I suddenly realized I had an opinion (and a strong one at that) about a topic that I never even contemplated before.
So I pose the question to you.
Do you think Shakespeare is appropriate for 6+ year olds?
If yes, why?
If not, when is it?
*This is a repost, but I think I have about seven more readers now then I did two years ago, so I cant wait to hear some new opinions! I will be posting my opinion on it tomorrow.
Hi Amanda! I regularly read your blog and have never commented. I love reading your blog because of your great sense of humor and amazing talent (which I’m in awe of mainly because I cannot do a THING in the kitchen but I certainly can appreciate amazing work)! That being said, I’m fairly certain this will not be the popular answer but nevertheless, I was compelled to provide it.
If I may, I ask – why? Why feel it necessary to share Shakespeare with a child so young? Let them be children. Let them be children and read children’s books. He will be no less of an amazing child if he is allowed to be a 6 year old boy who reads books meant for 6 year olds rather than a child prodigy who reads Shakespeare…let children be children. Let them have fun! Shakespeare is NOT fun – particularly when you are six!
…and I will of course keep coming back to your blog for more because even if we don’t agree (which is quite possible), I’m still intrigued and I think you’re great! And amazingly talented! :0)
OK. I am definitely in the tiny minority here but I am not a Shakespeare fan. Some of his stuff is OK. But I don’t think he was the best thing ever. So, sure, teach some sonnets or something. But, I am not sure why we don’t cover a wider variety in our curriculum anyway.
I adore Shakespeare but I’m in agreement with some of the commenters above – snippets here and there would be ok IMO.
Shakespeare is not children’s literature. It is written for mature-er audiences.
There is so much fantastic children’s lit available, and there is no way you can ever get through it before your child is all grown up. I see no reason to rush Shakespeare.
My daughter was 12 before she knew anything about Shakespeare; she took a (homeschool) class with the climax being a full scale production of 12th Night. Usborne has a couple of great books that gave her a clean idea of the plots and conflicts of Shakespeares major plays.
Parental wisdom should dictate the age appropriateness of exposure, be it Shakespeare, movies, books, and yes, even the Bible.
I think parts of Shakespeare could be read aloud to learn about language, rhythm and such, but that it should be done with a lot of care as to the content and teaching purpose.
I taught my first graders Shakespeare this year and they LOVED it! We also read Beowulf (both were children’s versions). The curriculum we used was called Jr. Great Books for our reading, focusing on classical tales and literature with an emphasis on literary discussion, and I supplemented that curriculum with the Beowulf and Hamlet. You can check our Shakespeare for Kids by Lois Burnett- she is awesome! Here is a sample:
http://www.amazon.com/Midsummer-Nights-Dream-Kids-Shakespeare/dp/1552091244/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268953871&sr=8-2
I’ve never been into Shakespeare and hated it in high school (no offense to those who love it). But I really have not thought of it beyond not liking it in high school, so I guess at the moment I really have no opinion. Maybe after I’ve had a chance to think about it….
Well, lucky for you (or not!) I have an entire post I created on the subject titled “Teaching Shakespeare to Your Children, A Fruitful and Possible Endeavor.”
Here you go:
http://www.mommytopics.com/parenting/teaching-shakespeare-to-children-a-fruitful-and-possible-endeavor
Blessings Friend
And… we’ll still be friends if you see it another way. 🙂 Cause I think you’re great!
Yep, I sound like a broken record with most of the comments here…but I, too, agree that it can be done here and there, but not in whole. And I wouldn’t continue it if the child wasn’t interested at all!
I just don’t think there is a way to make it interesting for a 6 year old. I read some of it in high school and hated it. Even now I only appreciate a few of his works.