Why are fairy tales still so powerful, thousands of years later?

I am a big fan of nursery rhymes and fairy tales.  Why?  Because not only is this how I fell in love with reading, but their structure and story arc, filled with adventure, mystery, magic, danger and resolution captivated me. Every story that started with a ‘once upon a time’ ended with a ‘happily ever after’ and it was vastly comforting to me as a child.  No matter the peril, good triumphed over evil.

Beyond this, educators know that fairy tales also have an important part to play in early literacy and comprehension skills. Think of the Albert Einstein quote:

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”

Looking at an old fairy tale illustration like the one above, you may think that these fairy tales are outdated and irrelevant to today’s times.  And way too scary – we are very protective of children now, ironically since we let them have their own phones and access to a world of scary stories once they get a little older! I digress. Studies show that fairy tales offer timeless lessons and a wealth of benefits for early childhood development. 

Plus new editions have modernised fairy tales and all the less PC or grim elements have been removed. For example, many of the female characters have been given a feminist makeover and shown with more agency and power. The recent Snow White movie (2025), which recasts the Prince as a more Robin Hood type character who leads an insurgency from the forest against the wicked Step Mother, is a case in point. Although his kiss is still needed to awaken Snow White…

Not convinced? Ok, consider these 7 facts:

1. Fairy tales encourage creative thinking and language skills, with their repetition and rhyme. Similar to nursery rhymes, which you can read about here. 

2. They address universal themes like the the struggle between good and evil and right and wrong.  It helps to have examples of positive values, morals and good choices early on. They teach valuable life lessons, such as the importance of being kind and following your dreams. Think of The Emperor’s New Clothes and the lesson that we should tell the truth and not be fooled by vanity, lies and false appearances.  This can be applied to most of our political figures.

3. They teach the practical, sometimes cautionary, lessons of action and consequence. You eat the apple and you get poisoned.  Or, on the positive side, you are kind to the ‘ugly’ old beggar woman, and she turns out to be a fairy godmother in disguise, who grants you all your wishes to come true. It can go both ways.

4.    They stimulate imagination and creativity as they take you to magical worlds where anything can happen. This encourages children to imagine things beyond what they know in everyday life. The bright descriptions and illustrations teach children to picture things in their minds. This can strengthen their ability to think creatively and develop their own imaginative worlds.

5. Another benefit is learning problem solving skills. Most fairy tales follow a simple structure where a problem is introduced, the hero faces obstacles, and then a solution or resolution is found. This simplified storyline pattern helps children learn what to do when faced with challenges and how to find ways to fix them.  They also learn how to make a plan when they make a mistake. Like Little Red Riding Hood, who ignores her mother’s warning not to go off the forest path, and ends up meeting the big bad wolf while she collects flowers for her granny. She had good intentions but it was a bad idea. What can she do now?

6. Fairy tales also teach patience and persistence, as characters don’t always resolve issues quickly, often needing help or creative thinking to overcome obstacles.

7. Finally they learn about braveness and overcoming difficulties. Often a fairy tale hero has a hard start in life, but through confronting others or standing up for what they believe in, they triumph.  Children see that being brave isn’t about being fearless, but rather about overcoming their own fears and anxieties.

For unusual twists on fairy tales, read this feature and these book options.

For an understanding of how fairy tales originated, watch this.

These were my two fairy tale books that I read and re-read endlessly as a child. They captivated me and inspired me to tell my own stories.

The Tinder Box: I loved the tasks set out for the soldier returning from the wars. A witch instructs him to climb into a hole in a tree and there he will come across three doors with copper, silver and gold behind them. She tells him how to bewitch the three fierce dogs with ‘eyes as big as dinner plates’ guarding the treasure. There are a careful set of instructions he must follow. Note the use of three, a common number used in fairy tales.

This image of the dog’s eyes lives in my memory rent-free!  This vintage Sleeping Beauty book captivated me.

“And all the good fairies were there.”