The primary importance of studying folktales at the kindergarten level is to encourage the development of basic language arts skills. This includes the advancement of reading abilities through the acquisition and understanding of a widening vocabulary of words as well as how those words come together to form sentences. This also involves the ability to identify main events and characters in the narratives as well as the development of story maps that reflect comprehension of how these elements are interconnected. For example, a kindergartner should be able to distinguish the structural difference between a story, such as a fairy tale, and a poem.
Kindergartners can also advance their expressive language skills by reinforcing the oral tradition of folktales. Retelling these tales to classmates improves a kindergartner's recall abilities while also promoting their ability to compare narratives to both assess shared messages and anticipate outcomes. For example, in a comparison of Aesop's “The Ant and the Grasshopper" and “The Fox and the Cat," a kindergartner should be able to discuss how both fables express the similar message of the benefits of careful preparation.
The study of folktales also provides an opportunity for kindergartners to get creative. This can involve developing sounds or motions that correspond to the key characters in each story and then acting them out in unison. For example, kindergartners could be act out the various roles in Hans Christian Andersen's “The Princess and the Pea,” or they could develop animal sounds and movements to conjure the characters of Aesop or Mother Goose. Such exercises not only reinforce narrative recall and oral language skills, but they also encourage a kindergartner's sense of invention.
Folktales offer an excellent opportunity to expose kindergartners to the importance of values and traditions of different cultures as well as their own family and community histories and legends. For example, comparing Aesop’s “The Milkmaid and the Pail” and the traditional Indian folktale, “The Dreamer,” a kindergartener can see the shared message that it is risky to assume an outcome before you actually achieve it. By understanding these cultural customs as relayed through folktales, kindergarteners can begin to acknowledge how these stories transmit and teach ideas while also fostering an appreciation for different cultures.