The Ultimate Guide to Shakespeare for Your Morning Basket

Are you hesitant to include Shakespeare in your Morning Basket?

Maybe you don’t feel equipped with the necessary educational background. 

Perhaps your own memories of Shakespeare in high school English class are boring enough to send you running for the hills.

Or maybe you just have no idea where to begin.

Let me put your fears to rest and assure you that you are capable of enjoying and exploring Shakespeare with your children.

Include Shakespeare in Your Homeschool Morning Basket

You can confidently include Shakespeare in your Morning Basket with this round up of resources and ideas from homeschooling moms.

1. Reading Shakespeare Plays with my Kids by Mary Hanna Wilson

“The words and the language of Shakespeare’s plays can be intimidating for kids, and let’s face it, most adults as well.

Do not let that stop you from tackling this subject with your younger students. They can learn to appreciate, enjoy, and perhaps even fall in love with the world of Shakespeare.

And you can right along with them!”

2. Enjoying Shakespeare Together:A Conversation with Mystie Winckler and Pam on the Your Morning Basket Podcast

You don’t have to study Shakespeare…you can simply experience, alongside your kids, Shakespeare for what he is: a master storyteller.

Join Pam and Mystie Winckler for a podcast about a practical, non-intimidating approach to the Bard for your Morning Time.

3. Exploring Shakespeare with Children: How to Play with the Bard in Your Homeschool by Amy from Humility and Doxology

“Experiencing the wit and beauty of Shakespeare (whether in reading, reciting, or memorizing) is one of my favorite things to do with my children.  I hope this post encourages you to incorporate some Shakespearean delight in your own home!”

4. Shakespeare for Kids: 5 Easy Steps to Teach Any Shakespeare Play by Mystie at Simply Convivial

“I believe that Shakespeare, the greatest artist whose medium was the English language, can and should be introduced to children. The deep discussions about betrayal, cowardice, truth, love, and piety can wait for high school, but the enjoyment of the plots, the characters, and the language doesn’t have to wait. Introducing children to the world of the plays will help them feel more at home and navigate those deeper waters later in a more knowledgeable and understanding way, because they’ll already know the lay of the land.”

You can access

Mystie’s library of Shakespeare printables
too!

5. Shakespeare in Spring: The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Shakespeare in Elementary and Middle School by Dachelle from Hide the Chocolate

“Are you a Fen-sucked Dull-Eyed Canker-blossom? Do you know how many sonnets the Bard wrote, or which phrases we use that he coined? Have you any idea what an oxlip looks like? If you’re curious about answering any of these questions, then this Ultimate Guide to Teaching Shakespeare might be for you!”

6. Start Your Day with Shakespeare by Felicia from The Zooicallhome

“There is no reason to dumb down our children’s education. Just because the words may be difficult, doesn’t mean to omit them. Homeschooling is an opportunity to challenge our kids to stretch their minds and see beyond themselves. Plus, if they can grasp Shakespeare, anything else should come easily.”

7. Shakespeare Morning Basket for elementary school by Jessica Waldock on Instagram.

8. Shakespeare for Kids: The Best Books to Introduce Your Kids to the Bard by Mary from Mary Hanna Wilson

“I typically end our school year by spending time with William Shakespeare. Not literally. Obviously. Because he died in 1616. But I introduce my kids to his life, his plays, and his words using picture books and easy chapter books.

We also read one of his plays. We keep our time with Shakespeare very light-hearted and fun, but I know they are establishing a great foundation in Shakespeare that will serve them well in high school and beyond.”

9. Teaching Shakespeare to Multiple Ages by Heather at Blog She Wrote

“What do you think of when you hear about Shakespeare? Though many of us are familiar with his plays, my guess is we might find the language intimidating and consider it pretty sophisticated. Certainly, it would be tough to teach to children. In high school, I took a whole semester my senior year on Shakespeare. It was a great time! But, it took time to understand. We teach Shakespeare in high school literature in our homeschool as well, but teaching it to all of our kids was a new concept for us. It’s been lovely!”

10. Why Shakespeare? A Conversation with Ken Ludwig and Pam Barnhill on the Your Morning Basket Podcast

Ken Ludwig is a playwright and father who has an infectious love of Shakespeare. He began sharing his love with his children at a very young age. Recently he published How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, a book detailing this surprisingly simple way to teach the Bard’s great works to our children.

