Idioms or phrases that cannot be understood through their literal meaning can be rather confusing for students with language difficulties. Teaching children and students common idioms can help them navigate verbal communication with adults and peers as well as improve their writing skills.
My sons had SUCH a difficult time (and still sometimes do) with idioms. We use so many in conversation but not knowing what others mean can cause social communication trouble.
Idioms About Money There are so many idioms that refer to money. Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth may sound like a painful way to enter this earth. In fact, it means that an individual is born into a rich family. Perhaps, a child hears that one of their parents is the one who brings home the bacon. This is the person that is the breadwinner (or one who makes the primary income) in the family. Breadwinner is, in fact, another idiom. Teach your kids not to have sticky fingers or steal or shoplift even if money is tight. These idioms about money can help English language learners or students with disabilities in language understand verbal and written communication.
Idioms About Time When you’re teaching your children about idioms, time can fly! There’s not a wristwatch flying across the room, but time flying simply means it’s going fast. People often use the expression time flies when you’re having fun. Don’t let your ship sail when it comes to teaching your kids about language. This means that an opportunity is missed. Don’t worry! You’ll have plenty of time to focus on these and other idioms. If something happens once in a blue moon, that means it does not occur very often. A blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. Each century has about 41 months that have two full moons, so they really do happen “once in a blue moon”.
Check out our Idiom Flashcards!
A fun way to practice idioms with your student. Colorful and practical. The cards can be printed, cut, and laminated for use in your clinic, classroom, or home.
Idioms About Food Although not all of the idioms are about eating, they all involve food. After helping your children learn about idioms, they’ll eventually be a piece of cake or easy as pie to understand. Both of these phrases mean that they are simple! Someone can be as cool as a cucumber when they rarely get upset or riled up or they might be rotten to the core which means they have very bad character. There are thousands of idioms in the English language which makes it difficult for learners to understand. Introducing some of these common idioms to use in writing will help your students with verbal and written communication throughout their studies.
Interested in more helpful activities to use in your school and home? Read my earlier post here with a book report and school tips for kids with learning disorders.
