Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
Ruthanne Nopson’s books for children instill practical and much-needed values in their readers while providing invaluable moments of interaction between parents and children.
Although the origins of fairy tales might be spotty (though there has been evidence pointing to prehistoric origins), they were undoubtedly made to be lessons in the form of stories.
Perhaps, one can even say that the first stories were instructional narratives that sought a way to impart knowledge to future generations in a way that was easy to memorize—since writing had not been invented yet—and engaging for the listener. Just put it this way: would you rather listen to a lecture on morality or a story in which moral choices are front and center? In the pursuit of education, stories are merely vehicles for the themes and lessons the teacher wishes to dispense to their readers.
Ways that Fairy Tales can Teach Children
Encourages Creativity
Through fairy tales, the imagination is stimulated through the fantastical settings these stories provide, letting readers fill in the gaps of the world with their creativity. Readers are taught how to fabricate fanciful worlds, each populated with unique designs of fairies, monsters, dragons, etc.
Fairy tales allow readers to build up fictional worlds and fill them with their ideas, perspectives, inferences, and desires, thus, engaging their minds healthily and constructively.
Provides Model Behavior
Most fairy tale protagonists are children, creating a connection for younger readers that makes them empathetic and attached to the protagonist’s journey. This link makes it so that whatever actions the protagonist does is seen in a more positive light and something that can and will be emulated. Young readers are pretty impressionable, and having them read narratives about positive and active characters is sure to mold their minds to be positive and energetic.
Through mirroring fairy tale protagonists, readers can mentally engage with fundamental human conflicts, relationships, and obstacles in a manner they can relate to, identify with, and follow.
Offers Moral Perspectives
The best ways to teach morality have always been through stories, and fairy tales have always been vehicles for imparting virtue and principles. From older collections like the Brothers Grimm to more modern examples like Ruthanne Nopson’s books, fairy tales provide moral and ethical problems for readers that allow them opportunities for reflection and deliberation.
Fairy tales offer situations for readers to think about, whether the actions taken by the protagonist were something they would do or perhaps they might have taken another route. It helps develop a critical sense of assessment and an appreciation for making choices concerning personal values and ethical considerations.
Improves Literacy and Critical Thinking
A fairy tale, stripped of its themes and moral lessons, makes adequate material for enhancing vocabulary, grammar, and critical thinking. Despite their simple prose, fairy tales are frequently the first source of new words for early readers. The discovery of new words often includes how it is used and context clues that aid them in easing out the meaning without resorting to opening up a dictionary, which dramatically aids in developing better critical thinking skills.
Different Types of Fairy Tales for Different Types of Lessons
Not all fairy tales have the same lesson, but readers can generally categorize them according to similar elements found in the narrative:
Supernatural Adversaries—fairy tales under this category have a central antagonist; usually a monster disguised as a person or someone nice but mean later. These stories teach readers the importance of assessing other people’s intentions, mainly strangers, and knowing when to assert boundaries.
Magic Objects—fairy tales under this category have a magical object discovered by or given to the protagonist. The moral of these stories is that dependence on external items will always be trumped by independence and self-confidence.
Supernatural Wisdom—fairy tales under this category have protagonists that are given otherworldly information that they use to their advantage. These fairy tales usually end up with magical knowledge backfiring on the protagonists, teaching readers that people should not use knowledge for selfish reasons.