Come and enjoy as Ken tells us why and how we should teach Shakespeare, as well as how we can handle the harder concepts. Most importantly, Ken encourages us to push past our fear and enjoy Shakespeare in our Morning Times.

11. Five Easy Ways To Teach Your Children About Shakespeare by Christy Jacob from Homeschooling in Progress

If your education was anything like mine, hearing the word “Shakespeare” can make your heart race as you imagine yourself in front of your English class trying to recite scenes from Macbeth with everyone staring at you.

But you’re the teacher now. That means that you get to introduce Shakespeare to your children when and how you want! They can learn to love his works, instead of stressing out when hearing his name.

12. Host Your Own Shakespeare Birthday Party by Pam at Your Morning Basket

When Shakespeare lets you blow out the candles on his birthday cake and play games in his honor then you know he has to be one cool guy. That’s what my kids think, anyway. Having a Shakespeare party is lots of fun and not really all that difficult to do. Includes printable Shakespeare Mad Libs.

13. Your First Year Teaching Shakespeare Kit by Renee Matheny

No Ultimate Guide to Shakspeare would be complete without this fun kit from Renee. The Shakespeare teaching advice in this collection is spot on and the Pick A Play diagram takes the guesswork out of finding the perfect play for your family. (Email required for download.)

Other Fabulous Shakespeare Online Resources for Your Homeschool

Shakespeare Resources for Homeschool Moms

• Ken Ludwig’s How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare Site (with memory-work printables and audio clips)
• Other Folger Shakespeare Library Resources
• BBC Teach Shakespeare Resources (note videos on YouTube will not play in the US)
• Audio Retellings from Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare
• Good Tickle Brain Shakespearean Comics and Other Resources (My kids love much of this, but I always preview it first.)
• Elizabethan Language Terms Printable
• Intro to Shakespeare Escape Room (I did this with my co-op class last year and they really enjoyed it. Takes a little prep.)
• Why Shakespeare Loved Iambic Pentameter (video to watch and share with older kids)

Podcasts about the Bard and His Work

• Shakespeare Unlimited Podcast from The Folger Shakespeare Library (for adults – prelisten for teens)
• Approaching Shakespeare podcast by the University of Oxford (academic lectures)
• Much Ado About Shakespeare Podcast

Shakespeare Fun for Homeschool Kids

• The Life and Times of William Shakespeare Animated Short Video
• Another slightly longer Shakespeare bio video
• Folger’s Just for Kids Section
• Print and construct your own Globe Theatre
• Make your own Elizabethan collar
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream coloring pages and puppets
  
• Make your own Quill pencil, pen or crayon
• Horrible Histories Shakespeare quote video
• William Shakespeare Coloring Page
• Shakespeare Word Search
• Shakespearean Insult Generator

Favorite Shakespeare Resources for Your Homeschool

 Will’s Quill: or, How a Goose Saved Shakespeare Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare William Shakespeare & the Globe (Trophy Picture Books (Paperback)) Will’s Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare: 38 Fully-Dramatized Plays Leon Garfield’s Shakespeare Stories (New York Review Books Children’s Collection) Shakespeare Stories II A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare Mr William Shakespeare’s Plays Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare! Tales from Shakespeare Shakepeare’s Storybook: Folk Tales that Inspired the Bard (Book & CD) How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare ShakesFear and How to Cure It: The Complete Handbook for Teaching Shakespeare (The Arden Shakespeare) Much Ado About Mad Libs Great Scenes from Shakespeare’s Plays (Dover Classic Stories Coloring Book) Masterpuppet Theater: The World of Shakespeare–at your Fingertips! Magnetic Poetry – Shakespeare Kit – Words for Refrigerator – Write Poems and Letters on The Fridge – Made in The USA Encore, Mr William Shakespeare!: A Sticker Activity Book Hooray for Mr William Shakespeare!: A Sticker Activity Book Shakespearean Insults Coffee Mug – Shakespeare’s Wittiest and Meanest Insults – Comes in a Fun Gift Box Accoutrements Shakespearean Insult Bandages

Spring Into Shakespeare

Ready to build your confidence for Shakespeare? Join us for Spring into Shakespeare and grab your free lesson plan pack now! This new and unique challenge includes your free lesson plan download plus two live events to help you start enjoying Shakespeare with your kids once and for all! Get it here.

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Mary

Mary is a writer and mother to four kids ranging from elementary to high school.

She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find encouragement and tips on her blog, Not Before 7.

She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.

Latest posts by Mary (see all)

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