Letting the Cat out of the Bag about Idioms

If you are looking to “step up” your child’s language game then “hit the ground running” with some useful idioms. Idioms are expressions that have figurative meanings instead of literal ones. They are a fun way to add creativity and flavour to your speaking skills. You may have some difficulties at first but the reward is well worth the effort. So, “dig in your heels” and start practicing these phrases with your kids.

Of course, I’m not asking you to actually do anything with your feet. “Digging in your heels” is a phrase used when preparing for hard work. And hard work it is learning idioms because the actual meaning might be “a far cry from” the literal meaning. That is to say, if you thought the phrase meant exactly what it said, you would be “way off the mark”. You must understand the context of the sentence in order to understand the meaning of the sentence. Once students have learned a few examples they often are able and excited to learn more.

I’ve never been one to “beat around the bush” so I’ll explain the main reasons to study idioms. These expressions allow you to speak naturally and use creativity instead of memorizing dialogs from English text books. Furthermore, studying idioms will not “cost you an arm and a leg” as many can be found on the internet. Practice by reading examples in context and having your student guess the actual meaning. Lastly, studying idioms will allow your student to “reach for the stars” and give them the confidence they need to succeed.

“The sky’s the limit” when it comes to using idioms because there are endless possibilities. Start off by learning some of the most common sayings and expand from there. You may also find it fun to incorporate idioms in your everyday speaking. So, get “on the ball” and start learning some of these useful expressions with your child. With a little practice, they’ll become a “piece of cake”!