They are phrases that don’t mean what they say, and they add a little flavor to our everyday conversations.
In this article, we’re going to explore 27 idioms that are perfect for children. We’ll break down what each one means and show you how to use them in a sentence.
So, if you’re ready to unlock the world of idioms, let’s dive in!
What is an idiom for children?
Before we jump into the list of idioms, let’s make sure we understand what an idiom is.
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning isn’t clear from the individual words themselves.
Instead, their meaning is something different and often unique. Idioms are like little secrets in the English language!
Now, let’s take a look at some idioms and their meanings:
| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Piece of cake | Something very easy to do. | “Taking care of my little sister is a piece of cake for me.” |
| Break a leg | A way to wish someone good luck. | “Before the big soccer game, his coach told him, ‘Break a leg!’” |
| Kick the bucket | To pass away or die. | “My old toy finally kicked the bucket, so I got a new one.” |
| Bite the bullet | To face a difficult situation with courage. | “Even though she was scared, she decided to bite the bullet and give her speech.” |
| Cat got your tongue? | Asking someone why they’re not speaking. | “You’ve been quiet all day; cat got your tongue?” |
| Hit the hay | To go to bed or sleep. | “It’s getting late; I think it’s time to hit the hay.” |
| Raining cats and dogs | A very heavy rainstorm. | “We can’t go to the park today; it’s raining cats and dogs.” |
| Don’t cry over spilled milk | Don’t get upset about things that have already happened. | “I accidentally dropped my ice cream, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk.” |
| Under the weather | Feeling slightly sick or not well. | “I won’t be at school today; I’m feeling a bit under the weather.” |
| Jump on the bandwagon | To join a popular trend or activity. | “Everyone is playing that new game; I want to jump on the bandwagon too.” |
| Out of the blue | Something that happens unexpectedly. | “He called me out of the blue to invite me to his birthday party.” |
| Barking up the wrong tree | To be pursuing the wrong course of action or looking in the wrong place. | “If you think I took your candy, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” |
| Don’t count your chickens before they hatch | Don’t make plans based on something that might not happen. | “I know you’re excited about the game, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” |
| Actions speak louder than words | What you do is more important than what you say. | “Instead of promising to help, show that you care—actions speak louder than words.” |
| Don’t put all your eggs in one basket | Don’t risk everything on a single plan or idea. | “I’m saving money for college, but I’m also investing in stocks because I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.” |
| The ball is in your court | It’s your turn to make a decision or take action. | “I’ve given you all the information you need; now the ball is in your court.” |
| Two heads are better than one | It’s better to have help or input from someone else when making decisions. | “Let’s work on this project together; two heads are better than one.” |
| When pigs fly | Something that is highly unlikely to ever happen. | “I’ll clean my room when pigs fly.” |
| A penny for your thoughts | Asking someone to share their thoughts or what they are thinking. | “You look lost in thought; a penny for your thoughts?” |
| A piece of the pie | A share in something, especially a profit or success. | “After all the hard work, I finally got my piece of the pie.” |
| Let the cat out of the bag | To reveal a secret. | “I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.” |
| Hitting the nail on the head | To describe something accurately or make a good point. | “Her explanation about the science project really hit the nail on the head.” |
| Curiosity killed the cat | Being too curious or nosy can get you into trouble. | “Don’t snoop around in your sister’s room; remember, curiosity killed the cat.” |
| All ears | Giving someone your full attention and listening carefully. | “I’m all ears; tell me what happened at school today.” |
| The early bird catches the worm | Being early or starting something early can lead to success. | “I woke up early to study for the test because the early bird catches the worm.” |
| Back to the drawing board | Going back to the beginning because a plan or idea didn’t work. | “Our project failed, so it’s back to the drawing board for us.” |
| It’s a piece of the puzzle | A small part of a larger problem or situation. | “Understanding math can be challenging, but each lesson is a piece of the puzzle.” |
Children are like seeds, full of potential and ready to bloom into beautiful flowers with the right care and nurturing. If you want more comparisons to describe children, you can check this link: Similes for children. And for a variety of metaphors related to children, you can explore this link: Metaphors for children.
Idioms for Children
1. Piece of cake
Meaning: Something that is very easy to do.
In a Sentence: “Taking care of my little sister is a piece of cake for me.”
2. Break a leg
Meaning: A way to wish someone good luck.
In a Sentence: “Before the big soccer game, his coach told him, ‘Break a leg!’”
3. Kick the bucket
Meaning: To pass away or die.
In a Sentence: “My old toy finally kicked the bucket, so I got a new one.”
4. Bite the bullet
Meaning: To face a difficult situation with courage.
In a Sentence: “Even though she was scared, she decided to bite the bullet and give her speech.”
5. Cat got your tongue?
Meaning: Asking someone why they’re not speaking.
In a Sentence: “You’ve been quiet all day; cat got your tongue?”
6. Hit the hay
Meaning: To go to bed or sleep.
In a Sentence: “It’s getting late; I think it’s time to hit the hay.”
7. Raining cats and dogs
Meaning: A very heavy rainstorm.
In a Sentence: “We can’t go to the park today; it’s raining cats and dogs.”
8. Don’t cry over spilled milk
Meaning: Don’t get upset about things that have already happened and can’t be changed.
