7 Fables With Unforgettable Lessons For Children
Fables and fairy tales are a great way for children to get started reading. Reading stories together develops children’s creative abilities, language skills and reading comprehension. All of these are vital to their future.
However, stories with morals are also a good educational resource to strengthen values and build personality.
Why use fables to teach children?
Fables are short stories that are often about animals or inanimate objects with human characteristics. They are fun and engaging, but also learn about life lessons through the attitude and actions of their characters.
This makes fables an ideal way to teach children about core values and behaviors. Presenting homework in the form of stories captures children’s attention, and helps them acquire and retain what they have learned.
7 fun fables to educate children
Storytelling is one of the oldest methods of passing on knowledge from one generation to the next. Today, we can use a huge variety of fables to educate and entertain children.
Here are the 7 most relevant to our time.
The mouse held a meeting
This funny fable tells the story of a group of mice that want to free themselves from their enemy, the cat. They all have an idea, but no one is ready to be the one to take action. This story teaches children about how easy it is to promise something and not deliver.
The grasshopper and the ant
By telling your child this short fable, you will strengthen the value of hard work and effort. It tells the story of a little ant who works hard to build a home in the summer.
Meanwhile, the grasshopper sings in the sunshine, but comes to regret it when winter comes. With this story, your child will learn to use his time effectively.
The tools
If your child has just started school, this fable is ideal. The characters in the story are a group of tools. Each tool can see weaknesses in the others.
However, when they see how they can work together to create a beautiful piece of furniture, the tools change their vision. This fable shows children how important each of their classmates is, and each of them contributes in their own way.
The boy who shouted wolf
This is a great way to help your child resist the temptation to tell lies. This fable tells the story of a shepherd boy who liked to scare people by warning them against the big, ugly wolf. Over and over again, the people from the city come to the rescue to help fight the wolf.
One day, however, the wolf actually emerges. But, this time no one comes and helps the shepherd boy. Everyone thinks it’s just another bluff. This story teaches children that lies can have terrible consequences.
The lion, the deer and the hare
This is a story about a lion who has to make a difficult decision: he can hunt a small hare or a large deer. The option he chooses does not turn out to be the best.
With this fable, you can teach your children to be happy with what they have. This story is also about making wise decisions, by weighing the risks.
The two frogs
This is a story about two little frogs. A hot summer dries out the lake in which they live. They then head out to find water elsewhere.
They come to a deep well and one of the frogs will jump straight in, but the other stops and thinks. If the well dries out, there will be no way out.
This story helps your kids “see before they jump” and always think about what they are going to do.
The turtle and the hare
This old fable has taught generations of children not to make fun of others. It also shows us that being too proud of our own qualities can lead to big mistakes.
This fable tells the story of a turtle that challenges a vain hare to a race. The hare thinks he can easily beat the slow turtle, but learns the lesson that no one is better than anyone else.
Educational fables are a great way to get children thinking about how they behave. Stories help us to experience emotions, by putting ourselves in the place of the main characters.
Include these fables in your bedtime story routine so you can benefit from this powerful, educational tool.
