Psychological and pedagogical project “Fairy tale therapy for preschool children”

DEFINITION

Fairytale therapy is a method of psychological correction that helps develop a harmonious personality and solve individual problems. The instrument of this therapy is a fairy tale, which allows, using the example of heroes, to trace the characteristics of behavior and actions, and to analyze a specific life situation.

Fairytale therapy began to be used in isolation relatively recently, but quickly found a large number of fans among professional psychotherapists and parents. It was identified as a separate branch of psychotherapy thanks to Tatyana Zinkevich-Evstigneeva, and was later successfully used in working with both children and adults.

The essence of the method is this: the experience of conflict occurs with the help of a system of substitutes - fairy-tale characters, in whose place the child (or adult) begins to imagine himself. The plot is also important. Due to its metaphorical nature, a fairy tale becomes a powerful developmental and psychotherapeutic tool. By living certain events with the characters, the baby learns to understand their meaning and significance.

The goal of therapy is to help the child overcome anxiety and fears, correct negative character traits, and reveal abilities and inner world.

The following tasks can be distinguished:

• formation of emotional experience;
• overcoming internal contradictions;
• obtaining a sample of behavior in various situations.

Often a fairy tale becomes a means of developing personality, imagination, memory

BEST AGE

Experts advise starting to use fairy tales from the age of 2, since younger children are not yet able to carry out the simplest analysis and understand cause-and-effect relationships, that is, the work will be ineffective. And from the age of 2, it is quite possible to use simple therapeutic fairy tales to help calm the child, prevent hysteria, and provide an example of positive behavior.

At the age of 3, fairy tale therapy can be used more actively, including in combination with other art therapy methods.

DIRECTIONS

It is customary to distinguish several areas of fairy tale therapy:

• Help in difficult life situations. Using the characters as an example, you can consider alternative behavior options and reflect on what consequences each of them leads to.
• Identifying the problem the child is facing in a simple and accessible form.
• Transfer of experience. The parent does not teach the child, but shares with him his life experience and knowledge through a fairy tale.
• Development of thinking, imagination, memory. The form of work is used with children from 3 years old; parents offer not just to listen to the text, but to answer a series of questions, speculate on something, and explain the actions and characters of the characters.
• Behavior correction. With the help of heroes, the child looks at himself from the outside, sees his own negative qualities, as well as an example of how to correct them.
• Psychoprophylaxis. It is always better to avoid a problem than to fix it, and a fairy tale is a very convenient way to do this.

The advantage of fairy tale therapy is that it helps solve a wide range of problems in both children and adults.

FUNCTIONS

It is customary to distinguish the following functions of fairy tale therapy:

• The ability to quickly establish contact between the therapist and the client, regardless of the latter’s age.
• Many mental problems are hidden deep in the subconscious. A short text from a fairy tale helps to bring them to the surface and analyze them.
• Heroes will help you find a way out of difficult situations and consider alternatives.
• Fairy tales allow you to better understand yourself and get rid of internal contradictions.
• This text allows the therapist to receive all the information, even if the client (usually an adult) is trying to hide something.

Fairy tales are an excellent way to overcome phobias; they will also help to instill the skills necessary for a full life, provide an opportunity to understand what is good and what is evil, to reveal the individuality of one’s own personality, and to overcome life’s difficulties. And, what’s most convenient, parents can use this method even without professional education.

Fairytale therapy in the work of a preschool educational psychologist

Psychologist:

- Children, please sit on the chairs, make yourself comfortable, and listen carefully to the fairy tale called “Jean and Wrath.”

