Can Traditional Tales Help Your Child Better Understand the World?
Janice LawrenceHow Traditional Tales Help Children Learn Universal Values And Appreciate Diversity
Traditional tales from around the world can help young children appreciate other cultures. These stories do more than entertain—they introduce new ways of living, thinking, and feeling, while also showing how much we all have in common.
Stories are windows into other worlds. When children read fairy tales from different countries, they’re gently exposed to languages, customs, settings, and ideas that may be very different from their own. This early exposure helps them feel comfortable with difference instead of afraid of it.
Shared themes create connection. No matter where the story comes from, many fairy tales share themes like bravery, kindness, cleverness, and justice. When children see those themes repeated across cultures, they begin to understand that we’re all human—and that our values can unite us.
Appreciation starts with curiosity The goal isn’t to turn children into cultural experts. It’s to spark interest. A question about a character’s clothing or setting can become a moment of discovery—and that moment can grow into a lifelong habit of respectful curiosity and open-hearted listening.
In The Clever Girl Tricks the Giant, a retelling of the legend of Mulan—we meet a girl who risks everything to protect her father. She puts on armor, takes his place in battle, and leads with strength and strategy. Underneath the action is a powerful idea: in some cultures, family honor outweighs personal safety. That’s not just a plot point. It’s a window into a different way of understanding love and duty.
The Brave Girl Defeats the Fairy King brings us to the forests of Scotland with the retelling of the Scottish tale of Tam Lin. In this tale, a Scottish heroine, Janet, pulls her enchanted love off his horse to save him from the Fairy Queen. The heroine doesn’t run from danger—she runs toward it. Her rescue depends on her ability to hold fast through fear, shape-shifting, and pressure from powerful forces. She doesn’t waver. That’s love, but it’s also resilience, courage, and self-trust.
And in The Kind Boy Saves the Dragon, an adaptation of Apion’s famous tale, “Androcles and the Lion, the hero sees someone suffering and chooses to help. That’s all. He’s not thinking about reward or danger. He just acts. The story comes from an ancient Greco-Roman tale, but its message is timeless: kindness has power, and it belongs to everyone.
Stories from different cultures can teach children about values. Mulan shows the importance of family honor in China. Janet's bravery highlights Scottish tales of love and determination. Androcles' kindness towards the dragon demonstrates compassion. These stories make values meaningful and show how they transcend cultures.
Stories Help Children Discover Universal Values
When children hear fairy tales from many cultures, they learn more than just new settings or strange names. They meet heroes who look, think, and live differently—but who feel the same emotions they do. They see courage in China, cleverness in Scotland, kindness in ancient Greece. Over time, these stories build bridges: between cultures, between values, and between people. Children begin to understand that our differences are beautiful—and our humanity is shared.
Here's Why...
Building bridges, not walls. When kids read stories from other cultures, they stretch their worldview one story at a time. Mulan’s tale doesn’t just teach bravery—it invites a child to step into ancient China and imagine life through someone else’s eyes. And in a world that’s only getting more connected, that’s a skill they’ll use for life.
Values like love and courage transcend cultural definitions. Sometimes, it’s not the setting of a story that matters—it’s the heartbeat. Janet’s Scottish woods feel far away, but her fierce love? That’s familiar. Stories like hers help kids feel less alone in their big feelings. They whisper, “You’re not the only one who’s ever been scared or brave or in love.”
Fantasy isn’t fluff—it’s fuel. A boy who saves a dragon might just grow into a child who protects a classmate, befriends someone new, or solves a problem no one else can see. Imagination makes room for empathy. And empathy makes room for magic.
Stories teach what lectures can’t. A child may forget a rule—but remember a dragon. When they feel what it’s like to help someone in need and be helped in return, that lesson sticks. And story by story, they begin to shape a moral compass of their own.
Building language through meaning. Every time a child hears a fairy tale, their brain lights up with pattern, rhythm, and wonder. They’re not just learning words—they’re learning how to make meaning. And when you read with them, you’re not just building vocabulary. You’re building a bond.
Try It Out
- Read these books: The Clever Girl Tricks the Giant, The Brave Girl Defeats the Fairy King, The Kind Boy Saves the Dragon or watch the Read-Along videos.
(Look for the Watch the Read-Along Videos button on each book page.) - Challenge the child to live in the character's shoes.
Ask: “What do you think it would feel like to live in a different place or time?”
Ask: “How would your life be different?” - Share the story’s origin and point out unique details from the culture.
Say: “The Clever Girl Tricks the Giant is a story from China. In that culture, family honor is very important.”
Say: “The Brave Girl Defeats the Fairy King comes from Scotland. People believed fairies lived in the woods!”
Say: “The Kind Boy Saves the Dragon story comes from ancient Greece. The story was told to teach children to be kind to one another.” - Share your own curiosity about the world. Talk about a time when you experienced a different culture and discovered how similar or different it was than how you grew up.
Stop 'n' Think
A Chinese fable, a Scottish ballad and an ancient Greek myth become part of your child's favorite night time ritual. What makes a story powerful enough to cross oceans and centuries?
What stories shaped you? And what stories will shape the children in your life?
Start by reading The Clever Girl Tricks the Giant, The Brave Girl Defeats the Fairy King and The Kind Boy Saves the Dragon and introduce your child to characters from faraway lands. It will help them become more curious, empathetic, and wise.
Learn More
Multicultural Fairy Tales -- The Stuff of Magic
Happily Ever After: 21 Multicultural Fairy Tales To Delight Every Child and Teen
The Cultural Evolution of Storytelling and Fairy Tales: Human Communication and Memetic