5 Reasons why fairy tales are good for children

First mid-term test Name: Ruth Sandes

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more
intelligent, read them more fairy tales." Albert Einstein Prof. Dawkins gave an interesting interview
to The Guardian this morning which reveals interesting advantages of fairy tales to our children.

1… They boost a child's imagination and cultural literacy . ……

A child's imagination is a powerful and unique thing. It's not only used to make up stories and games, it's a key factor in
their creative thoughts and can define the type of education, career and life they have. With this imagination comes a
cultural literacy; fairy tales often include different cultures and ways of doing things. They teach children about cultural
differences in the world outside their own gifting them a curiosity to learn new things and experience new places.

2 ……They teach us right from wrong. …...

Standing strongly within fairy tales of magic horses and glass slippers is a moral backbone. It's in a fairytale's DNA to
have a strong moral lesson, a fight between good & evil, love and loss, and these lessons rub off on our children.
According to The Telegraph, Mrs Goddard Blythe, director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology in
Chester, said: "Fairy tales help to teach children an understanding of right and wrong, not through direct teaching, but
through implication."

Fairy tales help to teach children an understanding of right and wrong, not through direct teaching, but through
implication. Fairy tales teach children that good will always triumph and, while this may not be true in aspects of the
real world, the lesson is simple and important. Be the hero, not the villain. Learn to hope for better.

3 …They develop critical thinking skills ………

Following on from the last point, and as Richard Dawkins has pointed out, fairy tales teach children critical thinking.
They see the consequences of characters decisions and learn that what will happen to them depends on the choices
they make. Not all characters can be good role models, even 'the goodies' can be damsels in distress, or reckless (or
feckless) princes. What the stories do teach though, is that when bad things happen, you have decisions to make. If you
make the right ones, everything might just turn out OK.

4. ……They can help children deal with emotions themselves ………

Not only do fairy tales prepare our kids for society and making moral decisions, they teach them how to deal with
conflict within themselves. Child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim, who specialized in the importance of fairy tales in
childhood, believed that fairy tales can aid children in dealing with anxiety they are, as yet, unable to explain. In fairy
tales children are often the main character and more often than not will win against the story's evil. Readers can relate
to this and find a fairy tale hero in themselves. Watch any Pixar film for guidance on this one.

5. …And finally, they are great fun! ……

I have very fond memories of curling up in bed and disappearing into another world where dragons fly and princes
fight. My memories of overwhelming excitement when my dad came home with the latest Harry Potter book still makes
my smile. The games I played with my friends in our garden were indisputably improved by our imaginations, which
were still swimming in last night's story. Whether it's for indirect moral lessons, improving their imaginations or
because your child can't put that book down reading fairy tales should be encouraged. Read them together, help your
kids invent their own and make sure they know can win against any wicked witch.

1) Look for the right headlines for each paragraph: /5

a. And finally, they are great fun! paragraph 5

b. They can help children deal with emotions themselves paragraph 4
c. They teach us right from wrong. paragraph 2
d. They boost a child's imagination and cultural literacy . Paragraph 1
e. They develop critical thinking skills paragraph 3

2) Answer these questions: /5

1) Why is imagination so important for a child?
A child's imagination is a powerful and unique thing. It's not only used to make up stories and games,
it's a key factor in their creative thoughts and can define the type of education, career and life they
have. With this imagination comes a cultural literacy.
2) What do fairy tales help to teach children?

They teach children about cultural differences in the world outside their own gifting them a curiosity to
learn new things and experience new places. And help to teach children an understanding of right and
wrong, not through direct teaching, but through implication.

3) Can the characters be always good models?

Not all characters can be good role models, even 'the goodies' can be damsels in distress, or reckless (or
feckless) princes. What the stories do teach though, is that when bad things happen, you have decisions
to make.
4) What does Bettelheim believe fairy tales can aid?
Bettelheim believed that fairy tales can aid children in dealing with anxiety they are, as yet, unable to
explain.
5) What are the memories of the writer?
The author has fond memories of curling up in bed and disappearing into another world where dragons
fly and princes fight. His memories of overwhelming excitement when his dad came home with the
latest Harry Potter book still makes him smile.

3) Complete these sentences with information from the text: /4

1) Fairy tales teach children …about cultural differences in the world outside their own gifting them a
curiosity to learn new things and experience new places.
2) Fairy tales teach children …an understanding of right and wrong, not through direct teaching, but
through implication.
3) Fairy tales teach children … to develop critical thinking.
4) Fairy tales teach children …how to deal with conflict within themselves.
4) Match these words with their corresponding definition: /3

Fairy tales - a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something
with an uncertain outcome
Teaching - a lesson, especially one concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a
story, a piece of information, or an experience.
Anxiety - a children's story about magical and imaginary beings and lands
Imagination - the period during which a person is a child
Moral - the occupation, profession, or work of a teacher
Childhood - the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not
present to the senses.
-the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught

5) Look for adjectives and short phrases for these words in the text: /4

Fairy tales Imagination

- include different cultures -Powerful
- they have a strong moral lesson -unique thing
-help to teach children an understanding of right and wrong -a key factor in children’s creative thoughts
-teach children critical thinking

6) Are these sentences true or false? /5

1) Fairy tales do no teach about cultural differences. F

2) Fairy tales help to teach children an understanding of right and wrong through implication. T

3) The stories teach that when things go bad you have to accept the situation. F

4) Fairy tales only prepare our kids for society and making moral decisions. F

5) The idea of the writer’s father bringing Harry Potter book makes the writer feel happy. T

7) Find two arguments of the story you may agree with and explain why. /4

I agree with the statement that fairy tales help children to develop their imagination because it gives them
things to think about and create new images of that on their minds, that maybe without fairy tales they
wouldn’t be able to start thinking of it, its also a way to force children's minds to disconnect from the real
world and use their knowledge of what they’ve experienced to create other perspectives.

I also agree with the idea that fairy tales help them with dealing with their emotions, because as children,
they usually don’t understand their feelings or emotions because of the lack of experience and it leads them
to get frustrated or confused, reading about characters experiencing things and their reactions may help
them to feel understood and identify their own emotions in there.