High School Is Too Late for Shakespeare
Special Note About Today’s Post…
When I first began writing on Substack a few months ago, I quickly became intrigued by one writer’s articles and her ability to homeschool her two girls with such zest and excitement. Today, I’m honored to share a post from Dr. Claire Honeycutt, the writer behind ClairfiED. Previously a tenured professor of science for several decades, she now homeschools her children and incorporates critical thinking skills and exploration into each day. I’ve since gained an abundance of wisdom from her as she inspires me to challenge my own kids to deeper levels of learning!
I hope you appreciate her thoughtful approach to education. To hear more from Claire, consider subscribing to her popular Substack, ClarifiEd and veteran-mom inspired podcast, Tried and True Homeschooling.
And now, a guest post by my friend and fellow homeschooling mom— Dr. Claire Honeycutt. Enjoy!
High School is Too Late For Shakespeare- by Dr. Claire Honeycutt
There is an optimal time to introduce Shakespeare - and it’s not high school.
Ok I admit it. Growing up, I hated English class. I found it boring. I didn’t see the point. I dreaded the books I was forced to read – Faulkner was a particular foe.
This may surprise you because my own children (ages 8 and 11) have an ongoing love affair with books. My 11 year old reads 100s of books a year. And, they aren’t just reading any books. They’re reading classic books from timeless authors. We’ve read Hemmingway, Twain, Orwell, and Oscar Wilde (to name a few). They have a particular appetite for Shakespeare. Here’s a recording of them reciting Macbeth with a good friend.
I’ve obviously come around on the importance of these classic treasures, but in a world where college students can barely get through these books, how does one accomplish such a feat in Elementary school? Moreover, how do you make it enjoyable?
My kids don’t tolerate Shakespeare - they LOVE him.
Well, I didn’t do it by doing what everyone else was doing – perhaps that’s obvious. We did it by following the example set by our ancestors – an example backed up by modern science.
Most people think 6 is far too young for classics – the language too rich, the grammar too complex. But 150 years ago, these books were routinely read to Elementary kids. Despite being known for the “children’s stories” of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and The Prince and the Pauper, Twain never met a simple sentence.
“What dost thou know of suffering and oppression? I and my people know, but not thou.”
“When I am king they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books, for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved.”
~Twain in the Prince & The Pauper
These sentences don’t even have complex vocabulary - though most 21st century kids will struggle with terms like “thou” and “dost” - however, these sentences are complex grammatically and sound unusual to our ears.
But my children handle “thous” and “thees” along complex grammar effortlessly - in truth better than myself. Why?
Because elementary school isn’t too early to introduce complex narrative, it’s the PERFECT time!
Today, let’s explore the neurological underpinnings of how children learn language.
Not just how kids learn to talk, but how they learn that it’s “the big, bad wolf” not “the bad, big wolf” — did you know there are grammatical rules dictating which adjective comes first? Unless, you are an English major, you probably didn’t. That’s because you didn’t need to be taught it.
Today, we’ll talk about how children learn the complex nuances of grammatical relationships, but more importantly we’ll talk about how YOU can harness this knowledge to ensure your children can’t just read authors like Twain and Shakespeare – but write and speak like them too.
✨What is the Brain Doing During Language Learning?
Children’s linguistic (or language) development is on fire from the moment they are born – actually before they are born. Children fall in love with their mother’s voice first – preferring recordings of her over all others in utero. Two months before they are born, babies are enamored by spoken language – their preference for speech over music will last long into toddlerhood. If there are any expectant mothers out there, consider reading the rest of this article out loud to your baby – they will delight to hear you. Though they don’t yet know what you are saying, they are already in love with the way you say it.
At birth, babies not only prefer their mother’s voice but they also prefer their native language.
That’s worth saying again.
Babies AT BIRTH prefer their native language.
Children aren’t just listening to their mother’s voice, they are creating the foundation from which they will learn to communicate.
So, how do children learn their native language?
If you’ve ever listened to another language - in particular one dissimilar to your own - you’ll notice it’s hard to break down individual words. My husband’s native language Tamil has incredibly long words. It’s nearly impossible for me to figure out where one word stops and another begins. This is because English, my native language, doesn’t require this of my brain. But my husband was learning to do this even before he was born.
How do kids figure how what sounds are words?
One of the leading theories is statistical learning. Babies as young as 8 months are calculating which letter combinations occur most often together and which don’t. There is a reason why humans are so adept at seeing patterns everywhere - it’s essential for our capacity to learn to speak (among other things).
By 10-12 months, babies ignore sound combinations that do not occur in their native language and pay close attention to sound combinations unique to their native language. For example, Mandarin is a tonal language so children learn to tune into not just word sounds but the pitch at which they are delivered. This process is called perceptual narrowing. It is essential, but it comes at a cost.
Children will increasingly ignore sounds that are not common in their native language. Yet another reason to introduce your toddlers and infants to a 2nd languages early. This will keep their “ears” - ahem their brain - open and listening.
This will be important as they get older not just in terms of 2nd language but in complex versions of their own language - e.g. Mark Twain, Hemmingway, and Shakespeare.
