Figurative Language Teaching Resources
You use figurative language in your classroom every day, but if you are on the hunt for figurative language worksheets, classroom posters activities and more, chances are you are struggling to find good resources for primary-level learners. Our teacher-created resource collection has you covered with teacher 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 Australian curriculum-aligned.
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 admin, you've got a lot of information already packed into your brain. Let the expert English 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?
Figurative language is the usage of words that aren't literally or strictly true in order to convey meaning. Wait, huh? Think of it this way — if your students say that their 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!
Figurative language gives meaning to something by referencing something else — in this case, cake — while literal language is more explicit. If that student were being literal, they could have simply said, 'That homework was so easy!'
Figurative language can make reading comprehension challenging for students, particularly multi-lingual learners. But 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
As you're sitting down to lesson plan and explore this teaching resource collection, we thought looking at the main figurative language examples might help! Here are the types of figurative language 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:
- Similes
- Metaphors
- Personification
- Alliteration
- Onomatopoeia
- Idioms
- Oxymorons
- Hyperbole
- Free Plan
Metaphors Worksheet
Practise identifying and using metaphors with this differentiated metaphors worksheet.
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Figurative Language Poster Pack
Remind your students about the most common types of figurative language with this set of classroom display posters.
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Literary Devices Poster Pack
Explore the various literary devices used by authors with the set of colourful classroom posters.
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Exploring Poetry Worksheet - Onomatopoeia
A worksheet to help students understand onomatopoeia in poetry.
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Types of Figurative Language - Worksheet
Practise identifying and creating examples of figurative language with this printable worksheet.
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Writing a Simile Poem - Worksheet
Experiment with similes by writing a simile poem about a special person.
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All About Me! - Simile Poem Poster and Template
Get to know your students and explore poetry at the same time with this simile poem scaffolding template.
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Identifying Descriptive and Figurative Language Worksheets
Help your students identify descriptive and figurative language in narrative texts with this set of colour-coding worksheets.
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Figurative Language PowerPoint
Explore figurative language with your students using this comprehensive teaching presentation.
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Similes Matching Game
Use this similes game to introduce your students to some of the most common similes used in the English language.
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Interesting Idioms Worksheet
A worksheet using common idioms.
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Figurative Language Sorting Activity
Explore figurative language in context with this set of 28 sorting cards.
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Similes Poster (Early Years)
Show your students an example of a simile using this colourful classroom display poster.
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A Fistful of Flavours Alliteration Activity
Make alliteration fun with a printable worksheet that challenges students to create flavours of ice cream.
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Figurative Language Telephone Game
Play this figurative language game with a group to practise recognising and inventing metaphors, similes and personification.
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Simile and Metaphor Self-Portrait Worksheet
Teach students about similes and metaphors by asking them to describe... themselves!
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Exploring Poetry Worksheet - Word Play
A worksheet to help students understand word play in poetry.
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Onomatopoeia Examples - Word Wall Display
Display a fun onomatopoeia word wall in your classroom with printable cards containing 45 onomatopoeia examples.
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Interpreting Figurative Language - Worksheets
Explore figurative language in poetry with this age-appropriate poem and accompanying vocabulary questions.
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Exploring Poetry Worksheet - Alliteration
A worksheet to help students understand alliteration in poetry.
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Grandparents' Day Activity - Simile Spinner Craft
Show Grandma and Grandpa how awesome they are with a Grandparents’ Day Craft filled with super similes!
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Figurative Language - SCOOT! Task Cards
Explore figurative language in multiple ways with the set of 24 task cards.
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Onomatopeia Writing Prompt – Template
A writing template for students to use when learning about onomatopoeia.
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Individual Idiom Posters
A set of posters showing idioms and their meaning.
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Idioms Poster
A poster giving the definition for and examples of idioms.
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Figurative Language Posters – Onomatopoeia
Help young readers and writers recognise onomatopoeias with a set of onomatopoeia classroom posters.
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Interpret Figurative Language Poster
Provide students with a visual reminder of the types of figurative language with this classroom display poster.
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Elements of Poetry Worksheet - Figurative Language
A worksheet to help students understand figurative language in poetry.
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Figurative Language Task Cards
A set of 12 task cards to practice working with figurative language.
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Alliteration Poster
A poster providing a definition and examples of alliteration.
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Elements of Poetry Worksheet - Idioms
A worksheet to help students understand idioms in poetry.
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Onomatopoeia Man Poster
A poster providing a definition and examples of onomatopoeia.