Episode Details

Should parents read fairy tales to their kids — even the dark ones? Homeschool expert Christy-Faith sits down with Andrew Pudewa, founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing, to talk about why kids need fairy tales and how these old stories shape a child's moral imagination. As Andrew puts it, paraphrasing G.K. Chesterton: children already know dragons exist — fairy tales teach them that dragons can be slain.

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In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why reading aloud to children is the most important thing you can do for strong readers, writers, and speakers
• What the "moral imagination" is and how stories build it
• Why fairy tales may hold more truth than history textbooks
• What makes a story a true fairy tale — and where these stories came from
• Are fairy tales too scary for kids? How to use your judgment based on age and personality
• Why kids need stories about death, loss, and other hard things
• How fairy tales teach courage, wisdom, self-control, and justice
• How screens crowd out imagination — and why kids should hear the story before they see the movie

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Resources mentioned:

• Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) — the writing program Christy-Faith's family and co-op use
• Fairy Tales and the Moral Imagination — Andrew Pudewa's talk on why fairy tales matter
• The Tale of Snow White and the Widow Queen by Jonathan Pageau — Andrew's favorite fairy tale book
• Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian — how classic stories awaken a child's moral imagination
• The Mysteries of Life in Children's Literature by Mitchell Kalpakgian — books that inspire a love of life
• Theo of Golden by Allen Levi — the novel Christy-Faith and Andrew both love
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