Children are mostly glued to laptops, television, and mobile phones these days. We all know what this addiction results in — rising eye diseases and decreasing empathy and feelings. One way to return their childhood to them is by reading them fairy tale stories in English or their mother tongue.
What are Fairy Tale Stories?
A fairy tale is a story for kids that involves mystical characters like fairies, elves, dragons, dwarfs, talking animals, and witches. Stories in English fairy tales feature fanciful and wondrous characters, ending in blessed happiness.
Originally, fairy tale stories in English were for adults. But in the 19th-20th century, they became associated with kids. The term fairy tale invokes scenes with a magical setting or influence within the story rather than the actual presence of a fairy. They are authored by no one and are passed on through generations and told many times.
Though there are no rules in describing fairy tale stories in English, they are categorised based on the type of elements present in them. Some examples of such elements are:
- Supernatural relatives like Beauty and the Beast
- Supernatural powers like Ali Baba
- Supernatural helpers like Cindrella
- Supernatural adversaries like Hansel and Gretel
- Tale of fate like The Robber Bridegroom
- Magical objects like Aladdin
- Realistic tales like Ariadne
- A religious tale like The Flower of Lily-Lo
Fairy Tales for Kids
There are many fairy tale short stories in English. The child must get involved with the story. Choose the story wisely according to the child’s personality and interest. It should provoke thoughts, add moral values and end on a happy note, so the child doesn't feel bad about the conclusion.
Here we have 20 best fairy tale short stories in English for kids—
1. Cinderella
A story of a soft-hearted girl, ‘Cinderella’ narrates how she is treated cruelly by her stepsisters and stepmother. Even after being treated awfully, she was kind and humble. One day, the king threw a ball and invited all the kingdom’s young women. Cinderella helped her sisters prepare for the ball but wasn’t asked to attend it with them. As they left, her fairy godmother appeared. She got a beautiful makeover with magic and goes to the ball, but the magic will last only until midnight.
She entered the ball and caught the eyes of the prince, and they danced all night. As the clock turned 12, she left the ball in a hurry. While leaving, one of her glass slippers fell off her foot. The prince found it and decided to marry the person the slipper belonged to. He looked for her in every house and finally reached Cinderella’s place. Though her mother and sisters tried to keep her away from the prince, the slipper fitted perfectly. She married the prince and lived happily ever after.
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2. Beauty and the Beast
This is the story of a beautiful young girl, Bella. A beast imprisoned her father in a castle. She went to the beast to take the place of her father. The beast let her father go and held her prisoner. Initially, she was frightened by the beast but later realised that the beast treated her with kindness. She found that her father was sick and begged the beast for her freedom with a promise to return.
On the way to her father, she was held up by Gaston, an evil man who wanted to marry her. When villagers found out about the beast, they decided to kill him and burn the castle. The beast nearly died but turned into a handsome prince because of Bella’s love. Later, it was found that the beast was a prince cursed by a witch he treated disrespectfully. In the end, Bella and the prince married and lived a happy life together.
3. The Candy Fairy
Once there was a candy fairy who had all sorts of candies in different colours. She rewards nice children with candies. She was kind and loving. One day, she went to a village, Rose. She disguised herself as a poor old lady. She met little Tit and Xeon while she was sitting under a tree. Tit stopped by and asked if she was okay. She said she was hungry. He gave her the loaf of bread their mother had asked them to buy from the market. The lady ate the bread, thanked them and walked away.
Later, they went home. Xeon told the story, and his mother didn’t scold them. Instead, she said it was a good deed, and everything was okay; ‘We can drink milk if we have no bread.’ Suddenly, someone knocked. She opened the door and found a basket full of candies and a letter from a candy fairy showing gratitude for the help.
4. The Sleeping Beauty
It is the story of Princess Aurora. During her christening, the king and queen invited fairies. Her parents did not invite an evil witch, so she cursed that the princess would die from the prick of a spinning wheel spindle. There were other good fairies at the christening; one of them helped her and modified the curse; ‘when she is pricked, she will fall asleep for 100 years. All the fairies blessed her. She grew and became a beautiful, obedient princess.
On her 16th birthday, as predicted, she was pricked by a spindle and fell asleep along with all the men and women of the castle. After 100 years, a young prince tried to get into the castle to see the famous Sleeping Beauty. He was stunned when he found her and leaned to kiss her. It broke the curse, and everyone in the castle awoke. They both married and lived peaceful life.
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5. Hansel and Gretel
Once, a brother and sister lived, Hansel and Gretel. Their mother died, and their father then married another woman. She oppressed them, made them work the whole day and gave them little food to eat. So one day, they both ran away into the woods, where they found a hut made of candies and chocolates. There lived an old witch, who promised them good food, chocolates and soft beds.
