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Fairy tales: A compass for children's healthy development - a qualitative

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Article  in  Child Care Health and Development · March 2011

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01216.x · Source: PubMed

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 Child:
Original Article
care, health and development
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01216.x

Fairy tales: a compass for children’s healthy

development – a qualitative study in a Greek island cch_1216 266..272

P. Tsitsani,* S. Psyllidou,* S. P. Batzios,† S. Livas,‡ M. Ouranos* and D. Cassimos§

*Department of Paediatrics, General Hospital of Kos, Kos
†First Department of Paediatrics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokratio General Hospital, Thessaloniki
‡Department of Foreign Languages, Ionian University, Corfu, and
§Department of Paediatrics, Democritus University of Thrace, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Alexandroupolis, Greece

Accepted for publication 17 December 2010

Abstract
Background Fairy tales have always been an integrated part of children’s everyday life. In our days,
they still represent important ways of helping the children share their desires and express their
agonies and inner conflicts. The present descriptive qualitative study aims to describe parents’
opinions and children’s preferences regarding storytelling.
Methods Four hundred and seventy parents took part in the study and were interviewed
following a semi-structured guide with open-ended trigger questions. Data were processed via
content analysis methods.
Keywords Results Three main themes were constructed. The vast majority of interviewees acknowledged
children’s preferences,
their strong belief in the power of fairy tales and stated that their children listen to stories at least
fairy tales, parents’
perception, storytelling, once a week. Most of them use storytelling as an instructive tool, in order to soothe their children’s
villains anxieties or set examples for them. Concerning children’s preferences, the majority of them choose
classic fairy tales over modern ones with Little Red Riding Hood taking precedence over other
Correspondence:
Pelagia Tsitsani,
famous stories. All participants acknowledged the fact that their children are amused and positively
Department of affected by storytelling, while young readers share their enthusiasm for fairy tales in many ways,
Paediatrics, General
mostly by talking about their favourite character. Finally, in relation to the villains, children seem to
Hospital of Didimoteiho,
25th May 152 Street, be satisfied or relieved when they are punished and only a small number of participants stated that
Didimoteiho PC 68300, the cruel punishment of bad characters creates feelings of fear to their kids.
North Evros, Greece
E-mail:
Conclusions The findings of this study emphasize the crucial role that storytelling plays in
[email protected] children’s life and normal development.

with Charles Perrault, the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian

Introduction
Andersen, representing some of the most important pioneers of
Stories have been used for centuries as means for passing this literary genre. In general, fairy tales are universal and
common wisdom and knowledge from one generation to the ageless, most of the time sharing common features and identical
next, stressing values and manners of the time and place in themes, whereas sometimes they differ profoundly from one
which they were initially recorded (Zipes 1988). Founded upon culture to another (Dieckmann 1971). In their many forms,
the oral tradition of village lore and country fables, modern they have such a profound meaning in our pursuit of happiness
fairy tales can be traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries, and thus, appeal to individuals of all ages.

