Valentines Day Language Learning Idioms, Metaphors, and Similes

Since the language of Valentines Day cards is so flowery and romantic, it provides the perfect opportunity to help your child learn about some of the different ways people make  language more interesting. In particular, you can use Valentines Day writing to teach your child about idioms, metaphors, and similes. Figurative Language One way to help your child understand what you mean when you talk about figurative language is to have him look at some of his Valentines Day cards. Any card that uses words to compare something to something else (your smile is like...) is using figurative language. There are three types of figurative language your child is most likely to see on Valentines Day: Simile: A simile uses language to compare two things that are not alike, applying the words like or as to compare them. A good Valentines Day example of a simile is the line O, my Luves like a red, red rose, an excerpt from Robert Burns poem A Red Red Rose.Metaphor: A metaphor is similar to a simile in that it compares two things that are not alike, but it doesnt use like or as to do so. Instead, a metaphor says that the first thing is the other, but figuratively. For example, Samuel Taylor Coleridges classic lines: Love is flower-like, Friendship is a sheltering tree do not directly compare love and friendship to plants; they say that aspects of love and friendship are similar to aspects of trees in that, for example, they both provide a type of shelter.Idiom: An idiom is a phrase or expression in which the figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning of the words. For example, having a heart of gold doesnt mean someone has a gold heart but that a person is very generous and caring. It takes the form of a metaphor but has been used often enough to become an accepted unit of a language. Practicing Similes and Metaphors There are a few ways you can practice using figurative language with your child on Valentines Day. One way is to ask her to create a list of similes and metaphors using the word love. They dont have to be poetic and can be silly if she wants, but make sure she identifies which ones are similes and which are metaphors. If shes having trouble, provide her with your own phrases and ask her to identify whether they are metaphors or similes. Deciphering Idioms Another way to practice figurative language with your child is to provide him with some Valentine or love-related idioms to try to decipher. Ask him what he thinks the phrases mean literally and then what idea they are trying to express, which might differ from the literal meaning. Here are some heart and love idioms to get you started: Have a change of heartFrom the bottom of my heartA soft spot in my heart for youHaving a heart-to-heart talkMy heart skipped a beatHome is where the heart isLove at first sightA labor of loveNo love lostPuppy loveHead over heels in love