The fairy tale “Jean and Anger” Once upon a time there lived a boy, Jean, he was only 10 years old. Curly blond hair, blue eyes. In a word, he was a very handsome boy, but his actions were not at all beautiful: he loved to fight, and without any reason. One day, angry with everyone, he decided to run into the forest and hide: “Let them look for me and be as angry as I am.” When he entered the thick of the forest, he saw something gray-black, scary, threatening coming out from behind the bushes, and it was heading straight towards Jean. "Oh!" - the boy screamed and rushed away. But the tentacles of this one grabbed his hair. “Stop, boy, you can’t run away, because I am Wrath. and I live in you. ", it hissed. “When you call others names and fight, it is I who grow in you and force you to do this. and you won't be able to get rid of me, HAHA. “Anger began to darken, shimmer gray, red and surround Jean from all sides. Jean felt dizzy from the bad, hurtful words coming from Anger. “Look at me - that’s how you are when you fight, you swear!” “You and I are one family. HAHA. “When Wrath laughed, Jean’s hair stood on end. He began to understand that it was impossible to defeat him, that he consisted of his bad, aggressive actions and reflected his own emotions. The boy sat down and cried loudly. He cried long and bitterly and because of this he felt tired, leaned against the tree trunk and dozed off. Someone quietly and gently touched his shoulder, he opened his eyes and saw a fairy. “Beautiful boy Jean, look in my mirror. There's your picture there. Do you see? You are beautiful, very beautiful indeed. Make your actions beautiful too,” said the fairy. “What about Wrath?” - Jean said with a trembling voice. “He’s in me,” the boy continued. “I will help you get rid of him, but remember that from now on you must do only good deeds and make peace with everyone you offended!” - said the fairy. She touched his chest three times with her magic wand. The boy began to breathe slowly, calmly, and felt some kind of lightness in his soul. “Thank you, good fairy. I won’t become what Anger wanted me to be,” Jean said excitedly. He returned home and made a promise to himself to control his emotions and not give in to anger. It is important to read the fairy tale expressively and pay attention to the climax (the behavior of anger). After listening to a therapeutic tale, a conversation is held on the following questions.

Psychologist:

1. What was the name of the fairy tale? 2. What was Jean like at the beginning of the fairy tale? 3. Why didn’t the children like him and were afraid of him? 4. What helped the boy get rid of his anger? 5. What lesson did he learn for himself? Discussion of a fairy tale is very necessary and useful; it is a kind of reflective component.

Exercise “Tender name”. Target:

creating a positive mood, developing a sense of trust among participants in each other, creating an atmosphere of mutual support in the group. Each of the participants takes turns standing in a circle and extending their hands, palms up, to the person with whom they would like to start moving in a circle. Everyone, one by one, names variants (endearments) of the name of the participant who is standing in the center of the circle, and, as it were, “gives” them to him. It is important to touch your palms and look into their eyes, to thank them for the “gift”.

Psychologist:

— You and I have already seen and heard a lot, played different games. — Let’s discuss the rules of good behavior together (discussion in progress).

TYPES OF FAIRY TALES

Let's get acquainted with the classification of fairy tales proposed by Zinkevich-Evstigneeva. The information is presented in table form.

The genres used in such therapy are diverse; they are not always fairy tales. Here are the main ones:

• epics, myths, legends, sagas - these 4 genres are best suited for working with teenagers;
• fables (the moral is formulated quite clearly; you can use texts not only by Krylov, but also by Aesop and La Fontaine);
• parables (often contain important life lessons, are dedicated to a specific problem and can be used to work through it).

Sometimes it is acceptable to use modern genres, for example detective stories, science fiction - the main thing is that the genre matches the child’s taste.

Fairytale therapy methods

Fairytale therapy as a correction method is very effective and capable of solving serious psychological problems . The reason is the positive reaction of people to the fairy tale, regardless of age. Most patients do not experience internal rejection or protest.

Psychologists identify four basic directions in this technique:

1. Diagnostic. Helps to identify the scripts that a person uses when solving life situations. Using diagnostics, he determines character traits, personality strengths and weaknesses, talents, life positions, etc. By conducting diagnostics, the specialist determines the root of the client’s problems.
2. Correctional. Helps a person create a harmonious image of himself, tune in to a healthy pattern of behavior, and correct negative patterns of perception of the world.
3. Prognostic. Helps a person determine what results his behavior and current life position will lead to.
4. Developmental. Helps relieve emotional and muscle tension, reduces anxiety, develops imagination, and facilitates adaptation to new conditions.

