World Fairy Tale Week - 8 reasons why they are still important

• Fairy tales play an important part in children’s development – they were written to teach a lesson that children can remember. Every culture has its own fairy tales and different versions of traditional tales.

•Fairy tales provide a safe place to learn that things can go wrong, that life is not fair and that there are rewards for being kind and thoughtful.

•As they listen to the stories, children expand their vocabulary, develop their imagination in a safe and comfortable setting.

•Like all good stories, fairy tales have a beginning, a middle and an end – a structure they will model as they begin to write their own stories.

•Fairy tales introduce magic, and the concept of three and seven. It is also easy to tell which characters are good and evil making predictions about the story fun and is a great way for children to learn about fiction and non-fiction.

•Fairy tales also develop specific life skills – in The Emperor’s New Clothes, children learn to speak up when they see something is wrong. The Ugly Duckling is bullied by the other ducklings; this may help a child realize that he is not the only one feeling lonely or scared.

Red Riding Hood teaches that we should always listen to our parents!!

•Fairy tales have been criticized for their portrayal of women and girls. In today’s world the idea that women must be beautiful and wait for their prince to rescue them is out of step. We need not change the story – we can simply discuss how differently girls and women behave today!

•What is your favourite fairy tale? Share it with your children during this special week.