There is no question that fairy tale stories can be an excellent language teaching tool for both parents and teachers. Teaching children a language - be that their first, second or third - can be a pleasurable and fun experience for everyone involved, with familiar fairy tale stories, such as Little Red Riding Hood story, Puss In Boots, the Three Little Pigs and other tales.
Young children learn languages best when they are active participants - just as they learned their native language.
When young children begin learning a second language in a structured classroom environment they do not have the same opportunities to hear and use the language as they have for their native language.
Parents can offer important supplementary exposure by providing high-quality language instruction at home. The language materials introduced needs to be age appropriate and engaging so children can use it (and will want to use it) in different situations.
Because fables and fairy tales are an inseparable companion of childhood, they make perfect material for teaching language at an early age. Fairytale world, heroes, and motifs are already well-known to children and can serve as an excellent basis for learning language, making the learning easy and amusing.
There are many resources available that will help turn learning into play: books, audio books (on cassettes, CDs, mp3), toys, and pictures. Parents and children can become actors, and a small space in a living room can be transformed into a stage. Stories can be enlivened by using puppets, costumes, and other props. For example, allowing the child to wear a princess or a witch costume while reading the story would add a fun element to the instruction. This will also encourage children to explore the new language hands-on in a spontaneous play.
An added advantage is that some children become more open and talkative when they are using masks, puppets and costumes. This gives them more freedom of expression, as they can act as somebody else. The use of props, costumes and masks is also an excellent strategy for timid children.