Gelisim News

Tales Improve Children's Social Communication Skills

Tales, which have been transmitted in different ways for centuries, also ensure that social feelings and behaviors continue for generations. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nezire Gamze Ilıcak and Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatih Bal from Istanbul Gelisim University stated that with their studies, fairy tales increase children's social communication skills and are guiding for children.

Childhood is one of the periods when the child's perceptions are most clear. Just as the child imitates his/her parents in social skills, s/he also takes the behaviors and sees them as role models. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gamze Ilıcak from Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU), Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Department of Turkish Language and Literature and Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatih Bal from the Department of Psychology, stated fairy tales improve the language skills of the child, it also creates an awareness in the child against national and universal values based on culture.

TALES PREPARE CHILDREN FOR THE FUTURE!

The studies conducted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gamze Ilıcak and Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatih Bal Istanbul Gelişim University with 32 children aged 4-6 who were educated in kindergarten revealed surprising results. It was observed that tales gained social skills in children who were given "Tale Therapy" for 15 days, and thus contributed to healthy communication in the socialization process, particularly in bilateral relations. Stating that fairy tales have a positive effect on the psychology and development of the child in this respect, Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatih Bal indicated, “Fairy tale is an educational and entertaining genre that directs the life of its reader/listener, guides the person to goodness and truth. Fairy tales are products that are guiding especially for children. Childhood is the most significant period in which the individual's view of the world and his/her personality begin to form. The positive completion of the child's linguistic, physical, spiritual and mental development also affects his/her future life. Therefore, fairy tales prepare children for the future.”

SOCIAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS DEVELOP IN THE KINDERGARTEN PERIOD

Stating that there is a strong connection between the fairy tale and the child, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gamze Ilıcak remarked, “Through fairy tales, children learn right from wrong, good and bad, reward and punishment. In addition, words such as idioms and proverbs in fairy tales also contribute to the expansion of the listener's/reader's language repertoire. It can also be said that the motifs in the fairy tales play a guiding role at the point of the plot. Social communication skills are skills acquired through education. Learning these communication skills at an early age will contribute to the development of the child.”

 
CHILDREN WHO FEEL ADAPTABLE TO THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, DEMONSTRATE THEIR POTENTIAL AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL

Asst. Prof. Dr. Fatih Bal, on the other hand, said, “There is a real connection between fairy tales and psychology. Children's social communication skills can be observed better in the kindergarten period when they join the first social group. The school period is much more crucial as they are mostly in touch with technological devices and only their parents before they start school. Since fairy tales are directly related to one's attention and perception skills, children's social communication skills can be supported by fairy tales during the school period. In this way, if the child is identified with the bad in the process of listening to the tale, s/he will feel the comfort of destroying the evil in him/her at the end of the tale. If s/he is identified with the good, s/he will enjoy the victory and will apply these in his/her behavior.