Figurative Language for Kids: A Super Simple Guide to Tricky Literary Devices

Welcome to the world of figurative language for kids (with a smiley twist!)

Figurative language is a fun way to make your writing more exciting, colourful, and creative. Instead of saying exactly what you mean, you get to play with words—comparing, exaggerating, and expressing ideas in ways that make people smile, giggle, or go “ooh, clever!”

In this guide, you’ll meet a cheerful bunch of friendly-faced characters—each one a happy everyday object who lives and breathes figurative language. There’s Lemon, who’s sharp with similes, and Cup of Tea, who’s steeped in metaphors. Sushi rolls out alliteration, Toast brings things to life with personification, and Avocado is full of cracking puns. Ice Lolly rhymes like a pro, Ice Cream makes everything go POP!, and Cupcake is bursting with tasty idioms.

Together, they’ll help you understand and enjoy different types of figurative language, with quirky and funny examples to make learning fun.

So get comfy, open your imagination, and say hello to the happiest language crew you’ve ever met!

Types of Figurative Language in Simple Terms

Meet Lucy Lemon the Simile!

Lucy Lemon is bright, bold, and always full of zingy comparisons. She’s the queen of using “like” and “as” to describe things in fun and surprising ways. A simile doesn’t say something is something else—it says it’s like something else. And Lemon LOVES making those juicy little connections.

If you want to make your writing more exciting, just ask yourself: “What does this remind me of?” Then add a “like” or an “as”—Lemon-style!

Fun Simile Examples:

1. He was as slow as a snail on a sleepy Sunday.
2. Her laugh was like bubbles popping in fizzy lemonade.
3. The playground was as noisy as a parrot party.
4. His hair stuck up like he’d been licked by a cow.
5. She ran as fast as a cat who just spotted a cucumber.
6. My brain felt like scrambled eggs during the math test.
7. The classroom was as hot as a dragon’s armpit.
8. That sandwich smelled like a sock that lost its way.

Looking for more simile ideas? See 101 examples of similes

Meet Tea Tea the Metaphor!

Tea Tea is warm, comforting, and full of imagination. Unlike Lemon, who uses “like” and “as”, Cup of Tea likes to say things are something else—even if they’re not. That’s what makes a metaphor! It’s a way of describing something by pretending it actually is something completely different.

Cup of Tea doesn’t compare—he becomes. So instead of saying someone is like a snail, he says they are a snail. That’s the magic of metaphors!

Simple Metaphor Examples

1. He was a snail on a sleepy Sunday.
2. Her laugh was fizzy lemonade bubbles popping in the air.
3. The playground was a parrot party.
4. His hair was a cow’s lick gone wild.
5. She was a cat sprinting from a cucumber.
6. My brain was scrambled eggs during the math test.
7. The classroom was a dragon’s armpit.
8. The taste of that sandwich was worse than eating a lost sock from the bottom of a PE bag.

Looking for more metaphor ideas? See 101 examples of metaphors

Meet Suki Sushi – The Alliteration Expert!

Suki Sushi loves repeating starting sounds. She’s all about making sentences super snappy, silly, and sometimes a little slippery! Alliteration happens when a group of words all start with the same letter or sound. It’s like a tongue-twisting treat that makes language more fun to read and say out loud.

Suki believes every sentence sounds better with some serious sound repetition—especially if it’s a bit bonkers.

Awesome Alliteration Examples

1. Sam the snail snoozed slowly on a sunny Sunday.
2. Lola’s laugh leapt like lemonade let loose.
3. Parrots partied, perched, and pecked on the playground.
4. Harry’s hair had a hilarious, high-flying hiccup.
5. Caitlin the cat cartwheeled past the cucumber chaos.
6. My brain bubbled, boiled, and became breakfast.
7. The classroom cooked like a crispy, crackling curry.
8. That sandwich stank like sweaty socks stuffed in a sack.

Meet Tommy the Talking Toast – The Personification Pal

Tommy the Talking Toast is warm, friendly, and just a little dramatic. He loves giving life to things that don’t normally talk, think, or feel. That’s called personification—when you make objects or ideas act like people.

According to Tommy, anything can have feelings. A sandwich can sulk. A pencil can dance. Even your homework can groan! With personification, the world becomes a stage full of characters just waiting to speak up.

