Idioms are like colorful sprinkles on the cupcake of language—they make conversations more fun, exciting, and full of personality! These special phrases don’t always mean exactly what the words say, but they paint vivid pictures to express ideas and feelings in a creative way. For kids, learning idioms is a fantastic way to boost their communication skills, understand what others are saying, and add a little sparkle to their everyday chats. These expressions pop up in stories, playground talks, and even classroom lessons, making them super useful and a blast to learn.
Idioms about teamwork, effort, and positivity are especially great for kids because they inspire collaboration, perseverance, and a can-do attitude. These phrases can help young learners navigate challenges, build friendships, and feel more confident in expressing themselves. In this blog post, you’ll discover 45 popular idioms tailored for kids, complete with their meanings, example sentences, and other ways to say them. Plus, there’s a fun exercise at the end to practice these idioms and grow your vocabulary. So, let’s jump into the wonderful world of idioms and start sprinkling some fun into our words!
Idioms for Kids
1. A piece of cake
Meaning: Something that is very easy to do.
In a Sentence: Finishing my math homework was a piece of cake because I practiced all week.
Other Ways to Say: Super simple, Easy peasy
2. Spill the beans
Meaning: To tell a secret or share something you weren’t supposed to.
In a Sentence: My little brother spilled the beans about the surprise birthday party we were planning for Mom.
Other Ways to Say: Let the secret out, Blab
3. Break the ice
Meaning: To make people feel more comfortable by starting a conversation.
In a Sentence: I told a silly joke to break the ice when I met my new classmates on the first day of school.
Other Ways to Say: Warm things up, Get the ball rolling
4. Hit the nail on the head
Meaning: To say or do something exactly right.
In a Sentence: When Sarah guessed that I was hiding in the closet during hide-and-seek, she hit the nail on the head.
Other Ways to Say: Get it spot on, Nailed it
5. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling a bit sick or not at your best.
In a Sentence: I stayed home from school because I was feeling under the weather after catching a cold.
Other Ways to Say: Not feeling great, A bit poorly
6. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To accidentally reveal a secret.
In a Sentence: I let the cat out of the bag when I told my friend about the new toy we were getting.
Other Ways to Say: Spill the beans, Give away the surprise
7. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: Making a mistake about who or what is causing a problem.
In a Sentence: If you think I took your crayons, you’re barking up the wrong tree because I have my own.
Other Ways to Say: Got the wrong idea, Off the mark
8. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: To stay up late working on something important.
In a Sentence: We burned the midnight oil to finish decorating the classroom for the school play.
Other Ways to Say: Work late, Stay up past bedtime
9. Keep your chin up
Meaning: Stay positive and don’t give up, even when things are tough.
In a Sentence: Even though I lost the race, my coach told me to keep my chin up and try again next time.
Other Ways to Say: Stay strong, Keep smiling
10. A blessing in disguise
Meaning: Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good.
In a Sentence: Missing the school bus was a blessing in disguise because I got to walk with my best friend.
Other Ways to Say: A hidden gift, Good in the end
11. Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: To take on a task that’s too big or difficult.
In a Sentence: I bit off more than I could chew when I signed up for soccer, piano, and art class all at once.
Other Ways to Say: Take on too much, Overdo it
12. The ball is in your court
Meaning: It’s your turn to make a decision or take action.
In a Sentence: I passed the ball to you in our group project, so now the ball is in your court to finish your part.
Other Ways to Say: It’s up to you, Your turn
13. Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To tease or joke with someone in a playful way.
In a Sentence: My dad was pulling my leg when he said we were moving to the moon next week.
Other Ways to Say: Kid around, Have a laugh
14. Hit the ground running
Meaning: To start something quickly and with lots of energy.
In a Sentence: Our team hit the ground running when we started building our science fair project.
Other Ways to Say: Jump right in, Get going fast
15. Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: Something that is very expensive.
In a Sentence: That new toy I wanted cost an arm and a leg, so I decided to save my allowance instead.
Other Ways to Say: Really pricey, A fortune
16. Cold feet
Meaning: Feeling nervous or unsure about doing something.