The effectiveness of treatment with fairy tales lies in the fact that most people perceive the fairy tale very positively, and there is no rejection or internal conflict. At the same time, there is a deep impact on the spiritual and moral level.

VARIOUS FAIRY TALE THERAPY METHODS

Working with fairy tales can be combined with other forms and methods of art therapy, which will help not only correct the child’s behavior, but also arouse his keen interest and improve his mood.

So, first of all, sand therapy is harmoniously combined with a fairy tale. Sand can become a kind of environment for recreating a magical world. While playing with sand, the child creates his own reality, in which he feels comfortable and happy; during the game, thanks to the so-called “fairy-tale intuition”, the child manages to find a way out of a difficult situation.

Drawing a fairy tale is one of the methods of fairy tale therapy. Using pencils, paints, even plasticine or clay, the child expresses his own emotions about the text he heard. Another form of work is independent writing (composing) of a fairy tale, in which the child can completely come up with the text, propose an alternative scenario for the development of events in a ready-made fairy tale, and figure out what happened after the conclusion - for example, how the fates of the heroes of “Teremka” turned out or what they began to do the old man and the old woman from “The Tale of the Goldfish”, once again finding themselves “at the bottom.” This will be interesting for preschoolers aged 5-6 years and older children.

The next option is dramatization, staging of fairy tales, their staging, which helps children more deeply get used to the character’s image and enrich their emotional and behavioral experience. At the same time, you should avoid tedious memorization of the role and strict adherence to the text - in such classes, improvisation is much more important. It is this form of work that will help you realize your own shortcomings using the example of the character being portrayed, find out how you can overcome them, and do it.

Staging puppet shows is also useful, allowing you to develop your child’s speech, imagination, communication skills and fine motor skills. In order to “revive” the doll, the child observes certain forms of behavior from the outside, sees what they lead to, and draws his own conclusions. Also, in the process of doll therapy, he gets the opportunity to express those feelings and emotions that are inaccessible to him in real life or are suppressed. Older children (6 or 7 years old) can be encouraged to make dolls themselves, a process that helps them relax.

Another technique is the “master of fairy tales” proposed by Zinkevich-Evstigneeva. According to the author, there are 10 main archetypes (for example, a road, a state, a crossroads), using which you can create 50 fairy-tale plots, which is what the child is asked to do. “Master of Tales” is a deck of 50 cards, each of which has its own meaning. Using them, you can create your own oral works.

These methods are easy to use in homework; in this case, mothers and fathers and other relatives become spectators of “theatrical” productions or puppet theaters.

Fairytale therapy - a method of healing the soul

Fairytale therapy is a direction of practical psychology, which literally means treatment with fairy tales. Its goal is to help a child or adult solve internal psychological problems. The main feature is the softness of the impact and efficiency. In this article we will consider various methods of fairy tale therapy, as well as options for practical application.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

With the right approach, using fairy tales you can solve the following problems:

• laziness;
• sloppiness;
• deception;
• aggression;
• reluctance to go to kindergarten.

In case of serious phobias or the appearance of a new family member, it is better to seek the help of a professional.

Let's look at how a mother can use elements of fairy tale therapy at home for her preschooler. Often, it is not enough for a child to simply listen to the text of a fairy tale. It is important that his parents discuss it with him and help him understand the lessons that the plot and characters provide.

By reflecting with your son or daughter on each fairy tale you read, you can form a so-called “bank of life situations” - that is, what you can and cannot do in various cases. The more often such discussions occur, the faster the child will gain the necessary life experience. In this way, the parents will prepare him for an independent future life and help him form a value system.

If a child asks his mother to tell the same fairy tale several times, the request should be fulfilled, since she speaks of the importance of this story for the baby.

WHICH TALES TO CHOOSE?

Let's look at examples of fairy tales and requirements for them. For preschoolers and children 7 years old, the following options are suitable:

• household (“Ryaba Chicken”, “Kolobok”, “Porridge from an Axe”);
• magical (“Morozko”, “Puss in Boots”);
• heroic (“Dobrynya and the Serpent”, “Ilya Muromets”);
• instructive (“The Fox and the Crane”, “Goldfish”).

