For kids to get the most out of classroom activities, first you have to explain what similes are and why they're important. Tell the class that a simile is a comparison that uses "like" or "as," and that writers use them to make their writing more vivid. Provide examples, and ask kids to explain what they mean. For example: "He stood as tall as a tree," is another way of saying "He was tall." Challenge children to explain why similes are sometimes better than more direct language for describing things. If they give you answers like "similes create clearer pictures in your mind," your class is on the right track. Play the "Simile Song," posted on the Have Fun Teaching website, to make your lesson memorable.
Have kids read poems and identify the similes they contain. You can read one poem together as a class and pick out the similes, or select a few different poems and divide the students up into teams. Give each group a large piece of chart paper and a marker, and ask them to write out the similes they find. Once everyone's finished, have students present their lists to the class. Challenge students to come up with other similes to express the same concepts. For example, if a poet wrote "Her hair was as dark as the midnight sky," kids might suggest "Her hair was as dark as a crow's feathers."
Once children understand similes, they can attempt writing their own. Get students in the class to pick partners, then have them write poems about their classmates containing similes describing their partners' personalities or appearances. If you want to work together as a class, pick a person who everyone's familiar with, give students time to write a list of metaphors about him, then have each child read out her best idea. Take a photo from a nature magazine and challenge kids in the class to write a descriptive poem about it using similes.
Once children understand simile basics, classroom work can get a little more exciting. Play the simile matching game. Have children write out four different similes on pieces of paper, then ask them to draw pictures of each of their comparisons on separate sheets. Put kids in pairs, then tell them to exchange sheets. Students have to match each others' drawings to their corresponding written similes. Brainstorm creative twists on poetry activities. For example, you could get kids to describe colors using similes, as if they were describing them to a friend who couldn't see: "Green looks like the feel of grass underneath your feet." Alternatively, ask kids to cut out words from magazines to create their poetry. They should also cut out pictures that represent the similes they make.