September is a month of heading-back-to-school excitement.

There are backpacks to stuff with school supplies.  Lunch boxes to fill.  There’s new clothing to purchase to accommodate the summer growth of legs, arms, feet and the like.

And there are heads to fill with all kinds of interesting, intriguing and fun information.

Here on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids, your kids will be “dressed” with IDIOMS during the month of September.

IDIOMS are phrases that reveal “secrets” from the past. IDIOMS come from many sources, many languages, many authors, many cultures.  The “hidden” meanings in IDIOMS are great fun for kids, but also teach important, interesting and intriguing lessons in how language has developed and evolved over time.

Each SEPTEMBER IDIOM on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids will  address something to do with clothing… as a back-to-school fresh start with an ACE UP YOUR KID’S SLEEVE!

– The idiom ace up your sleeve refers to a special advantage, secret plan or knowledge that sometimes no-one else knows about.

– Origin of ace up your sleeve idiom:  In card games, the ace is often the highest, the most valuable or perfect card.  Wild West card players who roamed from town-to-town looking for a way to win card games and earn money sometimes kept winning cards, such as the ace, kept in hidden pockets or up their sleeves to pull out when no-one was looking. This advantage, secret plan or trick often won the card game.

The idiom ace up your sleeve can be used in a very positive way today.  For example, if your children study really, really hard for a test or quiz…  they have a wonderful special advantage, or an ace up their sleeve.

Yes, dress your kids for back-to-school with aces up their sleeves!

Take a few minutes each day in SEPTEMBER to teach the secrets of IDIOMS to your kids & grandkids.  Understanding IDIOMS is a wonderful way to enrich reading and language development.

And I’m not just talking through my hat!