These can be both oral folk and original works. The main thing is that they meet the following requirements:

• The characters were understandable and interesting to children. An excellent option if the actor is a peer. Age specifics should also be taken into account: for 2-3 years old, animal heroes are preferable; at 4 years old, an element of magic should be introduced; at 5 years old, fairy tales already become the main ones.
• Characters should be clearly divided into positive and negative. Due to their age, it is still difficult for children to judge that an honest and kind person in certain circumstances does not always act well. Therefore, everything in the selected material should be accessible and unambiguous.
• The text itself should be chosen that is interesting to the child, close to him in subject matter and hobbies.
• The topic must be relevant. The lesson is conducted for a specific purpose, to solve some problem of the child (aggression, shyness, phobias), the material must be selected in such a way as to highlight these aspects.
• Availability of interchange. The problem must be solved, since this is the only way the child will receive a specific algorithm of action.

If she has imagination, mom can write a fairy tale herself, but you can use ready-made works by psychologists.

LESSON STRUCTURE

When conducting a fairytale therapy class, the following elements must be present:

1. An immersion ritual that helps create the necessary mood. This could be listening to a cheerful tune that your child loves.
2. Getting to know the text. It is advisable for the mother to tell a fairy tale; if this is not possible, expressive reading or listening to an audio recording with professional speakers is acceptable.
3. Discussion. A conversation about what has been heard, allowing you to understand the lesson of the text, evaluate the actions of the characters, and identify the cause-and-effect relationship “action-consequence”.
4. Art therapeutic element. Drawing heroes, creating a fairy-tale world in a sandbox. It is best to use a child's favorite activity.
5. Exit ritual. Close your eyes, count out loud to three and leave the fairy-tale world, find yourself in the real one.
6. Summarizing. A short summary of what was learned in class. At this stage, it is very important to avoid the use of moralizing by an adult, imposing the “correct position”.

The structure is not mandatory; you can modify it if desired. Such classes can be conducted both individually and in group form.

SOLVING SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

Let's consider how a mother can use fairy tale therapy to solve a number of important problems in the upbringing and development of a child.

The second option for working with fairy tales is texts dedicated to a specific child. As a rule, children are very interested in hearing about themselves. In such fairy tales, the baby is endowed with certain character traits that the parent wants to instill in him. For example, if a baby categorically refuses to go to bed in the dark, in the plot of the fairy tale he should appear as a brave hero who is not afraid of the night.

Fairytale therapy is a gentle method of psychotherapy that allows you to solve serious problems in a gentle manner. It is available for use at home. The main difficulty is the correct choice of material. This issue should be approached responsibly; if desired, you can compose a fairy tale yourself. This method is ideal for children, since the work is carried out on material accessible to preschool age, which, however, does not reduce its effectiveness.

Master class on fairy tale therapy with elements of training for educators

Ksenia Mikhaleva

Master class on fairy tale therapy with elements of training for educators

Theoretical part.

Fairy tale therapy or “ fairy tale ”

is a new young movement in applied psychology, which is widely used by doctors, psychologists and teachers.
The advantage of fairy tale therapy is educators this method independently. After all, children love to listen to fairy tales .
It is especially important to use fairy tale therapy for preschoolers . After all, it is suitable for all children and can help overcome various problems in a child’s life.

What are the benefits of fairytale therapy for preschoolers ?

Fairytale therapy is great for both younger and older preschoolers. Depending on the tasks, different forms of fairy tale therapy . Its benefits are as follows:

• helps to find a way out of a problematic situation (difficulties in relationships with parents, peers, etc.)

;

• expands the child’s knowledge about himself and the world around him;

• enriches inner world with spiritual and moral values;

• corrects behavior and speech development;

• stimulates psychophysical and emotional development.

The essence of fairy tale therapy is that a child or an adult composes a fairy tale that reflects the difficulties that the child has encountered, and then finds ways to solve them.