In a Sentence: “I accidentally dropped my ice cream, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”
9. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling slightly sick or not well.
In a Sentence: “I won’t be at school today; I’m feeling a bit under the weather.”
10. Jump on the bandwagon
Meaning: To join a popular trend or activity.
In a Sentence: “Everyone is playing that new game; I want to jump on the bandwagon too.”
11. Out of the blue
Meaning: Something that happens unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: “He called me out of the blue to invite me to his birthday party.”
12. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: To be pursuing the wrong course of action or looking in the wrong place.
In a Sentence: “If you think I took your candy, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
13. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Meaning: Don’t make plans based on something that might not happen.
In a Sentence: “I know you’re excited about the game, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
14. Actions speak louder than words
Meaning: What you do is more important than what you say.
In a Sentence: “Instead of promising to help, show that you care—actions speak louder than words.”
15. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Meaning: Don’t risk everything on a single plan or idea.
In a Sentence: “I’m saving money for college, but I’m also investing in stocks because I don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.”
16. The ball is in your court
Meaning: It’s your turn to make a decision or take action.
In a Sentence: “I’ve given you all the information you need; now the ball is in your court.”
17. Two heads are better than one
Meaning: It’s better to have help or input from someone else when making decisions.
In a Sentence: “Let’s work on this project together; two heads are better than one.”
18. When pigs fly
Meaning: Something that is highly unlikely to ever happen.
In a Sentence: “I’ll clean my room when pigs fly.”
19. A penny for your thoughts
Meaning: Asking someone to share their thoughts or what they are thinking.
In a Sentence: “You look lost in thought; a penny for your thoughts?”
20. A piece of the pie
Meaning: A share in something, especially a profit or success.
In a Sentence: “After all the hard work, I finally got my piece of the pie.”
21. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret.
In a Sentence: “I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.”
22. Hitting the nail on the head
Meaning: To describe something accurately or make a good point.
In a Sentence: “Her explanation about the science project really hit the nail on the head.”
23. Curiosity killed the cat
Meaning: Being too curious or nosy can get you into trouble.
In a Sentence: “Don’t snoop around in your sister’s room; remember, curiosity killed the cat.”
24. All ears
Meaning: Giving someone your full attention and listening carefully.
In a Sentence: “I’m all ears; tell me what happened at school today.”
25. The early bird catches the worm
Meaning: Being early or starting something early can lead to success.
In a Sentence: “I woke up early to study for the test because the early bird catches the worm.”
26. Back to the drawing board
Meaning: Going back to the beginning because a plan or idea didn’t work.
In a Sentence: “Our project failed, so it’s back to the drawing board for us.”
27. It’s a piece of the puzzle
Meaning: A small part of a larger problem or situation.
In a Sentence: “Understanding math can be challenging, but each lesson is a piece of the puzzle.”
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Piece of Cake
- What does the idiom “piece of cake” mean?
- a) Something very challenging
- b) Something very easy
- c) Something delicious to eat
- d) Something you don’t want to share
Quiz 2: Break a Leg
- What is the common meaning of the expression “break a leg”?
- a) Get some exercise
- b) Good luck
- c) Don’t fall down
- d) Dance gracefully
Quiz 3: Bite the Bullet
- When someone says, “I had to bite the bullet,” what are they saying?
- a) They bit an actual bullet
- b) They faced a difficult situation with courage
- c) They got a new toothbrush
- d) They didn’t know what to do
Quiz 4: Cat Got Your Tongue?
- What is the meaning of the phrase “cat got your tongue?”
- a) Asking if someone has a cat
- b) Asking why someone is quiet
- c) Asking about someone’s pet
- d) Asking if someone is hungry
Quiz 5: Raining Cats and Dogs
- If someone says, “It’s raining cats and dogs,” what are they describing?
- a) A clear and sunny day
- b) A light rain shower
- c) A heavy rainstorm
- d) A weather forecast
Quiz 6: Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk
- What does the idiom “Don’t cry over spilled milk” mean?
- a) It’s okay to cry when something spills
- b) Don’t worry about accidents
- c) Cry when you’re sad
- d) Cry when you’re happy
Quiz 7: Jump on the Bandwagon
- What does it mean to “jump on the bandwagon”?
- a) Jump on a moving vehicle
- b) Join a popular trend or activity
- c) Avoid the crowd
- d) Stay away from fun activities
Quiz 8: Back to the Drawing Board
- What does the expression “back to the drawing board” mean?
- a) Going back to the art studio
- b) Restarting a plan because it didn’t work
- c) Taking a break from drawing
- d) Drawing on a whiteboard
Quiz 9: Hitting the Nail on the Head
- What does it mean to “hit the nail on the head”?
- a) Hitting a nail with a hammer
- b) Describing something accurately or making a good point
- c) Missing the target
- d) Avoiding a problem
Quiz 10: Two Heads Are Better Than One
- What is the message behind “two heads are better than one”?
- a) It’s better to have no help
- b) It’s better to have two heads
- c) It’s better to work together and get input from others
- d) It’s better to work alone
Conclusion
Idioms can be like a secret code in the English language, but once you know their meanings, they can be a lot of fun to use. So, the next time someone tells you to “break a leg,” you’ll know they’re just wishing you good luck!
