From the article: The Wit and Wisdom of Aesop's Fables
For several thousand years, people have shared Aesop's fables. Do you think sharing these fables with your children is a good way to help them to learn important values? Should exposure to Aesop's fables be part of your children's character education and development? Why or why not? Share Your Opinion
Because they teach...
- Without preaching, and kids hate being preached at.
- —nacheroo
A Rich Part of Childhood
- Aesop's Fables are an intrinsic part of Western culture. I believe in their importance to a child's character development, not only because they impart values, but because listening to them as told by a loving adult is a rich part of childhood. Looking back, I wish I had told them more to my son -- without reading from a book, and even before we embarked on favorite bedtime reading such as Little Bear or Frog and Toad.
- —Guest Patricia
Tortoise and the Hare
- Using animals to tell the stories makes it easy to relate to and remember, with the important life lessons then also remembered. Decades later I still think of the slow tortoise, how plodding along with determination will get me where I want to be (or get a painting done to my satisfaction), to not give up!
- —Guest Painting Guide
Maybe, Maybe Not
- The first question should be, "What are my values?" After that's answered, using one of the masterful stories in Aesop's fables to relay a value message to your child is an excellent idea.
- —timfisher
Aesop's Fables Teach
- Yes, I do think that Aesop's Fables are important and should be included in character education. Many times therapeutic stories are utilized to help children deal with traumatic events - therapeutic stories sometimes feature animals that talk or characters that have the same name as the child. Perhaps it's easier to read about someone else learning a lesson - comes off less preachy? There may be much to learn from a talking fox!
- —ab_adoption
Absolutely!
- Aesop's fables are applicable to so many situations in everyday life and are so well-known that a few words can carry a lot of meaning. If you say "slow and steady" or "sour grapes," I instantly recognize the moral from the fable and grasp your meaning. Obviously, knowing the fables alone won't develop a child's character, but in a framework in which values are taught, the fables can reinforce them. I also think that children should know fairy tales and Mother Goose nursery rhymes because they are such a part of our culture, but most of the time they don't teach values as Aesop's fables do.
- —Guest Susan Adcox
Cultural Literacy
- There are just so many ways in which our culture refers to these fables. Sour grapes -- shorthand for one of A's fables -- is just one example. It's part of our cultural "code words" that let us communicate about what's right and wrong and how to live a more humane life.
- —Guest JJ