Personification Examples with Tommy the Talking Toast

1. The snail sighed and snoozed through the lazy Sunday.
2. The lemonade giggled as bubbles burst with excitement.
3. The playground shouted and spun with parrot-like chaos.
4. His hair leapt out of bed before he did.
5. The cat’s paws whispered across the floor, dodging the cucumber.
6. My brain scrambled itself and hid under the desk.
7. The classroom moaned under the weight of the heat.
8. The sandwich sulked in my lunchbox, sad to be picked last.

Meet Punocado – The Prince of Puns

Punocado is smooth, green, and absolutely full of wordplay. He’s the kind of avocado who thinks every sentence is better with a joke hidden inside. Puns are his favourite kind of figurative language—they use words that sound the same or have double meanings to make you laugh, groan, or roll your eyes (in the best way).

If there’s a chance to make a joke, Punocado will avo-go for it. Just be warned… his jokes might make you crack up (get it?).

Fun Pun Examples with Punocado

1. He was slow, but he snail-ed it eventually.
2. Her laugh was egg-sactly what we needed at breakfast.
3. That parrot was so loud, he could have joined a squawk-us.
4. His hair was having a bad heir day.
5. The cat ran off—guess it wasn’t feline too friendly.
6. During the test, my brain went on vacation without telling me.
7. It was so hot, I saw my sandwich turn into toast.
8. That sandwich was bready to be thrown out.

Meet Jolly Lolly – The Rhyme-Time Star

Jolly Lolly is cool, colourful, and always ready to rhyme! Whether she’s skipping, spinning, or singing, she loves making words dance together at the ends of sentences. Rhyme is her favourite way to play with language—it makes poems pop, songs sparkle, and stories stick in your head.

If two words sound alike, Jolly Lolly’s already giggling and writing a rhyme about them. She’s the perfect pal for making your writing musical, silly, and super fun.

Rhyme Examples with Jolly Lolly

1. He moved like a snail with a sleepy trail.
2. Her laugh was a giggle, a bounce, and a wiggle.
3. The parrots were loud as they squawked at the crowd.
4. His hair took flight—it gave me a fright!
5. The cat took a leap, not stopping to peep.
6. My brain turned to mush with a whoosh and a rush.
7. The room was so hot, I melted on the spot.
8. That sandwich was smelly—like old socks and jelly.

Meet Crispy Crust – The Onomatopoeia Maestro

Crispy Crust is the noisiest slice in the box. He sizzles, he crunches, he pops—and he brings every sound to life with his words! He’s the master of onomatopoeia (on-uh-mat-oh-PEE-uh), which is when a word sounds like the noise it describes. Think crack, splat, buzz, or whoosh! That’s Crispy’s jam. (Actually, it’s tomato sauce, but you get the idea.)

He believes every story needs sound effects, and he’s here to make your writing go BAM! and BOOM! in the best way.

Fun Onomatopoeia Examples with Crispy Crust

1. He crept through the hall with a slow squish… squelch… plop.
2. Her laugh burst out with a loud HA-HA! that echoed off the walls.
3. Parrots filled the air with squawk! screech! flap!
4. His hair floofed up with a poof! as he got out of bed.
5. The cat dashed past the cucumber with a skitter-skatter! and a meow!
6. My brain went boing! as the teacher asked a question.
7. The classroom hummed with chatter and pencils tap-tap-tapped.
8. The sandwich landed in the bin with a sad, soggy splop.

Looking for more examples of onomatopoeia? See 101 examples of onomatopoeia

Meet Miss Piece of Cake – The Idiom Queen

Miss Piece of Cake is smooth, sweet, and always full of clever sayings. She never says things the ordinary way. Instead, she speaks in idioms—funny little phrases where the meaning isn’t quite what the words say. When Miss Piece of Cake says something is “a piece of cake,” she doesn’t mean it’s dessert… she means it’s easy!

Idioms can be strange, silly, or surprising—but that’s what makes them so much fun!

You can find some more fun idioms here: 10 Idioms About the Human Body

Idiom Examples with Miss Piece of Cake

1. He was moving at a snail’s pace.
2. Her laugh was music to my ears.
3. The playground was a madhouse.
4. His hair had a mind of its own.
5. The cat was out of the bag—and it was not happy!
6. My brain was fried.
7. The classroom was a pressure cooker.
8. That sandwich had seen better days.