266 © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

 Fairy tales: a timeless value 267

For children, stories represent one of the most important

Methods
cultural and social events of their life, functioning as instru-
ments of socialization and acculturation (Zipes 1988). From
Participants
this perspective, the meaning of fairy tales and their psychody-
namic potential was first investigated only recently, during the For the sake of this theoretical research, qualitative methods
20th century (Heuscher 1963; Bettelheim 1976). Bettelheim were used, as this type of research enables deeper insight into
(1976) suggests that children’s literature stimulates mind and behaviour and attitudes, intending to uncover the range of
personality development, providing young readers with the views and generate theory (Fielding 1992; Pope et al. 2000; Pope
mechanisms of coping with their inner problems, life’s stresses & Mays 2006).
and anxieties. Through mixing facts with fiction, fairy tales This was achieved through a combination of observation and
promote children’s initiative and capacity for autonomy, in a exploration of the ways in which people interpret the impact of
more effective manner than everyday life experience itself fairy tales in normal children’s development. The present
(Rustin & Rustin 2003). We could compare fairy tales to com- descriptive qualitative research took place at Kos, an island in the
passes, which provide road maps to help children find their south-eastern part of Greece, between July 2007 and February
pathway to love, power and privilege, while at the same time 2008. The participants were parents of healthy children between
pointing the way back to safety and serenity of their home. How 3 and 5 years of age. They were recruited either from the outpa-
this happens, how children develop their inner mechanism of tient clinic of Department of Paediatrics at Kos General Hospital
coherently integrating events and justifying the plot of the story or from public and private day nurseries and kindergartens of the
measuring it to their set of moral values, is a very interesting island. Recruitment covering letters and information sheet,
subject, which Ageliki Nicolopoulou (2008) developed. explaining the purpose of the study, were distributed to eligible
Apart from the important positive effect of fairy tales in subjects by clinic and school personnel. Those parents willing to
children’s normal development, as presented in the above men- take part were contacted by a member of the research team by
tioned bibliography, storytelling has also been used as a thera- telephone, in order to arrange an appointment for the interview.
peutic tool in a wide spectrum of physical and mental diseases A total of 548 couples were initially approached with an invita-
in children and adolescents (Fosson & Husband 1984; Freeman tion to take part in the research. Seventy-eight refused because of
1991; Krietemeyer & Heiney 1992; Stevens-Guille & Boersma their restrained time schedule (14% non-participation ratio).
1992; Arad 2004; Konz 2006). Through the power of symbolism From the 470 couples that finally took part in the study, there
and metaphor, both traditional fairy tales and modern chil- were no further dropouts.
dren’s literature creations have been widely used in psycho-
therapy of children with mental health problems (Dieckmann
Data collection
1997; Noctor 2006). Both medical practitioners and parents use
fairy tales as scientific tools in order to support children, while Parents who gave informed consent for their participation in
storytelling is also widely used as a diagnostic utensil in devel- the study completed a demographic questionnaire, providing
opmental problems (Mazzeschi et al. 2001) and as an educa- general information concerning the age and gender of the child,
tional instrument for nursing students (Crawley 2009). age of parents, their educational level and occupation. Three of
In the present study, we investigate current trends regarding the authors (P. T., S. P. and M. O.) conducted interviews follow-
the use of fairy tales, parents’ opinions and children’s habits, ing a semi-structured guide with open-ended trigger questions
as well as the way all these are formed through modern family (Table 1). In order to establish a common definition of what
relationships and lifestyle. Although the role of fairy tales in constitutes a fairy tale, researchers took into account the differ-
various medical conditions has been extensively explored, few ent scientific approaches to the term ‘fairy tale’, as well as the fact
studies have investigated their role in normal children, and that the research took place in a Greek island community, which
none, to our knowledge, has done it using qualitative methods. has been influenced by modernity. Reviewing the literature,
Additionally, the use of qualitative methods has the advantage researchers bore in mind that a fairy tale is a story (between
of unravelling and presenting current trends and general fable and literature) with some constant traits: (i) a distant
tendencies, in order to guide paediatricians and other profes- (without chronology) past; (ii) the storyteller (whose personal-
sionals on child care, in relation to the use of fairy tales ity plays a vital role in the children taking in the plot); (iii) a
and the appreciation of their role in children’s normal clear start and a clear ending; and (iv) heroes and villains with
development. powerful characters (Bettelheim 1976; Megas 1994). That is

© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Child: care, health and development, 38, 2, 266–272
268 P. Tsitsani et al.

