Animal Fiction Stories For Children
We have grown up listening to Panchtantra stories. Surely, animal fables were and still are everyone’s all-time favourite. They are fun to read, easy to understand and teach the important lessons of life to us. Children are introduced to animal fables in childhood because they teach real-life moral values. There are hundreds of short animal stories which help in developing a character and an ideal for children. A fox is depicted as clever and intelligent while the dogs are kind and loving. The involvement of humans in animal fiction stories contributes to showing them a world where humans and animals live peacefully with the capability and mutual understanding to solve conflicts if any.
Why are animal stories so popular and effective in teaching children how to read?
Animal stories are very effective in teaching the child how to read. The stories use sight words and simple vocabulary that builds confidence in the child while reading. Storytelling about the animal world is one of the influential mediums to educate children in an interactive way. These are adventurous and encourage them to learn more about the culture and traditional values. The books and lessons are animated to boost a child’s imagination and instil creativity in him. Many studies have claimed that animal stories have the power to convey a strong message to children by simply maintaining an emotional distance. The written stories for children also reflect a sense of reality and purpose in the end. That’s why animal stories do not digress the child from their structured purpose to teach the children.
What does Animal Stories teach children?
Children are very fond of storybooks. A child always likes to look at the animated and colourful pages of the storybooks with admiration. Storybooks help in cultivating observational skills and asking questions. These books allow them to read and learn about events that they have not personally encountered yet. To justify their imagination, they pose questions about characters and their actions. Books involve providing that exposure of looking at characters and forming opinions. The world that storybooks weave around the child, for the time being, is a safe world. They experience several emotions with the knowledge that the events are unreal while the brain treats everything as real; the child learns to express his emotions.
Here are some of the significant values that these exotic animal fables can teach your children:
To respect the world around
The stories teach children about the beauty of nature and its mysteries. The vivid description of plants and animals and the human world develops an understanding of their surroundings. Modern writers are also empowering the children by educating the readers about nature and making us think about its impact on it. These stories also teach good manners and respect for mother nature and the living inhabitants of the planet. Animal stories never fail to leave the fun behind!
Social functioning
Although it becomes very challenging to give an outlook of the society through stories, animal stories use the animal characters to teach the children the way of this world. Generally, the jungle plays a part in human society and the way of governance and functioning gives the child an insight into the human world. The stories of Panchatantra involve a similarly formed and ruled society behaving like humans. Their adventures and actions encourage the child to adapt to the social functioning of society.
A sense of acceptance
Animal stories inculcate a sense of acceptance in children for other living creatures. They are taught to differentiate as well as the importance of other species. The stories promote tolerance and respect for the sentiments of others. It is generally seen that odd or unacceptable relationships in the human world are embraced in animal stories.
To differentiate the fantastical world
Animal stories are balanced in a way that the reader gets the essence that it is the fantastical world. The animal fictional world is different and is seen from a non-human perspective. The adventures are undoubtedly out of this world. At the same time, the stories have a safety net since the characters are human.
To enhance life skills
Life skills are some of the basic skills which stay with an individual all his life. These skills include creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making. Modern societies are more welcoming to people who manage situations and act accordingly. India is one of the world’s largest democracies which needs active and responsible citizens who can contribute positively to the growth of the country.
Animal stories present a different and positive outlook on this world. They showcase how relationships are established and maintained. They help children to think out of the box and to tackle difficult situations and thoughts. It is rightly said, “ Animal stories create the strangest and safest worlds, where children can learn the most difficult lessons…Animal fiction stories are strange and fun and they don’t feel like an education. But they are.”