Charlotte Mason was sure that even young students could enjoy Shakespeare. She reported, “Their power to understand, visualise, and ‘tell’ a play of Shakespeare from nine years old and onwards is very surprising” (Vol. 6, p. 182).

Michelle F. recently witnessed the same thing when she introduced Shakespeare to her nine-year-old. Here is her Happy Results story.

I recently have been able to introduce Shakespeare into our schedule. I chose Lamb’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to read first.
It has been so wonderful to see my nine year old daughter become so interested in the story. I love to read “just enough” and leave her hanging. She excitedly asked for “just one more page!” When I replied that we would have to wait until next time her response was priceless. She threatened that she would get it out and read ahead on her own! I’ve worried about her reading skills for years and the joy of knowing she has such a love for good literature warms my heart.

Reading the play in story form is a great way to begin a Shakespeare study. As Michelle mentioned, the narratives from Charles and Mary Lamb, Tales from Shakespeare, and also E. Nesbit’s Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children are fabulous resources for this step. That’s why we include them in our Shakespeare in Three Steps series.

Don’t be afraid of the Bard. Try introducing Shakespeare to your children too!

Happy Results Stories

Do you have a Happy Results story about seeing Charlotte Mason’s methods work with your children? It might be about living books, narration, music study, picture study, poetry, handicrafts, nature study—any of her simple and effective methods. Let us know about your encouraging experience—your Happy Results story—so we can share it with others.