In a Sentence: I got cold feet right before my turn to sing in the school talent show.
Other Ways to Say: Get nervous, Have second thoughts
17. Jump on the bandwagon
Meaning: To join in on something that’s popular.
In a Sentence: Everyone at school jumped on the bandwagon and started wearing those colorful bracelets.
Other Ways to Say: Follow the crowd, Join the trend
18. Make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning: To make a small problem seem much bigger than it is.
In a Sentence: My sister made a mountain out of a molehill when she cried over losing one sock.
Other Ways to Say: Blow it out of proportion, Overreact
19. On cloud nine
Meaning: Feeling extremely happy or excited.
In a Sentence: I was on cloud nine when I found out I won the art contest at school.
Other Ways to Say: Over the moon, Super thrilled
20. Two peas in a pod
Meaning: Two people who are very similar or get along really well.
In a Sentence: My best friend and I are like two peas in a pod because we love the same games.
Other Ways to Say: Like twins, Best buddies
21. Take a rain check
Meaning: To politely say no to an invitation but suggest doing it later.
In a Sentence: I had to take a rain check on going to the park because I had to finish my homework.
Other Ways to Say: Postpone, Do it another time
22. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up on something after trying.
In a Sentence: I didn’t want to throw in the towel, so I kept practicing until I learned to ride my bike.
Other Ways to Say: Quit, Give up
23. Bite the bullet
Meaning: To do something tough or unpleasant because it has to be done.
In a Sentence: I bit the bullet and cleaned my messy room before my mom got upset.
Other Ways to Say: Face it, Get it over with
24. Don’t cry over spilled milk
Meaning: Don’t worry about mistakes that can’t be fixed.
In a Sentence: I dropped my ice cream, but my dad said not to cry over spilled milk and got me another one.
Other Ways to Say: Let it go, Move on
25. Add fuel to the fire
Meaning: To make a bad situation even worse.
In a Sentence: Yelling at my brother only added fuel to the fire during our argument about the game.
Other Ways to Say: Make things worse, Stir up trouble
26. Keep an eye on
Meaning: To watch something or someone carefully.
In a Sentence: My teacher asked me to keep an eye on the class pet while she stepped out.
Other Ways to Say: Watch over, Look after
27. Go the extra mile
Meaning: To do more than what’s expected to make something great.
In a Sentence: I went the extra mile and added glitter to my poster to make it stand out in class.
Other Ways to Say: Do more, Put in extra effort
28. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: To solve two problems with one action.
In a Sentence: I killed two birds with one stone by walking to school and getting exercise at the same time.
Other Ways to Say: Do two things at once, Be super efficient
29. Let sleeping dogs lie
Meaning: To avoid bringing up old problems to keep the peace.
In a Sentence: I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and not remind my friend about the toy he broke.
Other Ways to Say: Leave it alone, Don’t stir trouble
30. Beat around the bush
Meaning: To avoid talking about something directly.
In a Sentence: Stop beating around the bush and tell me if you ate the last cookie!
Other Ways to Say: Avoid the point, Talk in circles
31. Burn bridges
Meaning: To ruin a relationship or opportunity.
In a Sentence: I didn’t want to burn bridges with my teammate, so I apologized for my mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Break ties, Mess things up
32. A penny for your thoughts
Meaning: Asking someone what they’re thinking about.
In a Sentence: You’ve been quiet all day—a penny for your thoughts?
Other Ways to Say: What’s on your mind? Tell me what you’re thinking
33. Cat got your tongue?
Meaning: Asking why someone is being quiet or not speaking.
In a Sentence: Why aren’t you answering? Cat got your tongue?
Other Ways to Say: Why so quiet? Lost for words?
34. Hold your horses
Meaning: To wait or slow down.
In a Sentence: Hold your horses, we’ll open the presents after everyone arrives!
Other Ways to Say: Slow down, Be patient
35. In the same boat
Meaning: To be in the same situation as someone else.
In a Sentence: We’re all in the same boat because none of us studied for the spelling test.
