Your Take On Fairy Tales For Preschoolers

[MissAnn]

My Literature for Children class really pushes the importance of them.....but I'm wondering what you think.

[Willow]

Depends entirely on the fairy tale, or nursery rhyme, or song.

Some of them are downright nasty or the meanings behind them really dark.


Although nostalgic they aren't always appropriate.

[itlw8]

so much of what they learn later comes back to fairy tales, nursery rhymes and childrens stories. I think they are important to expose children to them. Now they do not need to know ring around the rosey is about the plague. You do not need to have the wolf eat grandma or the woodsman chop off his head.

[Springdaze]

I think they are good. they also teach vocabulary that we may not use in everyday speech

[CedarCreek]

I like them. I have a magical bedtime stories book that we read from quite a bit. Its updated though so there are no killings, .

Except for the ginger bread man. The fox still eats him. But hey, he's a cookie.

[daycarediva]

Sorry, I think they aren't at all children's stories. Adaptations lose the meaning. I read the 'real' versions in high school english.

My dcb introduced everyone to ring around the rosey and I cringe everytime I hear it, plus it is SUPER unsafe when played indoors like they try to do, since they don't just let go and they yank each others hands.

[Willow]

Sorry, I think they aren't at all children's stories. Adaptations lose the meaning. I read the 'real' versions in high school english.

Same here so I completely agree!!!

[just_peachy]

I think for the sake of tradition they're fun to teach/know.

My bff moved from Mexico when she was 8, and my DH had an awful childhood. Both of them have told me before that they feel like they "missed out" on not knowing the traditional fairy tales.

I certainly don't think they're detrimental one way or another though. Just read a lot of books and your kids'll be golden!

[Evansmom]

Well it was Albert Einstein who said, "If you want your child to be intelligent, read them fairy tales." So there must be something to them if one of the greatest minds of all time said that.

I personally love them. I don't think it's necessary to sugar coat stories and life for children. Don't scare them, but it's ok for them to read about bad things happening and villains and such in a safe way and in a safe environment. But I read Roald Dahl to my 5 year old every night so maybe I'm a little "off". My son loves them! Especially The Twits and there are plenty of opportunities to discuss other people's bad behavior

[Lucy]

I say whatever gets the kids excited about a book is great with me.

I read or saw all those supposedly "dark" "mean-spirited" books and movies. I'm not a serial killer.

They'll either like them or they won't. Don't stress.

[MissAnn]

Well it was Albert Einstein who said, "If you want your child to be intelligent, read them fairy tales." So there must be something to them if one of the greatest minds of all time said that.

I personally love them. I don't think it's necessary to sugar coat stories and life for children. Don't scare them, but it's ok for them to read about bad things happening and villains and such in a safe way and in a safe environment. But I read Roald Dahl to my 5 year old every night so maybe I'm a little "off". My son loves them! Especially The Twits and there are plenty of opportunities to discuss other people's bad behavior

I agree. The kids just love them. I sit in awe watching imatinations soar as they act out and add to each fairy tale complete with rich new vocabulary. Today we did read Little Red Riding Hood and yes, the wolf did eat the grandma as well as Little Red. He swallowed them whole and then they were cut out by the woodsman. The kids roared with laughter. I just kept thinking.....why have I denied them Fairy Tales all these years?

[Willow]

I'm not sure it's a fear of children growing up to be serial killers or an issue about stressing out about the issue, for me it's just a matter of knowing the actual origins and having a respect for any actual history that they originated from.

I don't really think it's appropriate for kids today to be skipping around dancing in circles singing songs about the Black Plague/Holocaust.

If one wants to share the completely dulled down distorted and sugar coated versions Disney has come up with fine but when you're talking about actual fairy tales most of them are completely inappropriate for children.

Here are just a few examples:

http://outbreathblog.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/disturbing-fairy-tales/

I'm sorry, but once you know what the modern day fairy tales actually originated from it seems more than a little macabre to try to morph them into something semi-appropriate for toddlers. I can come up with better all on my own, and with roots that won't conjure up nightmares for ME as I'm telling them


(And no I don't baby the kids in my care, there are dead animal mounts all over my walls and life isn't always rainbows and butterflies but STILL, I fail to see the necessity.....teach it in high school English as someone else mentioned but not right before tuck in time for a three year old :P )

[daycarediva]

I'm not sure it's a fear of children growing up to be serial killers or an issue about stressing out about the issue, for me it's just a matter of knowing the actual origins and having a respect for any actual history that they originated from.

I don't really think it's appropriate for kids today to be skipping around dancing in circles singing songs about the Black Plague/Holocaust.

If one wants to share the completely dulled down distorted and sugar coated versions Disney has come up with fine but when you're talking about actual fairy tales most of them are completely inappropriate for children.

