Explain that a fable is a short story that teaches a lesson, and that fables usually have animals as characters. If time and setting allow, read the children a short, entertaining fable as an example, then discuss how the characters illustrated the moral of the story.
Instruct children to choose a lesson they want to convey in their own fables. A moral should have two parts: an action or habit and its result. For younger children, you may want to provide a moral for all the children to illustrate in their own stories, such as, "Hard work brings a profit" or "Kind words build strong friendships."
Explain that the characters in the story must experience a situation that parallels the lesson either by matching it, showing its opposite or both. For example, if the intended moral is "Hard work brings profit," the story may have a hardworking character that gains profit, a lazy character that suffers loss, or both. For this assignment, tell children to create a story that matches the moral (instead of contrasting it or showing both sides).
Help each child pick a main character that will demonstrate the truth of her moral. Children can think about what characteristics (such as hardworking or lazy) the character should have, then choose an animal they associate with those qualities.
Guide students through the process of composing a draft of their fables. A simple fable has three main parts: the main character displays the habit, the main character experiences the result, and the moral is stated to reiterate the habit-result relationship. If a child has trouble thinking of an illustrative situation, help him think about related experiences he has had, then translate them into the world of the fable. If the child cannot relate to the moral, let him pick a different one instead.