Fairy Tales
Before writing a fairy tale with your child, read some classic fairy tales aloud together. You can also have your child tell you a well-known fairy tale in his or her own words.
As a starting point for your own fairy tale, try answering these questions:
Where does the story takes place?
- the mountains
- a castle
- the forest
- the ocean
- the jungle
- a cave
- in space
Who are the characters?
- a girl
- a boy
- a mother
- a father
- sisters
- brothers
- prince
- princess
- king
- queen
- an animal
- a witch
- a monster
- a pirate
What happens?
- the witch casts a spell
- the king/queen is kidnapped
- the monster guards a treasure
- the girl discovers a wishing well
- the boy discovers a magic rock
- the brothers/sisters go on a treasure hunt
- the prince/princess discovers a magical animal
How does the story begin?
- Once upon a time ...
- A long, long time ago ...
- There once lived ...
- On a dark and stormy night ...
- Deep, deep in the forest ...
Then, help your child write or dictate the story in three different parts:
- What happens first?
- What happens next?
- How does it end?
Completing Your Fairy Tale
After your child has finished writing the fairy tale, he or she can add pictures to their story.The pictures can be colored to complete the book. Once they have done that, he or she can tie it all together in a small book. Put the pages and cut-outs in order, and punch three holes down the left side. Then take three pieces of 3-inch yarn or string and loop one through each of the holes. Tie each string in a bow to hold the book together. Your child has just written and illustrated a new fairy tale!
