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Students will learn that by using a number of fairytale stories, no two people are the same and these differences should be celebrated!

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Fairytale stories can also allow an opening for children to expand their vocabulary, gain emotional intelligence, give opportunity to pose questions about the world around them, and for internal growth purposes.

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The Little Mermaid emphasizes the differences between mer-people and humans. Ariel is banned from seeing the world above the ocean due to her father's personal beliefs about humans, but Ariel chooses to keep an open-mind and chooses to believe that they too are kind. This book shines light on diversity and how the person should be put before their differences.

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This book is about a young Chinese boy who is poor. He is given a magic paintbrush to paint the life that he has always wanted, but someone takes his paintbrush for greedy purposes. This book would be good for vocabulary and learning valuable lessons about consequential responses to actions.

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Adelita is a revised version of the original story "Cinderella." The main character, Adelita is a girl of Mexican heritage who experiences the same things from the classical Cinderella story. This book is primarily written in English, but has Spanish terms throughout the text, which shows inclusion and appreciation of other cultures, while educating students on the correct Spanish terms with their definitions.

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This book is also a revised version of a classic fairytale book: "Beauty and the Beast." I like this one a lot because it is more culturally engaging. The youngest daughter in this book, who is also the main character, marries the dragon to help her father. This text also expands on vocabulary, as well as valuable lessons of not judging someone based on appearance, rather by getting to know them.

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This children's book is based on the main character, a mouse named Despereaux, who embarks on a journey as a group of three with very different backgrounds. Despite these differences, they use teamwork as a motivator to help each other out. "The Tale of Despereaux" includes helpful vocabulary such as:

conform - to do what other people do

intent - showing great determination

ordeal - a severe test or experience

speculation - ideas or guesses about something unknown

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"The Girl Who Drank the Moon" is about a young girl who was accidentally given powers. When she was a baby, she was given to a witch as a sacrifice for peace, though the witch who she was given to was actually nice and saved these babies. The townsfolk believed she was evil and set out to kill her because they perceived her to be evil. This book can reflect on your perceptions of someone and how those perceptions affect the way that you treat them. Some vocabulary included in this text are:

imposing - used of a person's appearance/behavior

grovel - show submission or fear

flounder - move clumsily or struggle

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"Where the Wild Things Are" is about a young boy named Max who is causing turmoil in his house while pretends to be a wolf. His mother sends him to bed, where he dreams of an island where all of the wild things are placed, and he is the king of this island. Some vocabulary in the book includes:

mischief - troublemaking

vines - a plant with a very long stem

gnash - grind one's teeth together

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"Ella Enchanted" is about a young girl who is cursed with obedience and goes on a quest to break this curse. This tale sends a message to young girls about gaining a sense of empowerment and learning to be true to themselves as they grow and prosper. Some vocabulary to learn from the book includes:

obedience - the trait of being willing to follow commands

bestow - give as a gift

sympathetically - in a sympathetic manner

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This youtube video talks about the importance of fairytales to children, and the impact it has on them!

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The Importance of Fairy Tales for Children

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This article speaks about the effects that fairytales have on children and the different ways that they help with development. For example, it explains that fairytales help children analyze and solve conflicts, find different ways to cope with difficulties, expand imagination, explore different emotions, and more. While talking about the more overall positive result of fairytales in education, it does also provide reasons that experts say may not be beneficial to learning if anyone was interested.

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Fairytales can nurture a child's imagination and teach them about real life. Experts agree their overall effect is positive, but not always.

Fairytales - make-believe stories that often reflect reality - give children space to expand their imaginations and teach them how to relate to people in real life.

These tales explore common themes, such as loyalty, justice, greed, right versus wrong, and the triumph of good over evil.

Although fairytales contain unrealistic themes and tend to perpetuate stereotypes, experts agree that they have an overall positive effect on a child's development.

For example, learning about two characters at odds with each other can open a discussion about conflict children might experience in their own lives with siblings, parents, or classmates.

Think about the tension Cinderella has with her stepsisters, or how two very different characters come to appreciate and love each other in The Beauty and the Beast.

Albert Einstein once said: "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales."

So, how do fairytales benefit or contribute to a child's development? And what role do they play in a child's overall well-being?

By seeing themselves reflected in fairytales, children may feel more comfortable in themselves. They may even be inspired to explore their own emotions.

On the surface, " The Three Little Pigs" seems like a lesson about choosing the right material to build a house - but kids can read deeper meanings into the tale. For example, a study reports how the tale helped sick children ease their anxieties and fears around their illness by labeling it the "big bad wolf."

The researchers noted that fairytales allowed the kids to "get in touch safely with danger and death anxieties."

Other research, including a small , has suggested that using narrative strategies and storytelling - such as fairytales and traditional folk tales - may improve a person's overall well-being. The study found that fairytales had a positive effect on the people's personal growth and self-acceptance.

And, a small 2018 study found that fairytales had a positive effect on building a child's sense of cooperation.