Figurative Language Examples for Kids: A Quick and Simple Comparison

Ever wondered how one silly sentence can sound completely different depending on the type of figurative language you use? Below, you’ll find funny, kid-friendly examples that show how the same idea changes when told through similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification, puns, rhymes, onomatopoeia, and idioms.

Each of our smiley-faced characters adds their own special twist—making this the tastiest table of language you’ll ever read!

Simile	Metaphor	Alliteration	Personification	Pun	Rhyme	Onomatopoeia	Idiom
He was as slow as a snail on a sleepy Sunday.	He was a snail on a sleepy Sunday.	Sam the snail snoozed slowly on a sunny Sunday.	The snail sighed and snoozed through the lazy Sunday.	He was slow, but he snail-ed it eventually.	He moved like a snail with a sleepy trail.	He crept through the hall with a slow squish… squelch… plop.	He was moving at a snail’s pace.
Her laugh was a giggle, a bounce, and a wiggle.	Her laugh was fizzy lemonade bubbles popping in the air.	Lola’s laugh leapt like lemonade let loose.	The lemonade giggled as bubbles burst with excitement.	Her laugh was egg-sactly what we needed at breakfast.	Her laugh was a giggle, a bounce, and a wiggle.	Her laugh burst out with a loud HA-HA! that echoed off the walls.	Her laugh was music to my ears.
The playground was as noisy as a parrot party.	The playground was a parrot party.	Parrots partied, perched, and pecked on the playground.	The playground shouted and spun with parrot-like chaos.	That parrot was so loud, he could have joined a squawk-us.	The parrots were loud and squawked in a crowd.	Parrots filled the air with squawk! screech! flap!	The playground was a madhouse.
His hair stuck up like he’d been licked by a cow.	His hair was a cow’s lick gone wild.	Harry’s hair had a hilarious, high-flying hiccup.	His hair leapt out of bed before he did.	His hair was having a bad heir day.	His hair took flight—it gave me a fright!	His hair floofed up with a poof! as he got out of bed.	His hair had a mind of its own.
She ran as fast as a cat who just spotted a cucumber.	She was a cat sprinting from a cucumber.	Caitlin the cat cartwheeled past the cucumber chaos.	The cat’s paws whispered across the floor, dodging the cucumber.	The cat ran off—guess it wasn’t feline too friendly.	The cat took a leap, not making a peep.	The cat dashed past the cucumber with a skitter-skatter! and a meow!	The cat was out of the bag—and it was not happy!
My brain felt like scrambled eggs during the math test.	My brain was scrambled eggs during the math test.	My brain bubbled, boiled, and became breakfast.	My brain scrambled itself and hid under the desk.	During the test, my brain went on vacation without telling me.	My brain turned to mush with a whoosh and a rush.	My brain went boing! as the teacher asked a question.	My brain was fried.
The classroom was as hot as a dragon’s armpit.	The classroom was a dragon’s armpit.	The classroom cooked like a crispy, crackling curry.	The classroom moaned under the weight of the heat.	It was so hot, I saw my sandwich turn into toast.	The room was so hot, I melted on the spot.	The classroom hummed with chatter and pencils tap-tap-tapped.	The classroom was a pressure cooker.
That sandwich smelled like a sock that lost its way.	That sandwich was a lost sock from the bottom of a PE bag.	That sandwich stank like sweaty socks stuffed in a sack.	The sandwich sulked in my lunchbox, begging to be picked last.	That sandwich was bready to be thrown out.	That sandwich was smelly—like old socks and jelly.	The sandwich landed in the bin with a sad, soggy splop.	That sandwich had seen better days.

 

Free Download: Meet the Figurative Language Squad – Poster for Kids!

Want to bring the characters to life in your classroom or home? Download our free printable poster featuring all eight of our figurative language friends—from Lemon the Simile to Miss Piece of Cake the Idiom Queen!

Each character is a smiley and cute with their own special way of playing with words. This colourful poster is perfect for classrooms, writing corners, or anywhere you want to make language learning fun.

👉 Click here to download the poster and let the language fun begin!