Snow is something that all children are familiar with and snow can serve as a way to teach about similes. Ask the children to guess what completes the sentence “as white as….," thus introducing the simile “white as snow.” Then ask them to draw a snow picture, using a snowball for example, and write the simile on top of the picture.
Onomatopoeia is a form of language in which the sound of something leads to the formation of a word. For example, the cow’s “moo” is an onomatopoeic word. Writers also use onomatopoeia as a form of figurative language. An exercise based on onomatopoeia involves reading out different sounds to the children. They can try to identify which object or creature makes the sound. For example, if you say “meow," the children should be able to identify a cat or kitten as the source of that sound.
Engage the children in a game of “Old McDonald had a farm.” This activity introduces a variety of animals and their noises. Ask the children to identify which sounds are onomatopoeic. For example, the cow’s “moo” and the pig’s “oink” are representative of the sounds these animals make. These onomatopoeic sounds are easy for children to understand.
The fall season presents some opportunities to introduce similes. For example, the simile “orange as a pumpkin” can introduce younger children to the concept of similes. You can ask the children to draw a pumpkin and paint it orange to drive home the point.