Teaching Expertise

Similes are a hallmark of figurative language and students need to be able to identify and understand them at different levels during their academic careers. Teachers can use the fun simile activities below to create a unit to effectively teach the content. Create sample similes to help students get started and learn different aspects of language to create unique similes for each activity. The best part? Out figurative language resources can be adapted for all grades and abilities!  

1. Mentor Texts

Mentor texts model literary devices like similes to help students understand how to make figurative comparisons. The figurative language in books like Quick as a Cricket is easy to find and provides many examples of similes for students to find. 

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2. Color By Number

This coloring activity helps students build their understanding of similes. The students have to determine which sentences include a simile and then color in the corresponding color. Kids will learn how to tell the difference between similes and basic adjectives. 

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3. Finish The Simile

Teachers will give students incomplete sentences and the students have to fill in the words to create a meaningful simile. This game is perfect for honing students’ figurative language skills. 

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4. Sort It Out

For this activity, students will sort similes from metaphors. This is a great activity for students to learn the differences between figurative language types, while also practicing language fundamentals. 

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5. Describe Me

This activity is a great icebreaker. Students create a simile to describe themselves and then introduce themselves to the class using their simile. Students will be exposed to great examples of similes as each student presents the figurative comparison that they came up with. 

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6. Simile Monsters

Students will use their creative side to make up a monster. Then, students describe their monster using similes and their five senses. Kids will love inventing a monster and sharing its similes with the class! 

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7. Turkey Headbands

Turkey headbands are a fun way to practice writing similes in the Fall or around Thanksgiving. Students will make their headbands and describe the turkey using a simile. Then, they can wear their headbands and see what their peers came up with for their turkey simile. 

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8. Simile Face Off

This group activity encourages students to come up with similes FAST! They will sit in an inner and an outer circle. The students have to make up similes about each other. If they can’t think of one or if they use one that’s already been said, they’re out!

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9. Simile Poem

Students will write a simile poem by starting the poem with a big simile. Then, they can describe the big simile with other similes to describe that object. 

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10. Simile Mobile

This craft is a fun simile activity where students choose an animal and make a mobile using similes to describe their animal. This is the perfect craft to decorate the classroom and show off the kids’ learning. 

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