When they went inside the hut, she imprisoned Hansel and decided to make soup for her meal. She asked Gretel to do the household chores. The witch then boiled water to make Hansel into soup. Gretel pushed her into the boiling water. They found treasure in the hut, and taking it, were never hungry again.
6. Rapunzel
A poor old couple stole fruits from a neighbour’s garden. The neighbour, a witch, demanded their child for the theft. The couple agreed and gave their daughter when born to her. She was named Rapunzel by the witch. She was kept in a tower with no way in or out. She grew up beautiful with long hair. When the witch wanted to see her, she would ask Rapunzel to let down her hair and climb up the tresses.
One day, Rapunzel was singing and caught the attention of a young prince. He learned the secret of Rapunzel. At first, she was shocked at seeing him but later fell in love with him. When the witch found out, she cut Rapunzel’s hair and threw her into the wild. The prince was blinded by thorns and lamented for his love. Then, one day, the prince heard her voice, and they found each other. They both cried with joy, and the tears from her eyes fell on the prince’s eyes, restoring his sight. They both lived happily ever after.
7. Little Mermaid
There was an underwater kingdom where there was a little mermaid. She longed to become human and to observe things on the surface. She rescued a handsome prince from drowning and fell for him one day. So, she visited a sea witch to become human at any cost.
The sea witch asked for her voice to give her legs and warned that she would become a mermaid again if the prince didn’t marry her. She went to the prince, but at first, he didn’t recognise her; also, other suitors wanted to marry him. She faced all the challenges and married the prince in the end.
8. The Princess and the Pea
Once, a prince wanted to marry a princess. He travelled far in search but never figured out whether the girl was a real princess or pretending to be one. Then, on a rainy night, a girl knocked on the door, searching for shelter. She was drenched and claimed to be a princess. His mother gave her shelter and decided to test whether she was a princess or not. She put a pea on her twenty layered mattresses.
The next morning, she woke up and complained about the uncomfortable mattresses. Instantly, they knew that she was a princess. Only a princess could be so sensitive to feel a pea under mattresses. So the prince got married to her, and they lived happily for the rest of their lives.
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9. Pinocchio and the Fairy
Once, a carpenter named Geppetto. He carved the figure of a young boy out of wooden logs and named him Pinnochio. A good fairy made the puppet come alive, and he took him as his son. Geppetto wanted Pinocchio to go to school. But the boy met an evil puppet master who wanted to use Pinocchio for money one day. The master asked him to go to the ‘fun island’ to become a real boy.
As Pinnochio started walking with the master, the good fairy overheard them. She asked Pinnochio where he was going. He lied, and his nose grew. Every time he lied, his nose grew. He became sad at seeing this and wept. Finally, he told the truth and apologised to the fairy. Seeing how sorry he was, the good fairy restored his nose to its normal size. One version of the story ends with Pinnochio turning into a real boy and reuniting with Geppetto.
10. Princess Rose and the Golden Bird
In a faraway kingdom, there was Princess Rose. She had a longing for a red rose. So every evening, she went out to the balcony, clapped her hand, and a golden bird flew out of nowhere and sat on her shoulder. Her hair began to shine red. She sang a lullaby, and everyone in the village fell asleep and had good dreams.
One day, an evil witch discovered this and cast a magic spell on her. That evening, her hair turned black. And that day, everyone fell asleep after the lullaby but had bad dreams. So, the princess asked the golden bird for help. The bird advised applying rose water to her hair. The next day when she sang, her hair turned red, and everyone had a good dream. When the witch found out, she cast another spell and stole all the roses from the kingdom.
Princess Rose began to cry; at that time, a prince came with a string of red hair. Her tears fell on the hair, and they became a rose. She put the petals in water, applied them to her hair, breaking the spell. When asked, the prince said, ‘She gave me a sign of loyalty, and I gave her mine.’ The king announced their marriage. For her wickedness, the witch died, and roses once again bloomed in the kingdom.
11. The Princess and the Salt
Once there was a king and his three daughters. One day, the king wanted to know who loved him the most. So he asked them how much they loved him. The youngest daughter said, ‘As much as I love salt.’ He became furious at being compared to salt and banished her.
She wandered in the forest and met a wealthy merchant from a neighbouring village. She told everything to him, and soon they fell in love. They married and lived in a mansion. The king lost his way and reached the merchant’s place one day. Though he was recognised, they did not talk to him. The daughter prepared a variety of delicious food for him. When the king started eating them, he realised there was no salt in any of them. The king, furious, demanded to meet the cook.