Table 1. Semi-structured interview guide members of the research team in order to achieve the final
1. Do you believe in the power of fairy tales? matching and validity of categories. Data saturation was con-
2. How much time does your child spend away from you? sidered to have been reached when no new findings were iden-
3. Who is with your child during that time?
tified from manuscripts. Analysis of data was carried out
4. How often does your child listen to fairy tales?
5. Who is usually playing the role of the storyteller? manually and no software analysis package was used.
6. What method do you employ in order to tell a fairy tale?
7. Do you prefer reading or narration? Please justify your answer.
8. Your selections of fairy tales are based on which criteria? Results
9. What kind of fairy tales does your child listen to?
10. What kind of fairy tales does your child prefer?
11. What’s your child’s favourite fairy tale? Participants’ characteristics
12. Do you have a specific hour for storytelling?
13. Do you tell stories based on a specific schedule? The mean age of children whose parents participated in this
14. What do you think is the main purpose of a fairy tale? study was 4 years. Within this population, 51.8% were boys and
15. Does your child seem pleased when you are reading a fairy tale? If so,
48.2% were girls. The mean age of mothers was 33.6 years,
does he/she have a specific way of sharing his/her feelings?
16. What does your child think about villains? whereas for fathers it was 37.7 years. Forty-eight per cent of
17. What does your child feel when the villain is punished? interviewees had graduated from high school, and 38.4% held
18. Do you consider fairy tales instructive? Justify your answer. university degrees. Kos is a famous holiday destination, and
19. In what way do fairy tales affect your child?
20. When you were children, have you been listening to fairy tales? because of its touristic development, 20% of interviewees were
hoteliers, while 18% were freelancers, working in their personal
business.
why, it was explained from the beginning to parents that by the
term ‘fairy tales’ the researchers refer to classic and modern
children’s literature stories. Interacting with the parents Findings
expanded this spectrum to: western fairy tales, folk Greek lore
The results of this study are distributed in three main
and ancient Greek fables and stories out of Greek and universal
categories, as:
children’s literature. The contact invariably started with the
question ‘Do you believe in the power of fairy tales?’, aiming to
1 general topics about fairy tales related to family lifestyle
create a friendly environment and stimulate discussion. The
trends;
major issues covered in all conversations included parents’
2 parents’ opinion in relation to the use and usefulness of fairy
opinions in relation to the use of storytelling, children’s habits
tales;
and preferences, as well as general topics related to the function
3 children’s habits, attitude and preferences regarding fairy
of the family and modern lifestyle trends. All interviews were
tales.
carried out at the participants’ homes, lasting 35 to 45 min.
Dialogues were audio-recorded with the permission of all par-
The majority of respondents explicitly stated their belief in
ticipants and fully transcribed to written manuscript.
the power of fairy tales. According to one mother:

. . . Many times while reading a fairy tale to my daughter,

Data analysis I soon find myself engrossed in a series of imaginary
Thematic analysis of written transcripts took place during and adventures involving charming kings, beautiful prin-
after the period of data collection through interviews. Following cesses and wicked witches . . .
a number of steps, two members of the research group (D. C.
and S. P. B.) evaluated data using the content analysis method
General topics about fairy tales related to family
(Pope et al. 2000), where sentences and phrases were used as
lifestyle trends
analysis units. In brief, the two researchers read independently
all manuscripts and categorized them into similar subject areas. In the study, 90.8% of parents reported that their children are
Distinctive themes and recurrent patterns were coded, and separated from them during morning hours, whereas few of
codes were placed in the margin of pages next to sentences and them (6.2%) spend their afternoon away from home as well.
phrases. Coding similarities and differences were discussed until According to interviewees, only a small number of children
mutual agreement was reached. The results were discussed by all (2.4%) seem to be inseparable from at least one of their parents,

© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Child: care, health and development, 38, 2, 266–272
 Fairy tales: a timeless value 269

Table 2. Reasons justifying the choice between narration and reading Table 3. Roles of fairy tales in children’s life
Choice Examples of quotations from respondents Role Examples of quotations from respondents
Narration ‘. . . Narration enables your mind to create its own pictures. It Instructive ‘. . . I believe that fairy tales help him to realize who he is and
is more creative to use your imagination and through what he is capable of . . .’
improvisation promotes mental development . . .’ ‘. . . She seems to realize that even in fairy tales, heroes must
‘. . . My son loves it. He is actively participating in the plot of fight to get what they want . . .’
the story . . .’ ‘. . . While narrating, I always incorporate ideas worthy of
‘. . . I personally prefer narration. It is amazing to use your emulation . . .’
own skills to create a story . . . This makes the whole Relaxing ‘. . . Each night she lies in her bed, cuddling her favourite toy
process more personal . . .’ and listens to the stories of fairies, until she falls asleep . . .’
‘. . . We believe that narration is more amusing, both for us ‘. . . There is no better way to put her back to sleep after a
and our daughter . . .’ nightmare . . .’
‘. . . Definitely narration. You can improvise and create a story Exemplary ‘. . . When it’s impossible to persuade him do something, my
wherever and whenever you want . . .’ friend Peter Pan can always do that . . .’
‘. . . It costs nothing . . .’ ‘. . . When we tell them that there is no fairy tale for tonight,
Reading ‘Reading of course. It is the only way to cultivate a passion they always understand that they have done something
for words and teach your child to love books . . .’ bad . . .’
‘. . . Maria is thrilled to see all this colourful pictures. It is the ‘. . . If you are naughty the big bad wolf is going to eat
best way to draw her attention . . .’ you . . .’
‘. . . It is actually bizarre, but although our son does not read, ‘. . . Within fairy tales she finds a moral corrective to everyday
he seems to expect what is going to happen. Reading life. You see, all these stories represent a world in which
helps him follow the plot . . .’ the good is consistently rewarded and bad is consistently
‘. . . It is easier for me. I can read but I can not be Hans punished . . .’
Christian Andersen . . .’

