A simile compares one thing to another using “like” or “as”: as busy as a bee, ran like the wind. Similes paint pictures in the reader’s mind and make writing more vivid.
What your child will learn
- Recognise similes that use “like” or “as”
- Finish common similes
- Understand what well-known similes mean
- Tell a simile apart from other descriptions
Painting with words
“The baby slept” tells us a fact. “The baby slept like a log” helps us picture how deeply. Many similes are well known, like as cool as a cucumber (very calm) — but the best writers also invent new ones.
A simile says something is LIKE something else. A metaphor goes further and says it IS something else: “the moon is a silver balloon”.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Finish the simile: “as brave as a…”
- lion
- jelly
- worm
- mouse
Show answer
Answer: lion. Lions are thought of as brave.
2. True or false? “Her smile was as bright as the sun” is a simile.
Show answer
Answer: True. It compares her smile to the sun using “as”.
3. Finish the simile: “as white as…”
- snow
- night
- coal
- mud
Show answer
Answer: snow. Fresh snow is bright white.
Tips for grown-ups
- Invent silly similes together: as sticky as…, as noisy as…
- Collect similes you find in books on a “wow words” list.