Idioms can be so fun and tricky at the same time. When we say about putting a bug into someone’s ear, it’s hard to get correctly what a phrase means. It’s like a puzzle. The thing is, when some words stay together, they can mean something absolutely different. For example, I'll take a rain check on visiting Ann as I have a lot of work to finish. The phrase "Take a rain check" means to postpone some plans, so we cannot interpret this phrase literally.

Here are some tips that will help teach about idioms more efficiently:

1. By providing idioms in the context, children will understand them better. In order not to get all mixed up, select a few phrases for one lesson. 3-5 would be enough for young learners. You can choose some from this list:

to put something on ice - to postpone something;

as busy as a beaver - very busy;

to come rain and shine - to do something regularly, whatever the circumstances are;

to face the music - to meet unpleasant consequences of somebody’s actions;

to hit the books - to study very hard;

to ring a bell - to sound familiar;

as innocent as a lamb - free from evil or quilt;

to break the bank - to cost too expensive;

you can’t have your cake and eat it too - you cannot enjoy two desirable things at the same time;

a cold day in July - something that will never happen;

to be all wet - it is totally wrong;

it’s not rocket science - something is not difficult to do.

The following activity will help kids master these phrases within the context. Explain these idioms and write them down on the board or on pieces of paper. Then read the story and challenge your kids to choose a suitable idiom. For example: “Jack has skipped the piano lesson. Now he needs to talk to his teacher. It’s time to...” Which idiom fits this situation? - To meet the music.

“Do you want to make a sandwich? Choose some peanut butter, jelly, and bread”. Which phrase can be used here? - It’s not rocket science.

After practicing with a few idioms, challenge your students to create their own stories for their classmates. You can use hourglasses to set a time limit for each story.

2. It would be a great idea to match the idioms with appropriate pictures and explain their meaning. You can use our cards or ask kids to draw some pictures and write down the idioms on pieces of paper. Put the cards in the bad and definitions in front of kids. Ask your students to pull out a card and find its meaning. Then you can challenge students to give examples of using these phrases.

Proverbs and adages:

Proverbs and adages are memorable sayings that give some advice. Adages have a longer history compared to proverbs as they get reliability through a long existence. But both of them can give wisdom and practical comments on life and help kids improve their language skills. Here’s a list of common proverbs and adages with their meanings:

A friend in need is a friend indeed - We may have a lot of friends, but a true friend is someone who helps at a difficult time.

Actions speak louder than words - Our actions are more important than words, so we need to support our words with deeds.

All that glitters is not gold - Not everything that looks good is valuable.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - Sometimes, we should not risk something we already have to receive something that we think is better.

The early bird catches the worm. - If people do something before anyone else, they can achieve better results.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Big things start with simple beginnings.

Here are fascinating ways to practice using these sayings.

Volleyball:

Ask kids to divide into several groups. Get ready the list of proverbs for each team. Let kids discuss these phrases, and then give them a ball or a balloon. Students from one group need to throw a ball and say a proverb, for example, “Practice makes perfect”. The children who catch the ball need to explain this saying: it means that we need to repeat something over and over to achieve good results”. Then teams take turns in throwing the ball and answering.

Race lines:

Ask kids to stay in two lines in front of the board. Then whisper a target proverb to the children at the ends of two lines. Students need to whisper it to the next student and so on. The first kids in the line need to write down the phrase on the board. Then children may discuss what this saying means.

We hope these activities will bring some happiness to your studying so that idioms, adages, and proverbs will become a piece of cake for your kids.