7 Fables with Unforgettable Lessons for Kids

Educating children about values starts at home, and parents have many tools at their disposal. Fables are a great way to do this. Find out about some of the best in this article.

Fables and fairytales are a great way to get children into reading. Reading stories together develops children’s creative abilities, language skills and reading comprehension, all of which are vital for their future.

But stories with a moral are also a great educational resource to reinforce values and build personality.

Why use fables to teach children?

Fables are short stories which often feature animals or inanimate objects with human characteristics. They are fun and engaging, but also teach important life lessons through their characters’ attitudes and actions.

This makes fables an ideal way of teaching children about key values and behavior. Presenting lessons in the form of a story catches children’s attention and helps them absorb and retain what they’ve learned.

7 fun fables for educating children

Storytelling is the oldest way of passing on knowledge from one generation to the next. Today, we can turn to a huge variety of fables to educate and entertain children.

Here are 7 of the most relevant for our times.

The mice held a meeting

This funny fable tells the story of a group of mice who want to free themselves of their enemy, the cat. They all have an idea, but nobody is prepared to be the one to take action. This story teaches children how easy it is to promise something and not deliver.

The grasshopper and the ant

By telling your child this short fable, you’ll reinforce 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 once the winter comes. With this story, your child will learn to use their time efficiently.

The tools

If your child is just starting school, this fable is ideal for them. The characters are a group of tools. Each tool can see weaknesses in the others.

When they see how they can work together to create a beautiful piece of furniture, however, the tools have a change of heart. This fable shows children how each of their classmates is important, and each one of us contributes in our own way.

The boy who cried wolf

This is an excellent way to help your child resist the temptation to tell lies. The fable tells the tale of a shepherd boy who liked to scare people by warning them about a fearsome wolf. Time and time again, the townspeople come out to help the boy fight off the wolf.

One day, however, the wolf finally appears for real. But this time, nobody comes to the shepherd boy’s aid. Everyone thinks it’s just another trick. This story teaches children that lies can have disastrous consequences.

The lion, the deer and the hare

This is the story of a lion who must make a difficult decision: he can hunt a small hare or a big deer. The option he chooses doesn’t turn out for the best.

With this fable, you can teach your little one to be content with what they have. This story is also about making wise decisions by weighing up the risks.

The two frogs

This is the story of two little frogs. One hot summer, the lake in which they live dries out, and they set off in search of water elsewhere.

Coming to a deep well, one of the frogs wants to dive straight in, but the other stops to think. If this well dries up, there will be no way out.

This tale will help teach your child to “look before they leap” and always think about what they’re about to do.

The tortoise 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 abilities can lead to big mistakes.

The fable tells the tale of a tortoise that challenges a vain hare to a race. The hare thinks he’ll easily beat the slow tortoise, but learns the lesson that nobody is better than anybody else.

Educational fables are a great way to get kids thinking about how they behave. Stories help us experience emotions by putting ourselves in the place of the protagonists.

Include these fables in your bedtime story routine to get all the benefits of this powerful teaching tool.