- Definition
Personification is when you give human qualities or actions to something that isn't human, like saying "the wind whispered" or "the flowers danced.
In the sentence 'The tired old car coughed and sputtered,' the car is given the human action of coughing.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Personification is like pretending your teddy bear is sad because it fell off the bed.
Ask your child: If the wind had a voice, what might it be saying today?
Common mix-up: Kids might think personification is just about animals talking. It’s actually about giving any non-human thing—like a car, a tree, or the wind—a human action or feeling.
Examples
- The lonely sock waited in the laundry basket for its mate.
- The last piece of cake was calling my name.
- My alarm clock yells at me every morning.
personification is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
