Elements of a fairy tale

2. What are the elements of
a fairy tale?

3. A fairy tale is a magic story
which can not be true.

4. A fairy tale often has a beginning
phrase that indicates a distant past
or make-believe land.
Once upon a
time……
Once there was….
Long, long ago…

5. Fairy tales take place in made-up
times and places called settings.
Imaginary forest
Castle in the sky
Gingerbread house

6. Fairy tales have imaginary
characters that are good.

7. Fairy tales have imaginary
characters that are bad.

8. Fairy tales often have royal
characters such as queens, kings,
princes, princesses and sometimes
a castle.

9. Imaginary characters like
dragons, fairies, elves, and giants
are often in fairy tales.

10. Characters in fairy tales
often have magical powers or
magical things.

11. Fairy tales may include
magical events.
• A wolf blows down a house
made of sticks.
• A gingerbread boy comes to life.
• A fairy godmother turns mice
into horses.
• A boy buys magic beans that
grows into a giant bean stalk.

12. Characters are sometimes filled
with greed and use tricks to get
what they want.

13. Things often appear or happen
in ‘threes’ or ‘sevens’.

14. Wishes are often granted in
fairy tales.

15. There is often a problem which
leads to a solution which has a
pleasing outcome.

16. A difficult problem, often
very hard to solve is solved
by the end of the story.

17. Sometimes a lesson
can be learned from
the ending of the fairy
tale.

18. A fairy tale has a pleasing ending
and often a happy ending phrase.
….and they
lived
happily
ever after.

19. What fairy tales have
you heard or read?

20. COPYRIGHT MSDE