How To Use Fairy Tales To Teach Your Kids English

Fairy tales are a classic type of children’s story that is popular around the world. With mythical creatures, magical lands, and tales of heroes, it’s no wonder that children still enjoy these types of stories, even with today’s technology.

For children of all ages, fairy tales can support their English language learning. Enriching skills from reading to comprehension, vocabulary expansion to social skills. Not to mention, with many traditional fairy tales being in the public domain, they are easy to access and available in a range of mediums such as physical books, audio stories, animated videos, and so on aiding different learning styles.

In this post, we will take a look at the benefits of using fairy tales to teach your kids English along with top tips on how to use them effectively for language learning.

Table of Contents

• Benefits of Using Classic Fairy Tales for Learning English
• Tips for Using Classic Fairy Tales Effectively in English Learning
• Using Fairy Tales to Improve Different Language Skills
• Digital Resources for Accessing Fairy Tales in English

Benefits of Using Classic Fairy Tales for Learning English

Classic fairy tales are not just entertaining stories; they can also be valuable tools for learning English. They are excellent for families to use at home due to their accessibility, colourful illustrations, and rich language. Here are some advantages of incorporating these stories into your children’s language-learning journey:

Engaging Content

Fairy tales follow a common pattern of a villain and hero, magical creatures, and a core problem that needs solving. This provides a much more enjoyable story to read, with predictable elements enabling English language learners to not only improve their reading and writing but also critical thinking and imagination. When children can follow along with what they are reading as well as enjoy the content, it helps retain their attention and motivates them even further. 

Rich Vocabulary

One of the key benefits of using classic fairy tales for learning English is the exposure to a rich range of vocabulary within a contextual framework. These stories introduce learners to a diverse range of words and idiomatic expressions that may not be commonly encountered in everyday conversations or textbooks. By encountering new words in context, learners can better grasp their meanings and usage, expanding their speaking ability. 

Using stories rather than textbooks offers a more natural encounter with the English language since you are exposing your children to the same stories that native English speakers grow up with. Not to mention, fairy tales often incorporate lots of repetitive language, supporting children learning English to understand new words in context, as well as providing further practice for their pronunciation.

Cultural Insights

Classic fairy tales are not only a means of learning English, but they also open up the opportunity for learning about another culture. Through these stories, learners gain insights into the values, beliefs, and traditions of English-speaking cultures, providing context that enhances their understanding of the language. By exploring the cultural references incorporated in fairy tales, learners can develop a deeper appreciation for the English language and culture.

Spark Creativity and Imagination

By delving into the enchanting world of classic fairy tales, your children can improve their creativity and imagination. These stories inspire innovative thinking, encourage storytelling, and stimulate mental imagery, fostering a holistic approach to language learning that goes beyond textbooks and grammar rules.

Tips for Using Classic Fairy Tales Effectively in English Learning

Using classic fairy tales to teach your kids English can improve vocabulary, comprehension, and language proficiency when used consistently within your child’s learning routine. Here are some practical tips for making the most of fairy tales in your child’s English learning journey:

Selecting Appropriate Stories

When choosing fairy tales for language learning, consider the difficulty of the language used in the story. For beginners, opt for simpler tales with basic vocabulary and straightforward plotlines. Stories with repetition and fun characters e.g. animals, will help engage beginner learners e.g. The Gingerbread Man or The Little Red Hen.

Intermediate learners may benefit from stories with more varied sentence structures and descriptive language. Stories that have a range of characters and a problem that needs solving will also help to retain your child’s attention e.g. Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.

Advanced learners can tackle more intricate tales with complex themes and advanced vocabulary. Fairy tales at this level also incorporate more problems and solutions, different settings, and good vs. evil scenarios. This helps to ensure the stories your children are reading at this level are challenging enough so that they continue to develop their English skills without getting bored. Fairy tales such as Rumpelstiltskin, The Snow Queen, and Hansel and Gretel are good for advanced learners.

Tailoring the story selection to your child’s proficiency level can help them engage with the material effectively and make learning more enjoyable.

Interactive Activities

To enhance language skills through fairy tales, incorporate interactive activities into your child’s English language routine. Role-playing scenes from the story can help improve speaking and listening skills while story-retelling exercises can enhance comprehension and memory retention. Make sure to take a look at this list of storytelling games that will help expand each fairy tale and aid your children’s language development.

Engaging with the text in a hands-on manner allows your children to practice language in a practical context and reinforces their understanding of grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure.

Multi Medium Resources

As fairy tales are so popular and within the public domain, it means that they are easy to access in a variety of forms. To read these popular stories, you aren’t limited to purchasing a physical copy. You can view digital versions online for free on sites such as Project Gutenberg. There are also podcasts, YouTube channels, and websites that share audio recordings, videos, and extended story-based activities that will engage your children and improve their English. It is important to consider how your child learns best and then utilize a range of resources that suit their learning style.

