Fairy Tales with a Lesson

Happy National Tell a Fairy Tale Day!  Stories have an unique ability of helping children understand situations and learn life concepts.  As an adult, we are able to pick up on the distinct lessons being delivered.  I remember re-reading some of my old time favorites with my oldest daughter as an adult for the first time and seeing it through different eyes.  On a day that celebrates these stories I wanted to bring you a brief list of some with their life lesson purpose to assist you in choosing the one that may be best suited for your little one!

Hansel and Gretel: This story is a great one to teach the dangers of talking to strangers and more so entering someone's home that is unknown and not approved by their parents.  This one can get a little frightening for some little ones (you know, given the whole oven thing) so be sure you will be able to help your child hear the message without a sleepless night of nightmares!

The Pied Piper: A fabulous story that introduces greed, selfishness and keeping your word.  There are various versions of this one, some including well known and loved characters such as Mickey Mouse.

The City Mouse and the Country Mouse:  This happens to be one of my favorites.  It helps a child appreciate the things that they have and understand why we don't covet others things.  This is also a great way to prepare your child for going home after a trip and help them remember all the things that they love at home!

The Gingerbread Man: This is a cute story that helps children learn the dangers of strangers without the scariness of other stories.  It also introduces the concept of teasing in a light hearted way that can help you breach the conversation with your child.

Chicken Little: We use words like "size of the problem" in the therapy world to teach this concept. This is such a good story to help your little one understand how their reaction should match the severity of the problem.

Have fun reading!