Types of fairy tales for preschoolers that are used in fairy tale therapy

• folk or artistic fairy tale – provides spiritual and moral education , creates feelings of mutual assistance, empathy, duty, sympathy, etc.;

• educational or educational fairy tale – expands the child’s knowledge about the surrounding space, rules of behavior in various life situations;

• diagnostic fairy tale – helps to determine the child’s character and reveals his attitude to the world;

• psychological fairy tale – together with the hero, the child learns to overcome his fears, failures and gain confidence in his abilities.

There are many ready-made examples of fairy tales for preschoolers used in fairy tale therapy . But the most effective will be a fairy tale composed by parents.

Scheme of a therapeutic tale

• selection of a hero (similar to a child)

;

• description of the hero's life;

• placing the hero in a problematic situation (by analogy with a child’s problem)

;

• the hero searches and finds a way out.

with the fairy tale after reading it. There can be a lot of methods for exciting joint work in fairy tale therapy

Options for working with a fairy tale

• draw, sculpt or express a fairy tale in the form of an application ;

• make your own doll based on the fairy tale ;

• stage a fairy tale in the form of a tabletop theater.

Tips for organizing children's fairy tale therapy

• simply reading a fairy tale is not therapy ; you should act out the fairy tale , draw conclusions, etc.;

• you should not interpret the moral of the fairy tale ;

• more humor;

• the content of the fairy tale should be understandable to the child.

So, if the baby is capricious a lot, to achieve his goal, you should tell him a fairy tale , where there is a hero who does not cry, does not scream, but achieves his goal in positive ways, with the help of requests, polite words, etc.

But just telling a fairy tale is not enough . It is imperative to discuss it with the child, play with it, analyze the advantages of the new behavioral model and draw conclusions. of a fairy tale for a while , reincarnate into him in his imagination. Then the new style of behavior will be learned. Fairytale therapy unobtrusively , in a gentle way, affects the psyche of children, cultivating in them character traits with a plus sign: will, optimism, determination, perseverance, etc.

Each group of fairy tales has its own age audience. Children 3-5 years old most understand and relate to fairy tales about animals and fairy tales about the interaction between people and animals. At this age, children often identify themselves with animals and easily transform into them, copying their behavior.

Starting from the age of 5, the child identifies himself mainly with human characters: Princes, Princesses, Soldiers, etc. The older the child gets, the more pleasure he reads stories and fairy tales about people , because these stories contain a story about how a person knows the world. From about 5-6 years old, the child prefers fairy tales .

For example, a fairy tale about a clock .

“Once upon a time, in a distant country, there lived a watchmaker . He made many watches during his life. But he kept the ones he liked most for himself. And so a whole family of clocks settled in his house: the Pendulum, the Cuckoo Clock and the small one (s).

Alarm clock
(s) (list your family members)
.
the watchmaker himself checked the time using it .
The pendulum was always in a hurry to get to work; it had to count seconds, minutes, hours. The cuckoo clock was also often busy - after all, the cuckoo urgently needed to convey all the latest news to other cuckoos, from other houses, and also to monitor the house. And by the way, no one freed her from work - counting the time. And little Alarm Clock was sometimes bored and even sad. Why do you think little Alarm Clock was sometimes even sad? One day."

What kind of fairy tale ? Did the Alarm Clock do something destructive to distract the Pendulum and the Cuckoo Clock from their affairs and worries? Did the plot take a different direction? Well, good, that means the baby doesn’t have any special problems with lack of attention.

The main practical part.

Presenter: Today I want to start our meeting with each participant in a circle saying his name, and then some fairy-tale hero starting with the first letter of his name.

There is probably no person who does not love fairy tales .

And who else, if not us, by the nature of our profession, should live next to a fairy tale ! Now I invite you to remember that fairy tale that you really liked as a child, and take turns presenting your fairy tale . Why did you love her (or why did you love her, what do you remember most about her?

(Participants in a circle for 2-3 minutes each present their favorite fairy tales .)

