Explore the original version of The Frog King through drama and dialogue then put your own spin on this Grimms’ fairy tale about puckering up for an amphibian…
It’s over 200 years since brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of their ‘Kinder- und Hausmärchen’ – Children’s and Household Tales.
Two centuries later and the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel have been reinvented countless times.
However, in this lesson, we’re going back to the opening story from the original collection: The Frog King or Iron Heinrich.
Children love this story, especially if you give them the chance to experience it through a mix of drama, creative writing and discussion. They particularly love that this lesson uses the tale as it was first published and not one of the many softened versions thought best for children’s gentle temperaments.
Students seem to love the idea of throwing the frog against the wall as the means of breaking the spell that keeps the poor king trapped in his amphibian form. No kissing required.
The Frog King learning objectives
- Learn that stories can change over time with bits and pieces added and subtracted
- Learn how Wilhelm Grimm was always adding to his original stories
- Make your own additions to a Grimm tale
- Take part in lots of speaking and listening that will add power and detail to your writing
Starter activity
Tell the children they need to say something important to one another. Tell them to turn to their neighbour, look them in the face and say: “Now will you be quiet, odious frog.”
When calm is restored, ask pupils to experiment with different ways of saying the phrase. Who can discover a powerful way of expressing the words without shouting them? Which word or words need greatest emphasis?
Ask the children, in pairs, to spend just 45 seconds sharing everything they know about a story called the Frog Prince or the Frog King.
They must then choose one detail from their discussion to share with the class. It will be interesting to see how much the 2008 Disney cartoon The Princess and the Frog dominates the children’s feedback.
Jerome Monahan is a freelance writer and teacher. His active Grimms’ workshop is one of many he offers both nationally and internationally. Browse more traditional tales resources.
