Using folk fairy tales with children in primary grades

Rangar, G.K. (Gurcharan Kaur) (1980) Using folk fairy tales with children in primary grades. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Folk fairy tales are as old as man himself. Their origin is a mystery and a source of great concern to the folklorists. Nonetheless, whatever the source and time of their origin, the appeal of fairy tales has indeed been great for children. They are as popular with modern youngsters as they were with past generations of children. -- The magical world of fairy tales seems to be far removed from today's reality. However, the world of fairy tales may not be so different from our own world, for these tales deal with universal human problems which are as relevant to today's humanity as they were in the past. In fact, many teachers and educators reject fairy tales on the grounds that they are unreal and untrue and as such misleading and harmful to the child's psychological development. However, fantasy need not be considered harmful, but rather helpful in the growth and development of young children as it develops creativity and imagination. -- Fairy tales were not especially created for children but they turn to fairy tales instinctively, because of their closeness to a child's psyche. Similar characteristics between children and fairy tales appear to exist in the areas of morality, egocentricity, animism and magic. These common characteristics bring the child and the tale together and produce, apparently, what Favat calls the "phenomenon of interest". Formal investigations of children's reading interests show that children enjoy fairy tales especially between the ages of five to ten. -- In view of children's interests in fairy tales and also the many values that can accrue to children through fairy tales, the author feels that fairy tales should occupy a central place in any literature program for primary grades. The teacher should introduce fairy tales to provide listening pleasure as well as to develop an appreciation of literature. -- This thesis makes suggestions for an effective presentation of fairy tales either through reading aloud or telling. Although exposure alone to stories has its values, children probably achieve greater pleasure and appreciation of literature through active participation in stories. Various creative activities are offered in this thesis, with the intent to help teachers to involve children actively in stories. A selection of appropriate tales for each particular activity has also been provided.

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