Why are Fairy Tales Important for Kids? Fairy Tales are the stories our parents told us at bedtime, stories full of charm and fantasy.
Studies about fairy tales revealed that earlier fairy tales talked about adults, but for adults. People were living with the same freedom and enthusiasm in the world of images as children do today. Fairy tales tell us a story about birth and death, love and hate, courage and despair. Like all works of art, these stories possess richness and depth that is now exploited with ruthless commercialization.
Today fairy tales are part of a market; with them today, you can earn a lot of money. Taking advantage of fairy tales for commercial purposes degrades them to cheap goods, so parents can now rightly ask themselves-do if children need fairy tales.
Why are fairy tales important?
The child’s experience of bedtime stories is different from ours. While the fairy tale begins “Once upon a time…” no child will ask when exactly that was… For him, the story happens now and here. So, the correct question will be-what type of fairy tales a child needs? those tales for generations are captivating children, offering them a story that can take them to the world of fantasy.
Fairy tales are not copies of reality, people are bad or good, and good always wins. For some parents, fairy tales don’t teach children something that they necessarily need in life, but they don’t realize that a simple story like a fairy tale is exactly what a child needs in life.
Fairy tales have a strong and important message:
- It is a good thing to stand up for the weak ones
- it is not nice and proper to be lazy
- Someone small can defeat giants and dragons.
It helps them to differentiate between the good and the bad
Fairy tales are morality tales, giving every child a chance to identify with the good and develop despise for evil. But do you ever wonder – are fairy tales cruel? What about the witch who ends up in the oven or with a wolf who slits the belly?
The desire to protect children from the harsh reality of fairy tales (e.g., when the father decides to leave Hansel and Gretel) is transmitted through the voice of readers (parents), attitudes and emotions, causing a listener (child) to feel fear and discomfort. For children, the fairy tale is real.
They cry when Hansel and Gretel are alone. They simply love fairy tales and their magic. Today more than ever, a child needs a chance to socialize with adults (parents).
Fairy tales help a child to grow his Imagination power
Through reading fairy tales in the adult’s lap, in his safe place, the child feels that the whole world of good and evil is here and under the power of his great reader. While parents are reading a fairy tale to a child, he imagines and creates images of what he hears.
It can help parents to know the level of understanding of their children
In that process, it is important to monitor the child’s reaction. If a child is afraid of wolves, the dark, and witches, parents shouldn’t read those stories at bedtime; they should leave them for some other time.
When parents select a fairy tale, they need to select those which are written by brothers Grimm’s. Experts claim that in early childhood, parents should avoid fairy tales written by H. C. Andersen because most of his fairy tales have no happy ending.
What type of stories could be a better option?
So, what kind of stories create a greater impact on a child’s life? Do we need to talk about the witches at night? Is there a need to discuss dark magic? Is it fine to talk about something less powerful who defeats the giant?
Yes, we need answers to these questions, as these stories can impact your child’s dreams at night. They need a good sleep, not a sleep full of horror and witches.
Children do remember what they are taught, especially when parents are talking to them in person before sleeping.
It can also create a positive or a negative impact on their lives. So, we need to be aware of all sorts of situations before telling a story to our children. Yes, a little fantasy ouch is okay, but you should feel like the real one.
Fairy tales is important for our children as they were for us in our times. Now, our time is gone. So, we need to take advantage of our experience. Through these stories, we should bring something better and deliver a positive message to our children.
Bottom Line
Fairy Tales is an important part of everyone’s life. The human brain is a complex thing that regulates the things we listen. We start imagining things in our minds as they are happening around us. So, when it comes to telling a story, we need to be really careful as children imagine everything like us.
However, people around the globe have no time to tell these stories to their children. They get busy in their lives to earn bread for themselves. So, there is kind of no time for their children. It is shameful because our children find other ways to get their needs fulfilled. We don’t need to do that. Our Priorities should be our children and spending time with them.
Telling stories to our children could be one of the finest ways to get closer to your children. Let’s hope that bedtime storytelling will continue for centuries to come.