Other Ways to Say: In it together, Same situation
36. Kick the bucket
Meaning: A funny way to say someone or something has stopped working or died.
In a Sentence: My old toy robot finally kicked the bucket after years of playing with it.
Other Ways to Say: Stopped working, Broke down
37. Out of the blue
Meaning: Something that happens suddenly and unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: My cousin called me out of the blue to invite me to her party.
Other Ways to Say: All of a sudden, Unexpectedly
38. Raining cats and dogs
Meaning: Raining very heavily.
In a Sentence: We couldn’t play outside because it was raining cats and dogs all afternoon.
Other Ways to Say: Pouring rain, Heavy downpour
39. Steal someone’s thunder
Meaning: To take attention away from someone else’s moment.
In a Sentence: I didn’t mean to steal her thunder when I showed my drawing right after hers.
Other Ways to Say: Take the spotlight, Hog the attention
40. The early bird catches the worm
Meaning: Being early or first gives you an advantage.
In a Sentence: I got to the park early and got the best swing because the early bird catches the worm.
Other Ways to Say: First come, first served, Be quick to win
41. Through thick and thin
Meaning: Staying loyal or supportive no matter what happens.
In a Sentence: My best friend stuck with me through thick and thin when I was learning to skate.
Other Ways to Say: No matter what, Always there
42. Time flies when you’re having fun
Meaning: Time seems to pass quickly when you’re enjoying yourself.
In a Sentence: The party was so much fun that time flew, and suddenly it was time to go home.
Other Ways to Say: Time zooms by, Hours disappear
43. When pigs fly
Meaning: Something that will never happen.
In a Sentence: I’ll clean my room every day when pigs fly!
Other Ways to Say: Never gonna happen, Over my dead body
44. You can’t judge a book by its cover
Meaning: Don’t judge someone or something based only on how they look.
In a Sentence: My new neighbor seemed shy, but you can’t judge a book by its cover—she’s really funny!
Other Ways to Say: Looks can be deceiving, Don’t judge too soon
45. Zip your lip
Meaning: To be quiet or stop talking.
In a Sentence: The teacher told us to zip our lips during the quiet reading time.
Other Ways to Say: Hush up, Be quiet
Practical Exercise
Fill in the blanks:
- When I got the answer perspective, my art project was a _______ in disguise because I learned so much from it.
- I had to _______ the bullet and apologize to my friend for borrowing their toy without asking.
- My sister and I are like _______ in a pod because we love the same games and snacks.
- I was _______ cloud nine when I got a gold star on my spelling test.
- We _______ the ground running when we started decorating for the school party.
- Don’t _______ the beans about the surprise gift we’re making for Dad!
- I got _______ feet before my first school play because I was nervous about forgetting my lines.
- Helping with chores and finishing my homework let me _______ two birds with one stone.
- My mom told me to _______ my chin up after I didn’t win the race at school.
- Yelling during our game only _______ fuel to the fire and made everyone upset.
- I decided to _______ sleeping dogs lie and not bring up the broken toy incident.
- The new game I wanted _______ an arm and a leg, so I’m saving my allowance.
- My teacher asked me to _______ an eye on the class while she grabbed some supplies.
- It was _______ cats and dogs outside, so we stayed in and played board games.
- I went the _______ mile and added stickers to my project to make it extra special.
Answers:
blessing, bite, two peas, on, hit, spill, cold, kill, keep, added, let, cost, keep, raining, extra
Conclusion
Idioms are like magic words that make talking and writing more lively and fun for kids. They help you express big ideas in a simple, colorful way, whether you’re chatting with friends, telling a story, or sharing your feelings. By learning these 45 idioms, you’re building a toolbox of phrases that will make your conversations sparkle and help you understand the world around you.
Try using these idioms at school, at home, or with your friends to see how they bring your words to life. The more you practice, the more natural they’ll feel, and soon you’ll be tossing them into your sentences like a pro. Language is an adventure, and idioms are the treasure chest waiting to be opened—so keep exploring and have fun with words!