packets: similes and metaphors, a wider set with personification and idioms, and alliteration and onomatopoeia. It is 129 pages for grades 3 to 8, at 20% off the separate prices.
• The middle school figurative language packet is 40 pages for grades 6 to 8, with 70 questions across 6 sections, a lesson plan and an answer key.
• The simile and metaphor pack has identification, true or false, fill in the blank, meaning and short answer sections, plus an answer key and lesson plan, for grades 5 to 8.
• The alliteration and onomatopoeia pack is a 40 page set for grades 3 to 5, with a lesson plan, a student worksheet, an answer key and an answer sheet.
• The complete grammar bundle collects every grammar and ELA packet in the shop: 32 packets across grades 2 to 8, 1527 pages, at 35% off the separate prices.

Frequently asked questions

Is an idiom the same as a simile?

No. A simile compares two things using “like” or “as.” An idiom is a fixed phrase with a meaning that cannot be worked out from the words alone. Some phrases can be both, but most idioms do not use “like” or “as” at all.

What is the difference between an idiom and a proverb?

An idiom is a phrase that fits into a sentence, such as “break the ice.” A proverb is a short saying that gives advice or a general truth, such as “Practice makes perfect.”

Should students memorize idiom lists?

A better goal is to understand a handful at a time and meet them again in real reading and writing. Long lists without context are hard to remember.

What grade learns idioms?

Idioms can appear at many ages. The packs listed above cover grades 3 to 8, and the grade range of each is on its product page.

Related resources

• Figurative language bundle, grades 3 to 8
• Figurative language packet for middle school, grades 6 to 8
• Simile and metaphor pack, grades 5 to 8
• Alliteration and onomatopoeia pack, grades 3 to 5
• Complete grammar bundle, grades 2 to 8