Here are just a few examples:

http://outbreathblog.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/disturbing-fairy-tales/

I'm sorry, but once you know what the modern day fairy tales actually originated from it seems more than a little macabre to try to morph them into something semi-appropriate for toddlers. I can come up with better all on my own, and with roots that won't conjure up nightmares for ME as I'm telling them


(And no I don't baby the kids in my care, there are dead animal mounts all over my walls and life isn't always rainbows and butterflies but STILL, I fail to see the necessity.....teach it in high school English as someone else mentioned but not right before tuck in time for a three year old :P )

I don't baby my kids either, and I totally agree with you.

I JUST started speaking to my ds/7 about the origins of fairy tales. We watch the show Once Upon a Time together, (great show if anyone likes that sort of thing) and I will speak to him about the real origins.

Maybe fairy tales were 'ruined' for me in high school, but my ap english teacher was amazing. She had us read the kid stories aloud in class and write a report on them, and then we read the real version and wrote another report. I had a nightmare about Hansel and Gretel and I was 16!

Imagination is in soooo many other places, that fairy tales or lack thereof aren't going to destroy a child.

[Starburst]

Well it was Albert Einstein who said, "If you want your child to be intelligent, read them fairy tales." So there must be something to them if one of the greatest minds of all time said that.

Well a lot of fair tales and folklore have good lessions (thats why they were created):

3 Little Pigs- easier is not always better; quality counts; listen to your mother (depending on what versions you heard)

Little Red Ridinghood- don't wander off alone, don't talk to strangers, people are not always who they say they are (espesually now on the internet)

Aladdin- Be careful what you wish (or pray) for; The grass is always greener on the other side

Jack O'Lantern- It's not nice to play tricks/pranks; be careful who you trick; pranks can hurt people; reasoning behind Halloween cultural traditions

Boy Who Cried Wolf- never fake an emergency; don't lie or people will wont believing you when you tell the truth

Pinnocio- don't lie, everyone has a tell that will expose their lies

Hansel and Gretel- Don't take candy from strangers; Don't go into a stranger's home (car); don't go off without an adult; tell someone if you are going somewhere alone

Cinderella- work hard; there is always someone who is worse off than you; no matter how bad things are it can always get better

Goldie Locks- Don't tresspass on private property, respect people's property, never take food from strangers, don't take things without asking, don't mess with wild animals.

Ugly Duckling- Everyone goes through an akward phase; Don't make fun of how others look; Outter beauty comes and goes; everyone is beautiful

Beauty and The Beast- Inner beauty is what counts; looks can be decieving

A Christmas Carol- Dont be a scrooge, be kind to others; Family and friendship are important; someone is always worse off than you are

The Tortise and The Hare- Slow and steady wins the race, faster is not always better, pace yourself, stop to smell the roses once in a while; don't be lazy; don't get a swelled head

Thumblina- Even small people can do big things; size doesn't matter

The Ant and The Grasshopper- Hard work pays off; be prepared for an emergency; always prepare for the future; be kind to others;

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You just have to make sure how it is told is age appropriate, and what ages some stories are appropriate for. I took a class on children and literature and the teacher said: kids learn better from stories and examples rather than just being told something and why; thats why reading and dramatic play are very important for the learning of younger (and even older) children

[Willow]

Well a lot of fair tales and folklore have good lessions (thats why they were created):

3 Little Pigs- easier is not always better; quality counts; listen to your mother (depending on what versions you heard)

Little Red Ridinghood- don't wander off alone, don't talk to strangers, people are not always who they say they are (espesually now on the internet)

Aladdin- Be careful what you wish (or pray) for; The grass is always greener on the other side

Boy Who Cried Wolf- never fake an emergency; don't lie or people will wont believing you when you tell the truth

Pinnocio- don't lie, everyone has a tell that will expose their lies

Cinderella- work hard; there is always someone who is worse off than you; no matter how bad things are it can always get better

Goldie Locks- Don't tresspass on private property, respect people's property, never take food from strangers, don't take things without asking, don't mess with wild animals.

Ugly Duckling- Everyone goes through an akward phase; Don't make fun of how others look; Outter beauty comes and goes; everyone is beautiful

Beauty and The Beast- Inner beauty is what counts; looks can be decieving

A Christmas Carol- Dont be a scrooge, be kind to others; Family and friendship are important; someone is always worse off than you are

The Tortise and The Hare- Slow and steady wins the race, faster is not always better, pace yourself, stop to smell the roses once in a while; don't be lazy; don't get a swelled head

Thumblina- Even small people can do big things; size doesn't matter

The Ant and The Grasshopper- Hard work pays off; be prepared for an emergency; always prepare for the future; be kind to others;

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Kids learn better from stories and examples rather than just being told something and why; thats also why reading and dramatic play are very important for the learning of younger (and even older) children

Except those were not at all the lessons in all of the above actual fairy tales Most of them didn't contain any sort of lessons at all.

They were just horror stories created and told for (definitely more adult) entertainment value.


I could sit and spin a story with a life lesson in it about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and make it hold entertainment value for a toddler, but that wouldn't necessarily be appropriate - kwim?