Using Fairy Tales to Improve Different Language Skills

Fairy tales offer a delightful and effective way to enhance various language skills, making the learning process enjoyable and engaging. Let’s explore how these classic stories can be utilised to develop reading comprehension, speaking and pronunciation, as well as writing skills.

Vocabulary Expansion

Fairy tales are rich sources of vocabulary that can be used to expand your children’s linguistic range. To build vocabulary effectively, create word lists together with your children from the stories you read and learn them in context. Make it fun for your children by playing games with the new vocabulary such as tic tac toe, matching pairs, or Pictionary.  

Consider keeping a vocabulary journal to track your children’s progress and review new words regularly together. By actively engaging with the language found in fairy tales, your children can boost their vocabulary skills and become more confident in expressing themselves in English.

Speaking and Pronunciation

Practising dialogue from fairy tales can significantly improve spoken English and pronunciation. By reading aloud and enacting the characters’ conversations, your children can work on articulation, intonation, and fluency. This interactive approach not only boosts confidence in speaking but also helps in mimicking native speakers’ pronunciation, refining language skills further.

Reading Comprehension

Delving into classic fairy tales provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen reading comprehension skills. The rich and imaginative language used in these tales exposes learners to new vocabulary, sentence structures, and idiomatic expressions. By following the plotlines, understanding character motivations, and grasping moral lessons, readers can enhance their overall comprehension abilities in English. You can assess your children’s understanding by asking questions during storytelling, retelling stories, or playing story-themed games.

Writing Skills

Retelling or rewriting fairy tales can be a creative way to enhance writing abilities. By reimagining these well-known stories or crafting original adaptations, your children can work on narrative structure, character development, and descriptive language. This exercise encourages creativity, improves vocabulary usage, and hones grammar and syntax skills, contributing to overall proficiency in written English.

For beginner learners, consider incorporating copywork when focusing on writing skills. Copy work develops writing skills, grammar, and vocabulary, whilst removing the pressure of creating original content. For children who enjoy writing or require a harder challenge, focus on setting one piece of work at a time e.g. identifying the problems and solutions within a story, cause and effect, character descriptions, or designing a new ending.

Digital Resources for Accessing Fairy Tales in English

Accessing fairy tales in English has never been easier with the abundance of online platforms and apps designed to enhance language learning through storytelling. Here are some resources where you can access fairy tales to teach your kids English:

Interactive Websites

1. Storyberries: Storyberries offers a collection of interactive fairy tales that not only entertain but also help learners practise English. With colourful illustrations and engaging storytelling, this website is a fantastic resource for language learners of all levels.
2. British Council – LearnEnglish Kids: The LearnEnglish Kids section of the British Council website provides a range of classic fairy tales in English. Through interactive games, quizzes, and reading activities, learners can enjoy popular stories while sharpening their language proficiency.
3. Oxford Owl: Oxford Owl’s online platform includes a selection of fairy tales that learners can read or listen to while following along with the text. This interactive approach aids in comprehension and vocabulary acquisition, making it a valuable tool for English learners.

Animated Stories

1. English Fairy Tales: This YouTube channel offers both traditional and non-traditional fairy tale stories that have been animated with voiceovers for children to listen to.
2. Gigglebox: another YouTube channel offering animated videos of classic fairy tales, along with songs and nursery rhymes that are great for younger children.
3. Homer: Homer is an educational learning program that incorporates animated stories to help your child learn to read. Though it is a paid app, there are some free digital fairy tales your children can listen to via the link. 

Extension Activities

1. Red Ted Art: This site offers a list of fun arts and crafts projects children can do relating to a variety of fairy tales. From making origami houses for The Three Little Pigs to growing beans in a jar for Jack and the Beanstalk, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
2. Twinkl: Twinkl offers a range of activity workbooks and paper-based board games that help extend learning after reading the story together, whilst also incorporating an element of play-based learning to retain your children’s attention.
3. Drama Start: Though primarily designed for teachers leading a group of children, with some adaptation, you can still use this list of activities at home with your children. Drama helps bring stories to life and Drama Start offers a range of activity ideas which will help your children relate to the story, understand characters, use vocabulary, and demonstrate their comprehension.

Utilising classic fairy tales in learning English offers a range of benefits, making the language-learning journey engaging, enjoyable, and effective. Incorporating these stories into your children’s language learning routine, you not only enhance their language skills but also dive into rich cultural contexts and open opportunities to expand learning with drama, games, and crafts. Using fairy tales to teach your children English will help them embark on a linguistic adventure that is both educational and enchanting.

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• 12 Engaging Fairy Tale Crafts to Boost Your Children’s English Skills