| > | | | | about the consequences of good and bad |
| Folktales and fables have captivated children | | | | behavior, the importance of cooperation, and the |
| around the world since their beginning. We are | | | | rewards of courage and ingenuity. In one of my |
| now discovering their use not only as fantastic | | | | favorite stories, The Giant Turnip (an adaptation |
| stories, but as a way to teach moral and cultural | | | | of the Russian story The Enormous Turnip), a |
| lessons as well. | | | | class grows a huge turnip and works together to |
| Children love folktales and fables. With their simple | | | | figure out how to pull it out of the ground. The |
| characters and settings, as well as an enticing | | | | story helps young children grasp the benefits of |
| conflict early in the story, folktales immediately | | | | community and working together. |
| grab a reader’s attention. Recall The Three | | | | Folktales also offer a great entry point for |
| Billy Goats Gruff, in which all three goats need to | | | | teaching children about other cultures. For |
| get to the other side of the bridge for food, but | | | | instance, the fable Dragon’s Tears is a |
| a hungry troll stands in their way. The stories | | | | wonderful starting point to explore Chinese |
| develop quickly, and often obstacles seem | | | | Culture. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves can be |
| insurmountable before, in the end, everything is | | | | used to begin teaching and learning about Arabic |
| resolved to our satisfaction. Good triumphs over | | | | culture. |
| evil. | | | | Bilingual editions of these traditional stories allow |
| The repetition and rhythm we see in stories such | | | | the parent or teacher to expose children not only |
| as Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Little | | | | to a different culture, but also to another |
| Red Hen and the Grains of Wheat, also are very | | | | language. I like to use Language Lizard’s |
| appealing to children. And, of course, everyone | | | | bilingual version of the Indian folktale Buri and the |
| loves when humor and cunning are used to | | | | Marrow (in which Buri wears an Indian sari) to |
| outsmart an adversary. | | | | expose my children to traditional Indian stories and |
| Reading world folktales and fables is not only a | | | | foreign language scripts. The audio CD even lets |
| wonderful way to entertain and bond with | | | | them hear the story in Bengali and other foreign |
| children, it is also an effective way to educate | | | | languages. |
| them. The stories in classic folklore offer both | | | | Folktales and fables have survived the test of |
| social lessons as well as an opportunity to teach | | | | time for a reason. So pick up a story, sit down |
| about cultures and languages. | | | | with a child, and enjoy! |
| Folktales provide an excellent way to teach kids | | | | |