DLTK's Crafts for Kids
William Shakespeare's Birthday - April 23rd, 1564

Check out the References Page for the resources we use to research the holidays and special days.

William Shakespeare is one of the most famous artists in history and is very well known for his work as a poet and playwrite. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon (a small town in England) on April 23rd, 1564. Not very much is known about his early years because at the time little information was recorded about people in lower stations, such as William Shakespeare who was the son of a leather trader named John. However, from his marriage certificate, we know that Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 18 years old. They had three children together between 1583 and 1585—their eldest daughter, Susanna, and twins Judith and Hamnet. His son Hamnet sadly passed away when he was only eleven. Most of the other information we have on Shakespeare's life is based on his works rather than personal details.

Shakespeare was part of the Lord Chamerlain's company of actors, which put on well-liked performanced and often performed at Court. He wrote many different types of plays including histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances. His best known plays were often tragedies such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, and more. Queen Elizabeth I once requested a specific play from Shakespeare because she wanted to see another play with the popular character, Falstaff, so Shakespeare wrote The Merry Wives of Windosr. He was also part of the Chamberlain's Men offshoot that built and ran the famouse playhouse called the Globe. The Globe is a very famous theatre in London that still operates and performs plays to this day.

Shakespeare is also famous for the many poems that he has written. His first poem was published in 1593. He likely wrote many sonnets at the end of the 16th century, but most of them weren't published until 1609. At this time, he had 154 poems published in an edition called The Sonnets of Shakespeare. Each of his poems were written in the same format and structured and he focused on the themes of time, love, and beauty. Something very interesting about Shakespeare's work was that through his plays and poems he invented many words by combining the words and meanings from multiple languages. Some of the more common words invented by shakespeare include birthplace, leapfrog, radiance, and downstairs.

For the last few years of Shakespeare's life he retired to his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon where he lived in a large house that he bought for himself and his wife. He passed away on April 23rd (the same day as his birthday) in 1616 at the age of 52.

Below are several of Shakespeare's poems and plays along with crafts and activities to suit those poems! Schools all over the world study Shakespeare's works and these activities can make a great addition to a Shakespeare teaching plan.

Macbeth:
	Watch the story
	Coloring Pages
	Colour Changing Cauldron Paper Plate Craft
	Crossword Puzzles
	Other Macbethh Crafts and Activities
Mid Summer Night's Dream:
	Fairies Story
	Lovers' Story
	Mechanicals Story
	Puppets Paper Craft
Romeo and Juliet:
	Watch the story
	Coloring Pages
	Potion Craft Potion Science Experiment
	Tracer Pages
	Other Romeo and Juliet Crafts and Activities
That Time of Year Thou Mayst In Me Behold Poem:
	Printable Poem: That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold
	Bird Nest Craft
	Campfire CD Craft
	Color Changing Tree Paper Plate Craft

Other Holidays You May Be Interested In:

• World Poetry Day – March 21st
• Poetry Reading Day – April 28th