He was astonished to see his daughter. She said, ‘The food is terrible without salt. Now, do you know how much I love you?’ The king apologised and promised never to doubt her love for him ever again.
12. The Frog Prince
There was a king who had beautiful daughters. The youngest daughter used to play near a deep pond. One day, her golden ball fell into the pond. It was deep, and a frog told her that her tears could melt stones. He asked the princess to keep him if he returned the ball. She promised. The frog found the ball and gave it to the princess, but she didn’t keep her promise.
The frog showed up at her door and asked her to keep the promise. When the king came to know about it, he ordered her daughter to keep the promise. She forcefully agreed and kept him. The next day, the frog said to the princesses that he would leave forever if she kissed him. To get rid of him, she kissed him, and soon he turned into a handsome prince. Unfortunately, he had been suffering a curse that could only be broken with a princess’s kiss.
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13. Thumbelina
Once there was a woman who lived alone after her husband died. She was lonely and wanted to have a child. She went to a good witch and gave her a seed in return for barley grains. She planted the seed, and a beautiful plant grew from it the next morning. It had a beautiful flower that blossomed and a beautiful little girl about the size of a woman’s thumb. She named her Thumbelina. She took away the women’s loneliness.
One day, a toad fell in love with Thumbelina and kidnapped her to marry her. She escaped with the help of butterflies and fish but was trapped by beetles. When she is abandoned, she gets adopted by a mouse. She was then forced to marry a mole but rescued by a swallow. It took her to warmer land, where she found the king of flowers. She fell in love with him, grew wings and married him to become the queen of flowers.
14. Jack and the Beanstalk
Once there was a boy, Jack, who lived with his widowed mother. They were poor and only had a cow whose milk they sold for their livelihood. One day, Jack sold the cow for magic beans. When his mother found out, she scolded him and threw out the beans. The next day, a giant beanstalk had grown. Jack climbed and climbed to the very top of the beanstalk. He found a giant’s home there. He found giant gold coins and took them home.
Later, he climbed the stalk again and found a hen who laid a golden egg. He stole the hen and brought it home. After that, he climbed to the top again and found a golden harp. As soon as he tried to steal it, it cried out, and the giant chased him. Finally, Jack climbed down the beanstalk, and the giant followed him. So, he took an axe and chopped down the beanstalk. After that, Jack and his mother were never poor again.
15. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
This is the story of a beautiful princess, Snow White, named for her skin colour. She lost her mother, and her father married another woman. The new queen was equally beautiful and had a magic mirror. She was proud and used to consult the mirror often, asking, ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest among all?’
As Snow White began to grow, she became more beautiful. The queen’s mirror started to say her name when asked. Out of jealousy, she hired huntsmen to kill Snow White and bring her heart. They pitied the princess, asking her to go far away and never return. The huntsmen gave the heart of a pig to the queen.
Meanwhile, Snow White started to live her life with seven dwarfs. The queen found the truth when she consulted her mirror and decided to kill Snow White herself. Disguised as an old woman, she convinced Snow White to eat a poisoned apple. She ate it and went into a deep sleep. The seven dwarfs kept her in a glass coffin. At the same time, a prince was passing by. He was mesmerised by her beauty and kissed her hand to bid farewell. The poison got dislodged as soon as he kissed her, and she woke up. They both got married and lived happily together. The evil queen fell sick and eventually died.
16. The Prince in the Dragon’s Skin
Once there was a king and queen who lived in a golden castle. They had a beautiful princess. One day, an ogre captured her and locked her up in a tall tower. She cried for help. The king sent all his knights, but they got scared away by the ogre’s roar.
One day, a dragon flew over the tower and heard the princess crying. He saw her and fell in love with her. He blew fire breaths and killed the ogre. The dragon then rescued the princess and took her to fly over the mountains and oceans. She thanked and kissed him. The dragon soon after turned into a handsome prince. He had been cursed by the ogre a long time ago. The king married the princess to the prince, and they lived happily.
17. The Prince with Donkey Ears
Once there was a king and a queen. They didn’t have any children, so they went to three fairies. After listening to the king, they decided to give him a son. The beautiful fairy granted the child beauty. The intelligent fairy granted him smartness, and the wise fairy granted him two donkey ears. As promised, the prince was born. He grew up with two donkey ears but was the smartest and most handsome. He always wore a hat to hide his ears and could not take it off.
One day a royal barber came to cut his hair and saw the donkey ears. He couldn’t keep it to himself, and soon word spread across the kingdom. Everyone started making fun of the prince. Finally, one day the prince pulled off his hat and confessed that it was true. He then said sorry for pointing out others' faults when he had bigger ones. The wish fairy appeared and got rid of his ears. She said, ‘I granted you these ears so you wouldn’t become selfish. Now be compassionate with everyone.’
