Nodar MIRAZANASHVILI 

Paata QURDADZE

The given article considers negative assessment of the scholarly approaches to the fairy tales all along the post-Soviet space (with particular emphasis on Georgia).

The authors review the relevant literature focused on historical aspects of creation of the fairy tales, in particular the folk fairy tales.

Analysis of the causes of emergence of the fairy tales is accentuating their priority role in children’s education and upbringing. The national folk fairy tale alongside with number of educational measures is a crucial component in a long and comprehensive process of forming a child personality as well as development of necessary skills. The fairy tales not only broaden the consciousness of children but extend utmost influence on their subconscious world.

The article contains a number of recommendations to parents on how to use the fairy tales in bringing up their children. The recommendations also refer to the contents and type of the fairy tales that should be told to children and when it is more appropriate to engage them in narration.

Telling stories before falling asleep is compared to the factor of “lethargic” sleep characteristic to initiation: the oldest mystical method of rearing. This is an assisting factor to the conscious comprehension of children in moving to a fairy tale realm, thus, enhancing the positive process undergoing in their subconscious part. The folk fairy tales have a positive impact on children whereas any changes entered in the texts of the tales or telling them voluntarily invented stories is assessed as negative.

Keywords: Folk fairy tales, folk fairy tales in child education, child development and fairy tales,  role of fairy tales in child upbringing