Can Fairy Tales Make Your Child Better Listeners and Readers?

How Traditional Stories Grow Focused, Imaginative Kids—One Brave Girl At A Time

Your child doesn't need another app. They need stories. The kind of stories that demand attention, spark imagination, and stir the heart.

Each time you read a story aloud, your child is doing an invisible mental workout. They're strengthening the ability to pay attention, follow complex sequences, imagine new realities, and reflect on emotions. These aren’t skills kids are born with—they’re skills they build. And reading storybooks build them better than anything else.

In The Brave Girl Tricks the Witch, two sisters—one brave, one beautiful—set out to make their way after jealousy drives them from home. When the beautiful sister is cursed with a sheep’s head, the brave girl doesn’t panic. She listens, waits, and outsmarts the witch to break the spell. With quick thinking and fierce loyalty, she turns the villains into sheep and restores her sister’s dignity. The girls build a life of their own—safe, free, and stronger than before.

Stories like The Brave Girl Tricks the Witch, where children track a clever plan, experience the power of sisterly love, and visualize a magic wand in motion. These are not just stories—they’re the training ground for thinking, feeling, and growing up.

Here's Why...

Attention is something we build—together. When a child listens to a story, they’re not zoning out—they’re zoning in. They’re holding onto tiny details. Watching how one event leads to the next. Remembering what the fairy whispered and waiting for the brave girl to act. That’s the muscle of attention growing stronger. But here’s the truth: it doesn’t grow by accident. It grows with practice. Reading together gives your child something that screen time never will: a chance to work their attention span with the person they love the most.

Screens shorten attention. Books stretch it. We’ve all handed over a phone in a moment of desperation. But passive entertainment trains kids to expect constant stimulation. Stories ask something more. They ask the child to stay with it—to imagine what might happen next, to hold a thread from beginning to end. That kind of focus is a gift. And the more they use it, the more they trust themselves to stick with hard things.

Imagination isn’t extra—it’s essential. The brave girl does not fight or scream. She watches. She waits. She comes up with a plan. And children follow her every step. They picture the shimmering cloak. They imagine the witch stirring her bubbling pot. They see the wand turn people into sheep — and they feel the tension of getting it right. That’s symbolic thinking. That’s creative problem-solving in action. And it doesn’t just help with fairy tale witches. It helps with playground problems, math problems, and moments when real life doesn’t go to plan.

Stories invite the child to step inside a character’s heart. When the sister loses her beauty, we feel her distress. When the brave girl covers her sister’s head with a veil, we feel her care. And when she makes the world right again, we feel the power of that love. These moments matter. Because in real life, kids need to understand when someone’s hurting, when someone’s afraid, when someone needs help. That’s empathy. And it doesn’t come from being told—it comes from feeling it with a character we care about.

Reading together builds more than empathy—it builds trust.  In those quiet moments when a child listens carefully, something beautiful is happening. You’re not just building comprehension. You’re building connection. You’re giving your child the message: “Your thoughts matter. Your feelings matter. Let’s think about this together.” And that experience—of being seen, heard, and understood—stays with them long after the story ends.

Try It Out

1. Read The Brave Girl Tricks the Witch aloud with your child or watch the Read-Along video together (Scroll down the story page to find the "Watch the Video" button).
2. Challenge your child to walk in the characters' shoes.
   Ask: “Which sister would you want to be – the brave one or the beautiful one?” Ask: “Do you think it was fair that the stepmother and the lady who owned the big house were mean to the sister just because she was beautiful?”
3. Name the big feelings in the story. Talk about fear, shame, jealousy, protectiveness, and relief.
   Ask: “Have you ever been jealous of someone?”
4. Discuss the plot to emphasize the benefits of critical thinking.
   Ask: “Why do you think the brave girl waited instead of fighting the witch right away?” Ask: “Would you have thought of a way to trick the witch?”
5. Share with your child a time you had to stay calm, wait for the right moment, or protect someone you loved.

Stop 'n' Think

Studies show that young children now struggle to focus for more than a few minutes without redirection. Reading stories build attention spans.  What do you want your child to remember—the magic want or the next YouTube ad?

Want to help your child become a brilliant imaginative thinker?

Put something magical in your child’s hands. The Brave Girl Tricks the Witch builds focus, imagination, and empathy—all wrapped in a story they’ll ask for again and again.

Learn More

The Importance of Reading to Your Children

Reading Together Fosters Brain Development and Bonding Attachment

Why Is It Important to Read to Your Child?