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18. The Ugly Duckling
Once, an ugly little duckling lived on a farm. The others mistreated him, so he ran away from the farm. Wherever he went and whomever he met, everyone used to mock him. This forced him to wander through frozen winters alone.
He flew to a lake where he met three swans. They greeted him cheerfully. He was confused as he was always chased away by others. And then, he saw his reflection on the lake. He was surprised to see that he had grown into a swan. A young girl who was throwing bread at a swan called him beautiful. He was happy.
19. The Elves and the Shoemaker
Once, a poor shoemaker and his wife lived. They used to make leather shoes and sell them to earn money. He was a kind, honest and hardworking man. One day, they ran out of leather. They were upset and laid down on the bed. They found a pair of shoes the next morning, and a customer bought the shoes. The following day, they found another pair of shoes. They decided to find out about the shoes.
On the third night, they hid and saw two elves making shoes for them. They were grateful for them and made winter clothes for them. The elves were happy and went on their way to help others.
20. The Little Red Riding Hood
A little girl named Red Riding Hood lived with her mother. Her mother gave her a basket full of goodies and sent her to Grandma’s house one day. She told her not to talk to any stranger while travelling there. She met a wolf, who asked her where she was going. She told him about her grandmother’s place.
The wolf hurried ahead to Grandma’s house and locked her in a cupboard. Then, he put on her clothes. When Little Red Riding Hood reached her house, she was surprised to see Grandma's ear, teeth, and eyes. Then, the wolf pounced to eat her, and she screamed aloud. Woodcutters who were passing by heard her and rescued her.
Benefits of a Fairy Tale for Your Child
Generally, children listen to stories their parents or grandparents narrate before bedtime. It creates an engaging environment for them and helps them get a good night's sleep. Fairy tale short stories in English are used to address kids’ fear and give them some initial exposure to life. They also teach kids to deal with situations and find their place in the world.
Here are some other benefits of fairy tale stories for kids:
1. Create a Bond Between Children and Elders
When you read bedtime stories to your child daily, it creates a special bond with them. It is important to spend quality time with kids in the hectic modern times, and what better than telling a bedtime story? It also makes the child feel loved.
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2. Improves the Child's Imagination
The stories in fairy tales take children to another world with mystical characters, vastly different from ours. It fuels their imagination.
3. Improves Their Learning
Once Einstein said, 'If you want to make your children intelligent, read more fairy tales to them.’ As fairy tales involve things that don't happen in the real world, it teaches children abstract concepts and not concrete things.
4. Improves Concentration and Memory
You can repeatedly ask questions about particular events while telling the story. Ask them what, how and why certain things happened? It makes them listen to the words carefully and improves their memory.
5. Inculcates Moral Values
In a fairy tale, there is one evil character with pride, jealousy, or greed who faces bad consequences. This shows how a good character always wins over an evil character. It teaches the importance of values to kids.
6. Teaches About the Reality of Life
Through fairy tales, kids can learn that the world and people are not always kind and beautiful. To reach a wonderful place, one must go through life's hardships. Children can learn the valuable lesson that a good and positive attitude always helps everyone in life.
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7. Develops Problem-Solving Skills
The main character in a fairy tale goes through adversaries and hardships. But with continuous efforts and quick thinking in situations, they overcome everything. It helps young children learn the importance of thinking before acting and being perseverent.
8. Knowledge about Cultures and Lifestyles
Through fairy tales, You can introduce children to various cultures, traditions and lifestyles. It also introduces them to words from different languages at an early age and improves their vocabulary.
9. Improve Psychological Understanding
You can discuss the story and characters with the child. You can help them understand life lessons by asking questions while reading the story. For instance, is the Beast cruel to Bella in Beauty and the Beast? What should Bella do to help her father? Is Beast an excellent or evil character?
Such questions will expand children’s mental horizons and teach them lessons on people and their psychology; for instance, a Beast isn’t always cruel.
10. Incidental Learnings
While telling a story, there are many difficult words, phrases or aspects of life that the child can learn without intending to learn. For instance, The Ugly Duckling story teaches that swans migrate and survive winters without teaching it directly.
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Summing up on Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Fairy tale stories in English are popular bedtime stories for children, but they don't have to be restricted to bedtime. You can engage children with them any chance you get and strengthen your relationship with them. Plus, the mystical characters in these fascinating stories will fuel their imagination and develop their creative thinking. It will broaden the horizons of their mind and inculcate moral values and incidental learnings.
