The Role of Fairy Tales and Fables in Children's Lives: Discussion Meeting at YSU

Aiming to broaden children's knowledge and understanding of fables, to help them analyze and present them freely, as well as to convey knowledge to parents about various fairy tales and their messages, a meeting discussion was held at the initiative of the YSU History Museum named after Professor Ludwig Gharibjanyan. The meeting was organized for children aged 10-12 and their parents.

The meeting was held in a simultaneous format, with different activities happening in separate halls, where parents and children listened to stories related to fairy tales and fables.

Parents engaged in a meeting-conversation with Professor Alvard Jivanyan, Doctor of Philological Sciences, lecturer at the English Philology Chair of YSU European Languages and Communication Faculty.

She talked about the importance of a fairy tale in raising children, offering insights on selecting appropriate tales based on age, individual characteristics, and preferences.

Speaking about different fairy tales, Jivanyan referred to "evil fairy tales", where the plot develops with an unusual example of the parent-child relationship. For instance, in the fairy tale "The End of Evil" the mother cuckoo is ready to sacrifice one of her chicks to save the others, and in the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" the parents decide to abandon their children, etc.

"These plots are quite prevalent and have succeeded in gaining widespread love and appreciation. It's essential to take into account that a fairy tale cannot be built without negative characters, so it's not advisable to completely avoid fairy tales," said A. Jivanyan.

During the active discussion with attendees, she emphasized the significance and need for fairy tales with diverse themes.

In the parallel hall, fables took center stage in discussions with children, led by Associate Professor Nvard Vardanyan, lecturer at the Chair of History of Armenian Literature and Literary Theory of the YSU Armenian Philology Faculty.

She presented the origins and evolution of fables. The children had the opportunity to get acquainted with the works of famous fable writers Aesop, Ivan Krylov, Mkhitar Gosh and Vardan Aygektsi.

The meeting's interactivity was achieved through reading fables and engaging in active discussions about them. Children also had the opportunity to watch short cartoons based on these fables and create drawings inspired by famous fables.

It’s important to note that the meeting with parents and children provided an opportunity to once again pay attention to the importance of fairy tales and fables in children's lives. Indeed, fairy tales and fables are the golden colors in the motley canvas of childhood, which emphasize important principles of the value system: morality, courage, humanity and a number of other cornerstone principles.