Many (65.9%) highlighted the importance of the theme of fairy

usually the mother. Most of children (89.8%) attend day nurs- tales, while a frequently mentioned criterion was the preference
eries or kindergartens and one-fourth regularly spend time with of their child. One-fourth of parents stated that book illustra-
their grandparents. Concerning storytelling, one-third of chil- tion impacts on their choices, whereas a small group of
dren listen to fairy tales on a daily basis, while the vast majority interviewees (2.3%) preferred low-cost books. Almost half of
of parents (95.1%) declared that their children read fairy tales at responders (44.5%) declared that their children listen to fairy
least once a week. The role of reader/narrator is assumed by tales following a specific time schedule, although significant per
parents (84.3%), nursery governesses (54.2%), audio-visual cent (30%) read stories based on their children’s demand.
material (39.3%) and grandparents (31.6%). Some children The importance of fairy tales in children’s lives is depicted
also listen to fairy tales from their older brothers (10.5%), other upon the various roles that storytelling plays, which are summa-
relatives and friends (3.2%). rized in Table 3. According to this research, 66.4% of parents use
fairy tales to set examples for their children, 50% in order to
soothe their anxieties usually at bedtime, while the deprivation of
Parents’ opinion in relation to the use and usefulness of storytelling is employed as means of punishment by several
fairy tales couples (15%). All participants agreed that fairy tales represent
The majority of respondents (71%) usually prefer reading, ‘instructive tools’ and identified the positive effect of storytelling
while narration and audio-visual material occupy the second in their children’s life. While the majority of responders were
and third place in their preferences; nevertheless, reading and listening to fairy tales on a daily basis during their childhood
narration are equally considered constructive forms of story- (79.5%), they admitted that as parents they dedicate less time
telling. A summary of reasons for the use of either narration or than they would actually want, in telling stories to their children.
reading emerging from the interviews is provided in Table 2.
Generally speaking, many parents who chose reading believed
Children’s habits, attitude and preferences related to
that colourful images of books trigger their children’s imagina-
fairy tales
tion, while those who preferred narration suggested that it pro-
motes mental development through improvisation and active Concerning children’s preferences, 80.6% of parents reported
participation of their child in the whole process. Concerning that their children choose classic fairy tales over modern ones,
criteria for selecting a fairy tale, parents varied in their opinions. with Little Red Riding Hood accorded a far precedent position

© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Child: care, health and development, 38, 2, 266–272
270 P. Tsitsani et al.

