Mothercare Blog

Every child, from a toddler to a teenager, loves a good fairy tale. Fairy tales talk about a magical world and have a feel-good factor that makes them so popular with kids. But storybooks not only entertain your kids at bedtime, they also play a strong part in shaping your children’s behaviour in life. Albert Einstein once rightly said, “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.”

There is much your kids can learn by reflecting on the stories heard in their childhood. Magical characters such as the Pied Piper, the talking frog and the fairy godmother are likely to remain in their imagination for a lifetime. These tales hide a wealth of insights and learning just below the surface. So the next time you read your kids a story, don’t forget to put in a word or two about the lessons they impart too. Here are a few lessons your kids should learn from some of the classics:

The Little Mermaid

This is the story of Ariel, the Sea Princess, who transformed herself into an ideal human to attract the attention and love of a prince, who doesn’t marry her in the end. The biggest takeaway or lesson to be learnt from this tale is to never be afraid to venture outside your comfort zone every once in a while as you might be surprised by what you find.

Cinderella

Now, this is one fairy tale every girl would love to live in. This is the story of a much disliked step-daughter and step-sister Cinderella who eventually ends up marrying a prince. Despite all the hardships she is put through, Cinderella still offers her step-mother and step-sisters a home in her palace. Her graciousness is worthy of applause. Wouldn’t you just love for your child to learn from this?

The Emperor’s New Clothes

Self-belief is superior to all as long as it is paired with humility. This is well exemplified by the story of the emperor who believed that he was fully clothed, despite of wearing nothing. His confidence in himself was so strong that he ended up making a complete mockery of himself. Make sure to tell your kids a thing or two about being humble the next time you read them this story.

The Elves and the Shoemaker

A very engaging fairy tale is about how some naughty but good-at-heart elves work through the night to improve the fortune of an impoverished shoemaker and his wife- all of this without expecting a reward in return of their hard work. The best thing that your kids could learn from this is that the real reward lies in the appreciation of what they give.

The lessons learnt from the fairy tales mentioned above are the ones that will never lose themselves in the telling! Get your children to learn and understand them from an early age.

Happy story telling!