Disney's The Lion King on Broadway is Offering a Free Online Theater Course for Kids

While families might not have the option to head to a theater or take a dance class in-person right now, various enriching virtual experiences are popping up all over the internet. One of the latest comes from Disney Theatrical Productions. The Lion King Experience is a holistic arts education program that provides kids and their parents with an immersive introduction to theater through the lens of the Broadway production of The Lion King.

The curriculum, split into a "Kids" edition aimed at kids aged 8-11 and a "Jr." edition for adolescents aged 12-15, was originally designed to accompany a school's production of the show and is generally taught in classrooms. But Disney has now adapted the 45-minute lessons for families to enjoy at home. What's more, they're offering both for free.

To dive in, families can head over to LionKingExperience.com, then download either the KIDS curriculum (11 sessions) or the JR curriculum (18) at home-learning modifications, then follow the instructions in the PDFs to link to the accompanying videos and resources.

According to a company press release, each session comes with a video intro from Jelani Remy and Syndee Winters, who starred in the Broadway production of The Lion King. Then, parents and their children are encouraged to explore the topic individually and create a related project, such as a birthday card for Simba, an original song, a lighting design concept, or a theatrical mask. Finally, students can share their work with people in their home and reflect in a journal that they'll create in their first session. At the end of the course, they'll receive a completion certificate to celebrate their hard work.

No doubt this program will encourage young learners to explore the world of the theater while fostering their creativity and fueling their imaginations in a major way.

Fans of the show might also enjoy a day of free live virtual content Monday, April 27 on Disney on Broadway's Instagram. The festivities will begin at 12:30 p.m. ET when a Disney teaching artist will lead a musical theatre workshop, offering fans a chance to learn music and choreography from the Tony-winning musical and featuring tour cast members Brandon A. McCall and Erynn Marie Dickerson.