March break is almost over. Vacation time often means that children have to be looked after by people other than their parents. This also means that your little ones might have been exposed to soul-disturbing images, stories, screen-time and such like.
I've written about this before, but think it's worth revisiting. In my experience the best antidote comes in the form of what we call fairy tales (although many of them don't feature elemental beings such as fairies, gnomes, dwarves etc.) Even children past the age of change-of-teeth can benefit. While we were in New Zealand earlier this year our ten year-old grandson was ill for a couple of days. He sat quietly while I read to him from 'French Fairy Tales'.
Having said this, I need to add a couple of cautions. Firstly, it's good if you're familiar with the tale before you start reading (telling, if you can manage it, is even better!) So my advice is to stick with the tried and true. Here's a quick list off the top of my head:
The Sweet Porridge (a good one to start with for the smaller child)
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White (a resurrection story appropriate for Easter and for a six year-old)
Snow White and Rose Red
Mother Holle
The Elves and the Carpenter
Rumpelstiltskin
Rapunzel
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Frog Prince
The Seven Dancing Princesses
The Musicians of Bremen (a favourite with my smallest grandson)
The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids
Cinderella
The Golden Goose
Jorinda and Joringel
The Star Money
Hans in Luck
Bearskin
It's good if you can read the original versions rather than a retell.
What's really important is to read as flatly as you can i.e. don't put expression or emotion in your voice. You want the child to live in the pictures because therein lies their healing and restoring power.
