Similes contain the words “like” or “as” in them. “He’s as clever as a fox.” “He eats like a horse.” The comparison is clearly explained. A metaphor uses the word “is,” or no word at all to indicate the comparison. “This room is a pigsty.” The comparison here is not explained, but left for the reader to figure out. A simile would have said, “this room is as messy as a pigsty,” or “this room is like a pigsty.” A metaphor just says, “This room is a pigsty,” or “Go clean up your pigsty.”
Have your children write a description of something, like the school, using metaphors. For instance, a long, echoing hallway where students crowd up and down could translate into, “School is a cave where ants swarm.” They will get a kick out of thinking of funny comparisons. This will help them to understand the concept of metaphors even while they are forced to consider descriptions and compare qualities. This encourages analytical as well as creative thinking.
Repeat the previous exercise, but with similes. Assign a different subject to describe, such as a favorite meal, making it a rule that they have to create a simile for every food mentioned. They could eat a hamburger as juicy as an apple, with cheese like gold and lettuce like grass and ketchup red as blood. It is okay that the similes are silly—the point is to get them thinking about the world in a different way and to imprint the concept of a simile on their minds.
Write a book as a class about an experience like a walk through a park, or a topic like the ocean. Use picture books to give them something to describe and encourage the children to come up with simile and metaphors to describe the things in the pictures. Write their comments on the board. Finish by asking the children to draw pictures of the things they have said and put it all together in a book.