If your children don’t routinely hear complex words and grammatical sentences, their brain will become less receptive to them. This isn’t to say that it’s completely closed, but rather …
It is FAR EASIER for your 7-9 year old to learn to understand complex literature than your 14-15 year old.
I know this seems counter-intuitive! But, it’s true. Believe me, it is WILD that my 8 year old will listen, understand, and ask complex questions about the books we are reading when sometimes I’m struggling to keep up myself!
It’s not just about reading to your kids…
✨Language is best learned in relationships.
Once children have a firm grasp on what is and is not a word, they can start the process of matching those words to objects and actions. At the height of their word learning, kids pick up 30 words a DAY - some they will learn after a single exposure.
But not all forms of communication are created equal for learning words.
Every culture has a form of “baby-talk” where caregivers use a higher-toned pitch to communicate with infants. Baby-talk draws infant’s attention often resulting in smile and eye contact. The MOST important thing for learning is attention. If you don’t have a child’s attention, you don’t have access to their brain. This is why Attention Deficit Disorders are such a big deal!
The most effective way to support a child’s language development is through direct communication. Talking. Listening. Narrating your day. Answering their questions. Singing songs. Sharing stories.
It’s why child development experts encourage new parents to narrate their day out loud to their babies. It’s also why younger siblings often pick up language more quickly—because the older kids talk to them constantly.
Children aren’t just learning vocabulary; They are learning expression, grammar, and cadence through interaction with real people.
But This Window Doesn’t Last Forever
Yes, we can learn language throughout our lives.
But the brain’s plasticity—the ease with which it picks up language—declines after elementary school. (Learn more in Today's Children are Caged Birds). Your 8-year-old has a better memory than you do (yes, really). Their brains are still hungry for vocabulary, syntax, and structure.
Thus, elementary school is the best time to introduce Shakespeare, Twain, and Hemingway. Their brains are primed for it.
Feed their brains rich, complex, beautiful language, and it will shape how they speak, think, and write for the rest of their lives.
✨You’ve seen the science—now let’s make it real.
Here’s how we do it in our home: what to say, what to read, and how to help your kids fall in love with complex literature—so they don’t just read like Twain and Shakespeare, they write and speak like them too.
This part’s just for my favorite people♥️
✨Actionable Tips to Build Advanced Language
Here’s how to take advantage of this incredible window of brain development:
Talk to your children!! – narrate your day, describe what you’re doing, speak in full sentences. Baby-talk is fine if you are drawing their attention, but don’t hesitate to use rich language. Have RICH discussions with your children about the world → history, science, books, movies - anything and everything - just TALK.
Read rich literature aloud – even to infants. I know a mom who read To Kill a Mockingbird to her 3-month-old. She was home alone & her baby loved hearing her voice. Turns out she was onto something special. Steal her idea and read to your children. Read classics like Beatrix Potter. As they get older, pick classics with complex language. Build them up of course - but don’t assume they don’t understand. You might be surprised!
Read classic texts with unusual grammar and vocabulary – Memoria Press and Well-Trained Mind are my go-to book lists. WTM is behind a paywall but you can usually get the book at the library. Also, DM me if you want/need suggestions!
Never talk down to them – The more you use your full range of vocabulary, the more information they have to grow their brain.
Recite poetry or Shakespeare together – Little kids LOVE this! See my example of my kids recited Shakespeare above. Rhythm, rhyme, and memorization help lock in exquisite language.
If you want help introducing them to Shakespeare, you might like 8 year olds can learn Shakespeare
Play audiobooks in the car – Your local library likely has an app where you can get classics for free. Libirvox also has classic audiobooks.
Mimic great writing – imitation is how we learn. I have a whole post on how to do that with writing Let Your Kid Plagiarize.
Make space for deep conversation – You can start with anything books, movies, plays, music, art, anything your kids are into. Conversation is curriculum → Peter and Von both talk in depth about how important conversations were to them as they homeschooled. Homeschool by Weaving Kids Into Real Workand Homeschooling in Africa’s Mission Fields
Expose them to second languages early – it keeps their brains open to new structures. Von talked about how to do this with grace at the end of this episode Homeschooling in Africa’s Mission Fields
Too often, we assume the “greats” are too complex for young minds. But the science—and my own kids—say otherwise.
Childhood is not a time for dumbed-down content. It’s the golden age for feeding the brain rich, challenging language that forms the foundation for powerful thinking, writing, and speaking.
Your child is ready - are you?
If you want to go deeper, RIGHT now, check out my You Can Teach Reading and You Can Teach Writing workshop posts. They have links to ALL my articles on expertly teaching reading and writing.
Know anyone that would like this article, consider sharing to help me help more families like yours.
 | A guest post by
|
I know it is just a cheeky title, but it is truly never too late. By reading Julius Caesar out loud in class and taking turns with assigned parts and memorizing Antony's “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me,” I saw highschoolers change their minds about Shakespeare right in front of my eyes. They learned that he is funny, political, savvy, and a rhetorician. Their ability to interpret modern events in light of his brilliance is different than my elementary kids. So the right time to read Shakespeare? Always!!!
“Behowl the Moon” and “wild Waves Whist” have long been favorites of my kids. There’s something about your 4 year old choosing a Shakespeare board book to share with their preschool class that makes my heart sing.