Fairy Tales

Reading Fairytales from Around Our World Benefits Children in Many Ways

"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

Growing up, I loved reading fairy tales from countries all over the world.   Some were funny, others were serious.  They all had a moral or specific lesson to teach.  As an adult, I still love to read them.  They are much more than short stories about people who get into all sorts of predicaments.  Their teaching value is immeasurable.

In an internet article entitled “7 Reasons Why Fairy Tales are the Best Books for Kids”, the author describes the many benefits that children can reap from reading these tales:

1.    They teach that no situation is hopeless.

2.    They teach that hard work and practice are the foundations for success.

3.    They teach children to be willing to explore and be open to new things.

4.     They teach self-reliance.

5.    They teach children to be careful about whom they trust.  This is especially appropriate in today’s society.

6.    They teach critical thinking.

7.    They teach right from wrong.

There are many websites that provide readers with dozens of stories from around the world, such as fairytalesoftheworld.com and storynory.com.  Spend some time searching for the ones that you believe would be best for your children and enjoy reading them together.  Create special moments laughing and discussing the lesson in each tale. 

The entire article on the benefits of reading fairy tales can be found by clicking here.

When was the Last Time that You Read a Fairy Tale to Your Child?

From Disney's The Princess & the Frog movie.

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

    Oh those wonderful fairy tales!  I read so many as I was growing up.   The Princess and the Frog - Cinderella – Rumpelstiltskin – Little Red Riding Hood - and many, many more.  Those stories were so enjoyable and filled with immense creativity that stirred my imagination.  Are there really talking frogs? Why would a princess kiss a frog?  Can a frog actually turn into a handsome prince?  Would the prince ever be able to turn back into a frog again?
    
    Why read fairy tales to and with your children?  The genius Albert Einstein knew why, and that is the foundation for his quote which inspired my blog post.  He understood what I as a child experienced while reading them – a creative imagination being massaged and developed.  Fairy tales cause a child’s mind to think outside of the box, beyond every day natural occurrences.  They stir a young brain to work and think differently and to ask questions.  If a princess will kiss a frog, what else is possible? With our imagination, we can imagine anything.   I truly believe that Einstein read so many fairy tales that they eventually impacted his intelligence, ultimately causing him to come up with the theory of relativity.  

Author Soraya Diase Coffelt