Podcast: Teaching Your Children Shakespeare with Ken Ludwig
On this episode of the Brave Writer podcast, we talk with best-selling author and award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig.
We explore our shared enthusiasm for Shakespeare and how to bring the Bard to life for our children.
Learn about:
- memorizing soliloquies,
- examining Shakespeare’s language,
- and the details of how Shakespeare’s plays have been preserved for us to enjoy (it’s a great story!).
Show Notes
Why is Shakespeare still relevant today… and how do we introduce him to our children?
Memorizing Shakespeare
Knowing a little bit of Shakespeare to recite on a whim makes for a very good party trick, but Ken has taken it to another level. What began as a fun bonding exercise with him and his daughter turned into memorizing whole speeches from Shakespeare.
He started with lines that rhymed so that it seemed familiar, like a nursery rhyme. And then he would explain the meaning of a line and explain any words she didn’t know. If you can make sure that the kid understands every word of every line, it becomes much easier for them to memorize the lines and understand their meaning.
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Sustaining interest in Shakespeare
Shakespeare has an entire world of plays, so it can be easy to dedicate an entire lifetime to studying just his work. There is such depth in his work that you could even spend a lifetime on just one play. It’s no hyperbole to state that Shakespeare may very well be the greatest writer in the world.
Shakespeare can serve as an entryway into literature or as a lifelong pursuit, but it is undoubtedly timeless and our children can be served well by being introduced to it at a young age. Pick up Ken’s book “How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare” to learn more about ways to introduce this prolific work to your kids.
Resources
- KenLudwig.com
- Read: “How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare”
- Brave Writer’s Class registration link: class.bravewriter.com/register
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Connect
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