And a 2016 study, which looked into 353 school-age children for 2 years, found that narrative therapy effectively improved social and emotional skills in children ages 8 to 10.

Fairytales can also teach children about self-awareness and emotional regulation, according to the study.

Fairytales have been told for centuries over and over in slightly different ways in cultures across the world.

Perhaps the most well-known tales involve a princess or a prince who faces obstacles they must overcome in order to find happiness or make the world a better place.

But, is the notion of a princess or a prince - with their sparkly clothes and fancy digs - healthy and appropriate for kids? And does it place too much emphasis on appearances and undue pressure on young girls?

Sarah M. Coyne, PhD, a professor at the School of Family Life at Bringham Young University in Provo, Utah, first researched the topic of princess culture because she was concerned about her 4-year-old daughter's fascination with dressing like a princess from fairytales.

Coyne's on the subject found that among preschool-aged girls a Disney princess culture amplifies gender stereotypes.

"Our prior study found that in the short-term, princess culture had a negative effect. But this changes over time," Coyne said in a release announcing the results of a second study in 2021. "We're now seeing long-term positive effects of princess culture on how we think about gender."

In the 2021 study, Coyne surveyed more than 300 children and their parents when the kids were preschoolers and again 5 years later.

Her research indicates that greater engagement in princess culture at a younger age resulted in more progressive attitudes about women in early adolescence. It also promoted a belief that education, relationships, and careers were equally important for women and men.

"Princesses like Moana are full of depth, passion, and goodness," Coyne notes in the release. "The story isn't about how she looks, it's about following your dreams and finding who you are. Parents can take these interpersonal qualities and help their kids grow."

A 2011 Greek study, involving more than 400 participants, noted that fairytales are an integral part of a child's development as they promote personality building, family bonding, and self-discovery.

Reading fairytales can benefit child development in a variety of ways. Exposure to fairytales during childhood can:

entertain children while teaching the basic structure of telling a story

foster child development by allowing children to project their imaginations and creativity into a story

help dispel fears of the unknown

help children cope with the difficulties of growing up and foster a belief for a better tomorrow

help children learn about conflict and possible ways to solve a problem

explore universal themes, such as love and hate, fear and courage, and greed and generosity in the safety of an interesting story

provide a way to validate emotions a child may be feeling in real life

For parents who prefer to stay away from fairytales, there are plenty of alternative book choices.

Wordless picture books are great to introduce little ones to reading. Or you may want to choose a book of fiction about birds, airplanes, flowers, or something specific that interests your child.

To spark your child's creativity, you can make homemade books that include photos and captions that tell your child's own story.

You can also label drawings brought home from school and put them together to make a book you and your child can read together.

Other ways to nurture your child's creativity include:

You can also try these suggestions from kidshealth.org.

Fairytales are an important part of childhood. These make-believe stories that often reflect reality give children the opportunity to nurture their imaginations and teach them about situations and feelings they can face in real life.

Yes, fairytales often contain themes that are unrealistic and tend to perpetuate gender stereotypes. But experts agree that their overall effect on children is positive, from strengthening their creativity to helping them cope with difficult situations.

There are alternatives to fairytales, however, if you worry these stories might scare children or send the wrong message. These include nature theme books, homemade books, and activities such as listening to and playing music and exploring the outdoors.

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how do fairytales affect child development

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How Do Fairytales Affect Child Development? Benefits and Downsides

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Fairytales can help children foster imagination and the art of storytelling. But alternatives, like exploring the outdoors, may have the same effects.

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Each of these books provide rich learning opportunities for children, helps to expand on their vocabulary, and allows them to flourish through development by learning valuable lessons from each of these different types of fairytales.

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Before starting off with any type of activity, I would first discuss what makes up the different parts of fairytales and the characteristics that may be included in them!

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One of the activities that I could introduce to my classroom (I did not incorporate this book in my text set), is a Jack and the Bean Stalk Measurement activity. In all reality, I would introduce this book to my classroom setting first so that they can understand why we are measuring the height of a bean stalk. This activity can encourage math skills!

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By using this activity, students can gain literacy skills by understanding the number of syllables in different words. By using sea animals to refer to the number of syllables in each animal type, it can coincide with The Little Mermaid to continue the fairytale theme.

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This flower part activity can be used for science purposes! Students can perform experiments using a rose to refer to "The Beauty and the Beast." Leaving the roses to sit in the water with food dye will color the rose petals the same color as the food coloring.

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If I were looking for an alternative of the revised version of "The Beauty and the Beast" that I chose for my text set; "The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty & the Beast Tale," I could use this activity to make a Chinese dragon to celebrate the book's culture, which would fulfill the art portion of a lesson plan.

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I feel as though there were many standards that were suitable for my unit. A couple of those standards include 1.3 PK.F: Craft and Structure-Vocabulary and 1.3 PK.H: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas-Text Analysis.