Here are some short fairy tale stories to share with your children:
1. Cinderella
The story of Cinderella tells of a kindhearted young woman who was treated cruelly by her stepmother and sisters, but, never the less, kept a humble attitude.
One day, the king decided to throw a ball and invited all the young maidens in the kingdom. While Cinderella’s sisters made her help them get ready for the ball, not once did they ask her if she would like to go with them.
Once they left, her Fairy Godmother appeared and helped Cinderella go to the ball with a bit of magic that would only last until midnight. At the ball, Cinderella caught the eye of the prince, as she was the most beautiful girl there, and they danced all night.
When midnight came, Cinderella had to leave the ball, and in her hurry, one of her glass slippers fell off her feet. The prince found this slipper and vowed to marry the girl who the slipper belonged to.
The prince went from house to house, looking for the girl who’s foot fit the slipper, and he reached Cinderella’s house. Though Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother tried to keep her from trying it on, the glass slipper was a perfect fit, and she was soon married to the prince and lived happily ever after.
This is a wonderful story that captures how keeping a humble attitude will reap its rewards.
2. Beauty and the Beast
Originating in France, this is the story of Belle, a beautiful peasant girl who took the place of her father, when he was taken prisoner by a fierce beast.
While things were uncomfortable and frightening for Belle at first, she soon grew fond of the beast, as he had done nothing but treat her with kindness. When Belle found out her father was sick, she begged the beast to let her go to him and promised to return, but she was held up by the evil Gaston, a famous hunter from the village who wanted to marry Belle. When the village found out about the beast, they vowed to kill him and stormed his castle. Though he nearly died, he was saved and turned into a handsome prince because of Belle’s love for him. It turns out that he had been a prince who, along with his entire household, was cursed by a witch because he did not treat her with kindness. Belle and the Prince marry, and live a happy and peaceful life together.
From the prince’s curse, children can learn about the importance of being kind and that if they do not, they will suffer bad consequences. From Belle, we learn to value what is in a person’s heart, rather than their outward appearance.
3. Sleeping Beauty
This is the story of Princess Aurora, the much-awaited daughter of the king and queen, who was cursed by an evil witch, to die by the prick from the spindle of a spinning wheel because her parents did not invite the fairy to her Christening.
Fortunately, one of the good fairies who had been invited to the Christening was able to help. Though the princess would still have to be pricked, she would not die, but sleep for a hundred years. She was blessed by the other good fairies, and so grew up to be a beautiful, kind and obedient young girl who was often called Briar Rose.
As predicted, on her sixteenth birthday, Aurora was pricked on her finger by a spinning wheel and fell into a deep sleep, along with every man, woman, child and animal in the castle.
A hundred years later, a young prince tried to get to the castle, in order to see the famous beauty that had been asleep for so long. When he found her, he was stunned by her beauty and leaned in for a kiss. This broke the curse, and soon everyone in the castle was awoken from their long, hundred-year sleep. The prince and princess were married, and the kingdom was happy and peaceful once again.
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
As Snow White began to grow, she became more and more beautiful, and the queen’s magic mirror soon began to say so. Enraged and filled with jealousy, the queen sent a huntsman to kill Snow White and bring her her heart.
The Huntsman, pitying the innocent Snow White, told her to run away and never come back. He, instead, delivered to the queen the heart of a pig. When the queen consulted her mirror and found that she had been tricked, she determined to kill Snow White herself and so began to prepare her poisoned apple.
Snow White, in the meantime, found a place with seven dwarfs, whom she lived with and cared for. One day, when they were at work in the mines, the queen went to see Snow White, disguised as an old peasant woman selling apples. Snow White was convinced to take a bite out of the apple and instantly fell down, as if dead. When the dwarfs found her, they were distraught and laid her in a glass coffin.
One day, as a prince was passing by, he noticed the dwarfs mourning over a beautiful sleeping girl (for she remained as beautiful as she ever was) and was mesmerized by her beauty. He kissed her hand to bid her farewell, and at that moment, the apple dislodged itself, and Snow White opened her eyes. The prince was so happy that he asked for her hand in marriage and she accepted. There was a grand celebration, and they lived and reigned happily together. The evil queen became sick from her envy and eventually died.
5. The Little Mermaid
In the underwater kingdom of Atlantica, the home of the merpeople lived a little mermaid who loved nothing more than to look at things on the surface and observe how the humans lived. She longed to be human, and when she ended up rescuing a handsome prince from drowning, she decided that she must become human at any cost, as she wanted to be with him. This led her to visit a sea witch who asked the mermaid to sacrifice her voice, in exchange for human legs, on the condition that the mermaid would return as a slave if the prince did not marry her. The mermaid then went to her prince but faced a series of challenges, ranging from the prince not recognizing her to other suitors coming forward to marry him. However, in the end, both, the mermaid and prince reunite, defeating the witch and living happily ever after.
Children can learn about being brave enough to step into a life that is different from yours in order to get what your heart longs for.
