Fun Ways to Teach Figurative Language in Middle School

Figurative language can be one of the most fun ELA skills to teach—until students start calling every sentence a metaphor.

Middle school students often understand figurative language when they hear it in songs, movies, jokes, and everyday conversations, but they may struggle to identify it in text or explain how it affects meaning. The key is to make figurative language feel less like a worksheet skill and more like something students already use and notice all around them.

Here are some fun, engaging ways to teach figurative language in middle school.

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Why Figurative Language Matters

Figurative language helps writers create meaning beyond the literal words on the page. It can help students understand mood, tone, character, theme, and imagery.

When students learn to recognize and analyze figurative language, they become stronger readers and more creative writers. They begin to notice how authors use language intentionally instead of just “decorating” their writing.

Common types of figurative language middle school students should know include:

• Simile
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Hyperbole
• Idiom
• Alliteration
• Onomatopoeia
• Imagery

Once students understand the basics, the real learning happens when they can explain why an author used a specific phrase and how it affects the reader.

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1. Start with Music Lyrics

Music is one of the easiest ways to hook middle school students. Most songs are packed with similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification.

You can play short, school-appropriate song clips or display selected lyrics and have students hunt for examples of figurative language. After identifying the examples, ask students to explain what the lines mean literally and figuratively.

For example, students can answer:

• What type of figurative language is being used?
• What does the phrase really mean?
• Why might the songwriter have used that phrase?
• How does it affect the mood or message of the song?

This works especially well as a warm-up, station activity, or quick Friday lesson.

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2. Create a Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt

Students love movement, and a scavenger hunt is a simple way to get them out of their seats.

Post examples of figurative language around the room. Students can walk around with a recording sheet and identify each example. To make it more challenging, include some literal sentences too, so students have to decide whether figurative language is actually being used.

You can also turn this into a text-based scavenger hunt. Give students a poem, short story excerpt, or article and have them search for figurative language in the passage.

For each example, students should record:

Example from the Text	Type of Figurative Language	Meaning	Effect on the Reader

This pushes students beyond simply labeling the device.

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3. Use Picture Prompts

Visuals are a great way to help students create their own figurative language.

Show students an interesting picture, such as a stormy sky, a crowded hallway, a lonely bench, or a dog waiting by the door. Then ask them to write different types of figurative language based on the image.

For example, if the picture shows a thunderstorm, students might write:

• Simile: The clouds rolled in like a gray blanket.
• Metaphor: The sky was an angry ocean.
• Personification: The wind screamed through the trees.
• Onomatopoeia: Boom! Thunder shook the windows.

This activity works well because students have a concrete image to inspire their writing.

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4. Play “Figurative Language or Literal Language?”

Middle school students often need practice telling the difference between literal and figurative meanings.

Create a set of sentence cards. Some should use figurative language, while others should be completely literal. Students can sort the cards into two groups: literal and figurative.

Then, for the figurative examples, students identify the type and explain the meaning.

Example sentences:

• The classroom was a zoo.
• The pencil rolled off the desk.
• My backpack weighs a ton.
• The leaves danced in the wind.
• She ran quickly down the hall.

This activity is simple, but it clears up a lot of confusion.

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5. Have Students Make Figurative Language Posters

Posters are a great way for students to show understanding creatively.

Assign each student or group a type of figurative language. Their poster should include:

• Definition
• Example
• Illustration
• Explanation of meaning
• Original sentence

You can display the posters as classroom reference charts. This gives students ownership of the content and creates a helpful visual reminder for future lessons.

To make it more rigorous, require students to include one example from a text you are currently reading.

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6. Try Figurative Language Task Cards

Task cards are perfect for review, stations, small groups, or early finishers.

Each card can include a sentence, short passage, or excerpt. Students identify the figurative language and explain its meaning.

For middle school, avoid making task cards too easy. Instead of asking only, “What type of figurative language is this?” include questions like:

• What does this phrase suggest?
• How does this description affect the mood?
• What image does this language create?
• Why is this comparison effective?
• How would the meaning change if the author used literal language?

These questions help students practice analysis, not just identification.

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7. Use Short Poems

Poetry is one of the best places to teach figurative language because poets use language so intentionally.

Choose short poems that include clear examples of simile, metaphor, personification, or imagery. Read the poem together first for general meaning. Then go back and focus on the figurative language.

Students can annotate the poem by underlining figurative language and writing notes in the margins.

Helpful questions include:

• What is being compared?
• What feeling does this phrase create?
• How does this line help develop the poem’s meaning?
• What does the figurative language reveal about the speaker?