over other famous stories. Almost half of participants recog- eration of children is accustomed to multimedia-rich environ-
nized that they usually choose the stories their children listen to; ments. The advancing technology affected literature and with the
this fact was clearly depicted in the words of one mother who rise of the cinema, the fairy tale film became one of the most
quoted ‘. . . I know what is the best for my child . . .’ . Almost all popular cultural commodities worldwide (Zipes 1997). Nowa-
children ask for fairy tales on a daily basis, while half of them days, children are continually exposed to stories through reading,
prefer to hear the same story repeated several times. All partici- but fairy tale films seem to take precedence over literature,
pants acknowledged the fact that their children are amused and especially through television (Zipes 1997).
positively affected by fairy tales. The basic way for children to Concerning narration and reading, the majority of inter-
share their enthusiasm for fairy tales is to speak about their viewees considered them equally important, although most of
beloved characters and narrate parts of their favourite story parents preferred reading. The richness of the language and the
while they are engaged in other activities (90%). Following sto- enthusiasm of the reader are of great importance, while the
rytelling with devotion, participating actively and correcting method of storytelling does not affect any of these factors (High
mistakes of parents while reading their favourite fairy tales, are et al. 2000). Parents are now ‘grown-ups’, and through storytell-
frequently mentioned patterns used by children in order to ing, they rediscover hidden aspects and qualities of themselves.
express excitement. Concerning the villains of fairy tales, most Fairy tales hold the key to their forgotten world of truth and
of children do not seem afraid of them but are instead satisfied innocence: ‘I want to be what I used to be, when I was like
or relieved when they are punished; nevertheless, 30.4% of you . . . Most of all, I want to relearn how to laugh . . .’ (Once
parents stated that their children show sympathy for the even- upon a time, a poem by Gabriel Okara).
tual fate of wicked characters. Finally, 15.2% of parents moti- In relation to the purpose of storytelling, most parents put
vated by concern for their children claimed that the cruel emphasis on the use of stories as instructive tools. This is in
punishment of evil characters created feelings of fear to their agreement with the notion that the main purpose of the tale
children. No differences were observed concerning children’s from the beginning was to instruct, as fairy tales were intended
choices or preferences in any question, in relation to gender. to provide models of behaviour and implicit rules of pedagogi-
zation for the rearing of children (Zipes 1988). Concerning their
exemplary role, it is widely accepted that when a story includes
Discussion
a character that readers can relate to or admire, then the
This study offers a qualitative account of current trends regard- message communicated from the writer and the parent can be
ing fairy tales and highlights their great significance in chil- easily understood by the child (Fosson & Husband 1984).
dren’s life. Although few scientists argue whether traditional Finally, fairy tales are known for their ‘bedtime manner’ for
fairy tales still have any value or interest for modern children, centuries, and it is not surprising that many parents use them in
most researchers acknowledge that storytelling provides not order to relax and help their children deal with separation
only entertainment, but also a creative way to help children anxiety, which is at its peak before sleep (Lubetsky 1989).
form a clear picture of themselves in order to be able to under- Our results demonstrate that children prefer classic fairy tales
stand others and develop meaningful relationships with them over modern ones. Little Red Riding Hood was the favourite
(Noctor 2006). fairy tale in this study, although this particular story was dem-
The findings from this study support a dual notion: (i) that onstrated to appeal to school-aged children in previous studies
fairy tales are of great importance in a child’s life and (ii) that (Lubetsky 1989). In addition, a rather unexpected result of this
most parents wholeheartedly share this perception. This is clearly research was that no differences were found concerning the
depicted by the fact that the majority of parents read fairy tales to preferences of children in relation to gender, something that
their children at least once a week, while an important per cent of probably reflects a new trend, which is also obvious in modern
25% chooses to narrate stories on a daily basis. Regarding story- children’s literature. Modern stories do not use as much stereo-
telling, parents, although separated daily from their children for typed presentations as classic fairy tales do (Turkel 2002).
several hours, still play the central role, while grandparents seem Despite the fact that fairy tales have the purpose of giving life
to be less involved in the process. Grandmothers have tradition- to a child’s point of view, parents seem to impose their prefer-
ally been the main storytellers, a fact that was often captured in ences in relation to the choice of the theme. Storytelling is an
the illustrations of fairy tale books (Macnab & Langlois 2006). experience to be shared between parents and children; never-
Despite the reluctance of some parents, almost 40% of them theless, children should always play the leading role in choosing
seem to use audio-visual material, mostly because today’s gen- a story, as well as in determining the conditions under which

© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Child: care, health and development, 38, 2, 266–272
 Fairy tales: a timeless value 271

they listen to it in order to gain meaning from it (Lubetsky

1989). All parents agreed on the positive effect of fairy tales and Key messages
quoted several behavioural patterns that their children exhibit
in order to share their enthusiasm. A statement captured in • Fairy tales and family bonding.
many interviews is that most of children speak about their • Personality building and behavioral education through
favourite heroes showing their admiration. Current literature storytelling.
critics suggest that the image of a fairy tale hero corresponds to • Self-recognition prototypes in fairy tales.
the image of the world that a child has, and thus fairy tales • Values and principles find, through storytelling, a safe
represent a literary genre concerned with finding solutions and conduct to children’s souls.
developing the ‘self ’ (Hammon 1992). As far as villains are • Fairy tales are a timeless value.
concerned, the majority of children seem to be relieved when
they are punished. To date, it remains unclear whether fright-
ening stories lead to relief or provoke anxiety to young readers
(Orbach et al. 1993); nevertheless, according to previous Conflict of interests
studies, the punishment of evil characters is well tolerated and
The authors state no conflict of interests.
does not seem to have a pathological effect upon children
(Trousdale 1989). Fairy tales deal constantly with the struggle
between ‘good’ and ‘evil’. The victory of good is of great impor- Acknowledgements
tance so that children can eventually deal with their own fears
(Trousdale 1989). Finally, concerning the sympathy that several The authors would like to acknowledge the help of clinic and
children show towards the villains, this is probably because of school personnel and thank all the participating families.
the fact that for many children those characters work as sym-
bolic representations of parts of their selves and represent the
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© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Child: care, health and development, 38, 2, 266–272

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