The Educational Value Of Fairy Tales For Children
The enormous educational value of fairy tales for children can not be denied. They promote the desire to read and develop us in so many ways – from an early age and throughout life.
They satisfy young children’s insatiable curiosity and contribute pictures and words to develop both language and imagination.
What characterizes a fairy tale?
According to Gianni Rodari, a fairy tale can be defined as a short, simple and linear account. This can be either oral or written, and it can be real or imaginary. It has a simple plot and a few simple and not too developed characters. The purpose of a fairy tale is usually to teach a moral or to be entertaining.
The structure of a fairy tale is shaped by the characters and their specific situation or conflict. This situation or conflict must be resolved through the intervention of the various characters.
What can we get out of reading fairy tales?
- They develop the imagination
- They evoke thoughts and feelings (joy, anger, sadness, admiration)
- They combine reality with imagination
- They teach values (kindness, justice, respect, loyalty, compassion, solidarity, friendship, perseverance)
- They help us reflect on different behaviors and what is right and wrong
- They teach conflict resolution
The educational value of fairy tales
Fairy tales have an enormous educational value. Their pedagogical and didactic benefits include the following:
- They preserve cultural heritage for later generations
- They promote language development
- They benefit a child’s psychological development
Listening to fairy tales and reading them helps children expand their vocabulary and express themselves. At the same time, it benefits their cognitive development, which allows them to apply situations they have heard about in fairy tales to what they experience in everyday life.
In addition, one can see the educational value of fairy tales for children in how they:
- Improves memory
- Improves how long they can keep their attention on something
- Improves the ability to concentrate
- Helps them keep up with events that have a definite beginning and end
On a social and emotional level, fairy tales help them understand the meaning of values through the characters’ positive and negative actions. Through this, they gradually learn and accept social roles and norms.
On a psychological level, they can through the fairy tales see themselves in the characters and thus identify with them. A fairy tale can give both children and adults a solution to their fears, needs and conflicts.
Empathy
It is important to know the difference between telling a story with empathy and “just” reading it, especially when dealing with children. When we tell a story with sufficient empathy, we create a beautiful environment with our words, attract the children’s attention and invite them to enjoy the story and its characters. To do so with empathy, you need to have acquired certain skills.
You must be able to read calmly and slowly so that it is easy to keep up. You must also be able to imitate the characters’ tones and voices, and take necessary breaks and fall into silence when it fits into the plot.
A fairy tale is…
… A journey into the unknown, a journey along a path that invites you to discover and explore, while you grow and develop. Fairy tales are important for children’s emotional, intellectual and linguistic development. This also applies to the “older children” among us! This is the true educational value of fairy tales, not just for children but for all of us.
