Short fables
The stories, in addition to being fun, can also bring with them great teachings, which allow children to learn values to shape their lives. These stories, called fables, will allow the little ones to better understand the lessons that their parents usually give them; all through curious characters.
Most parents want their children to be able to learn at all times, without compromising their fun. For this reason, there are many parents who fill market carts with educational toys, as well as with movies that teach different important things such as “Once upon a time the human body”, for example.
Thanks to this, children can learn more easily, as they have fun while expanding their knowledge. However, the teachings that a child must obtain do not only have to deal with biological processes or historical moments in the world. The best wisdom you can pass on to your child is to live with values, as these will be the basis of his behavior in the future.
As such, it’s easy to tell your child that they should treat people well, but it can be difficult to make them understand why if it’s a very young child. For that reason, you can always go to certain stories that teach these situations and that, in the end, leave a moral for the little ones to internalize in their lives. This type of narrative is called a fable.
What is a fable?
Fables are literary compositions that, most of the time, are short and have animals or objects as protagonists. These narrations can be given in prose or in verse. Like most short stories for children, the characters are given unreal abilities such as the ability to speak and understand feelings, just like human beings. However, unlike tales, fables have a primary objective that characterizes them: leave a moral at the end of the story.
Thanks to the development of the story and the teaching that it leaves after the text, children will be able to learn from these stories various values such as: “not lying”, “being good to others”; etc. Instead of being guided by a mandate, children will be able to read a detailed example of a real situation, transformed into a fantastic story that, in the end, will leave an easy-to-understand moral. Children’s fables in video format can be known as short films to educate in values, and they are, in the same way, a valuable resource to help children understand concepts that are difficult to explain.
It is not known exactly when the fables were created, however, there is evidence that they were transmitted orally more than two thousand years ago. Stories of this type are still preserved from ancient Greece, such as the “fable of the nightingale” and, as the universal values remain the same, many of these popular fables are still relevant today. However, to fit the current times, some writers have taken the time to write modern cautionary tales and also rewrite short old fables, so that they can be more easily understood.
5 fables for children
In case you want to instill values in your little one, with the best fables for children, then here you will be able to know some of them; which you will surely love.
1) The fox and the dog:
Many know the story of the fox and the hound, as it is a film that managed to capture the hearts of children and adults. However, few know Aesop’s fable of the fox and the dog.
This story briefly tells how a fox wanted to steal a sheep from the herd of a shepherd dog, and to do so he pretended to caress it. However, the dog realized his bad intentions and with his words managed to scare the fox away.
This is a good fable if you want to instill in children the value of studying in order to have enough experience to realize everything and it is also ideal for learning that appearances can be deceiving.
2) The gathering of the tools:
This is one of the most famous children’s fables in the world. The narration makes us witness an assembly between different tools that want to be leaders of the group.
These begin to attack each other, highlighting features that they consider bad, until they see how the carpenter uses all these aspects to fix things in his workshop.
Thanks to this story, children will be able to learn about how differences complement us and how we are all valuable.
3) Who is the most beautiful?:
When people want things from you, they usually praise you more than necessary and tend to flatter you; so much so that they even lie, so that you think they are your friends. This is evidenced in this story that, although it is not part of the fables of animals or objects, still has a great lesson that is important for children to internalize: Learn to recognize when compliments are really honest.
4) The three blind men and the elephant
If your little one is quick to jump to conclusions and is often reluctant to accept the opinions of others, then this fable can be a great way to teach him why he should be more open to the thoughts of his peers. The blind old men, by touching different parts of the elephant and letting themselves be carried away by their personal experience, decided to discard the opinions of their friends who were also correct. This led them to argue, wasting valuable time and the possibility of really knowing the shape of the elephants.
5) The wolf in sheep’s clothing
Among the short fables, this is one of the best known. A wolf looking to eat the sheep in a more cunning way, disguised himself as one so he could enter the farm and have his feast. However, when the shepherd came to take a sheep for dinner, he mistakenly took the wolf to eat. Thanks to this short fable, children will be able to learn the value of honesty, since deceit and bad actions always have consequences.
Each of these fables has what it takes to teach children different important values for life. Therefore, if you want to educate them and guide them on a good path, it is not necessary to search for the best educational toy to achieve it. Sometimes it is enough to read the best fables with a moral, because there you will find appropriate teachings for each situation.