“Journey”
(meditation)
Before reading a fairy tale a recording of calm music is turned on.

Presenter: Now close your eyes. Imagine that you are going on a trip. You have traveled to many countries and met different people.

And then one day you were driving through a field. Butterflies and dragonflies flew around. The bees were buzzing - they were collecting honey. The birds were singing - they were happy that you were driving through their field. It smelled of flowers and fresh strawberries. And then on the hill you saw the Beautiful Palace. Something inside told you that it was very important for you to go there. And you headed along the road leading to the Palace.

When you entered the Palace, you were amazed by its beauty. Everything here was comfortable and beautiful. It’s as if someone built this Palace especially for you. And you realized that in this Palace you will find something very important for yourself. You walked around the Palace with your easy and confident gait.

Imagine walking along it and finding what you want.

Everything that you have found for yourself in this Beautiful Palace remains with you, and you will take it with you when you return. Now you take a deep breath and exhale. Take with you all the good things that happened to you. And slowly opening your eyes, come back to us.

“Creating
a Fairytale Land ” (collage)
Presenter: Now I suggest you take all the good things that you acquired during your trip and create our common Fairytale Land . All the magical materials you need can be found here on the table.”

The group is invited to use magazine clippings, colored paper, plasticine, paints, markers , pencils and other materials to create a collage “ Fairytale Land ”

. Participants are given 30 minutes to create a collage.

Presenter: What a wonderful country you have created! Each of you contributed a piece of your warmth, your soul to its creation. Now let's come up with a name for our Fairytale Land . To do this, add the initial letters of your names and create one new name. This will be the name of our Fairytale Land .

Participants can write the initial letter of their name on the card themselves, or these cards are given ready-made. In the first case, you can create greater variability in the image of letters. If the total number of initial letters is dominated by consonants (vowels), you can invite participants to choose a different version of their name and thereby take a different letter.

Presenter: Well, now we have our own Fairytale Land , in the name of which is a piece of every name of those present here.

A discussion is held. The following questions can be asked:

• What feelings did you experience during the creation of Fairytale Land ?

• Was it difficult to get involved in general activities? If so, why?

• Are you satisfied with your job?

• Does anyone want to change anything about the resulting composition?

Conclusion.

Listening to a story or fairy tale , a child, on the one hand, identifies himself with the hero, on the other hand, does not forget that the hero of a fairy tale is a fictional character. Stories allow the child to feel that he is not alone in his experiences, that other children experience the same emotions when they find themselves in similar situations. This has a calming effect.

Fairytale therapy is a wonderful , exciting way that will help your children solve age-related problems. Good luck on your fairytale journey !

Books on fairy tale therapy

1. “Author's fairy tale therapy”, Gnezdilov A.V. The book by the famous St. Petersburg doctor and storyteller contains his fairy tales that help people cope with difficult situations for them - family problems, loss of loved ones, discover new strengths in themselves and find inner harmony. (download)

2. “Fairy tales and tips”, Kozlova E.G. skazki_i_podskazki

This collection contains 350 problems (with tips, solutions and answers) that were offered in math circle classes and solved by children. The book will be interesting and useful to schoolchildren, their parents, as well as mathematics teachers and students of mathematics departments of pedagogical institutes.

3. “Workshop on fairy tale therapy”, Zinkevich-Evstigneeva T.D. praktikum_po_skaz_ter

The guide to fairy tale therapy is addressed to psychologists, teachers, psychotherapists, doctors, philologists, parents and all those who feel close to the fairy tale genre.

4. “Fairy tales and fairy tale therapy” Sokolov Dmitry skazki_i_skazkoterapia

This book is one of the first and most nimble signs of fairy tale therapy, a popular and rapidly developing area of ​​practical psychology. Unlike “serious” textbooks, it lays out the basics of the approach in an easy and colorful way.

The book contains fairy tales that have independent artistic value, which over the past ten years have been loved by many children and adults who met them through the first editions of this book, as well as through magazines, audio cassettes and puppet shows.