This helps students connect figurative language to theme and meaning.

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8. Create a Figurative Language Gallery Walk

A gallery walk is another great way to add movement and discussion.

Place large chart paper around the room with different types of figurative language written at the top. Students rotate around the room and add original examples to each chart.

For example:

• Simile
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Hyperbole
• Idiom
• Onomatopoeia

After the rotations, read some examples aloud and let students discuss which ones are strongest and why.

You can also have students revise weak examples to make them more creative or precise.

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9. Turn It Into a Game

Middle school students love competition, so figurative language games can be a great review tool.

Try games like:

• Figurative language bingo
• Matching games
• Quiz-style team challenges
• Charades with idioms
• Pictionary with figurative phrases
• “Trashketball” review questions

For a quick game, divide students into teams. Read a sentence aloud and have teams identify the type of figurative language. For an extra point, they must explain the meaning.

This keeps the focus on understanding rather than guessing.

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10. Let Students Write Their Own Figurative Language Stories

Once students can identify figurative language, let them use it in their own writing.

Give students a short writing prompt and require them to include a certain number of figurative language examples.

Prompt ideas:

• Describe the first day at a new school.
• Write about walking into a haunted house.
• Describe a championship game.
• Write about a character who is extremely nervous.
• Describe a place during a storm.

After writing, students can highlight and label their figurative language. Then they can choose one example and explain how it improves their writing.

This helps students see figurative language as a writing tool, not just a reading skill.

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11. Use Mentor Sentences

Mentor sentences help students study how real writers use figurative language.

Choose a sentence from a novel, short story, poem, or article. Display it for students and ask them to notice what the author is doing.

Students can discuss:

• What type of figurative language is used?
• What image does it create?
• What words make it effective?
• How could we imitate this structure in our own writing?

Then students write their own sentence using the same pattern.

This is a great way to connect reading and writing.

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12. Connect Figurative Language to Mood and Tone

One mistake students often make is identifying figurative language without explaining its purpose.

To push their thinking, ask students how figurative language affects the mood or tone of a passage.

For example, compare these two sentences:

Literal: The hallway was crowded.
Figurative: The hallway was a river of students rushing toward the cafeteria.

Both sentences communicate the same basic idea, but the figurative sentence creates a stronger image and a more chaotic mood.

Students need to understand that figurative language does something. It creates a feeling, image, or effect.

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13. Use Commercials and Advertisements

Advertisements often use figurative language to make products sound exciting, powerful, or memorable.

Show students school-appropriate ads or slogans and have them identify the language techniques being used.

Examples might include exaggeration, comparison, or personification. Students can then create their own advertisement using at least three types of figurative language.

This activity works well because it connects ELA skills to real-world media.

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14. Create a Figurative Language Flipbook

A flipbook is a great resource students can refer back to throughout the year.

Each flap can focus on one type of figurative language. Students include the definition, an example, an illustration, and a sentence of their own.

Suggested sections:

• Simile
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Hyperbole
• Idiom
• Onomatopoeia
• Alliteration
• Imagery

This can be used as an interactive notebook activity or a study tool before a quiz.

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15. End with a Figurative Language Challenge

After students have practiced, give them a creative challenge.

For example, ask students to write a paragraph that includes:

• One simile
• One metaphor
• One example of personification
• One example of hyperbole
• One sensory image

Then have students trade papers with a partner. The partner identifies and labels each example.

This is a quick way to assess whether students can both create and recognize figurative language.

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Tips for Teaching Figurative Language Successfully

When teaching figurative language, keep the focus on meaning. Students may be able to memorize definitions quickly, but the deeper skill is explaining why the language matters.

A few helpful tips:

• Teach only a few types at a time.
• Use examples from music, books, movies, and everyday speech.
• Have students explain the literal and figurative meaning.
• Ask how the language affects mood, tone, or imagery.
• Give students many chances to write their own examples.
• Review throughout the year instead of teaching it once and moving on.

Figurative language is not just a poetry skill. Students will see it in fiction, nonfiction, speeches, songs, and media. The more they practice noticing it, the more confident they become as readers and writers.

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Final Thoughts

Teaching figurative language in middle school does not have to be boring. With music, games, picture prompts, gallery walks, and creative writing, students can practice the skill in ways that feel engaging and meaningful.

The goal is not just for students to say, “That’s a simile.” The goal is for them to explain what the comparison means and why the author chose it.

When students can do that, they are moving beyond identification and into real literary analysis.