From birth, a child absorbs culture and conduct through a parent's habits and the shape of family life. What happens outside the home — in the street, at nursery — feeds into it too. Traditions handed down through generations carry an enormous range of ways to raise a child, and folklore sits at the centre of them.
Tales and legends introduce children to moral ideas and to respect for their elders, in a form that is vivid and easy to take in. One caution: do not reach too far back. The oldest versions of many stories are full of cruelty, with killings and wars in them. A young child is better shielded from that.
Children's folklore does real developmental work. Proverbs, sayings and counting rhymes ask a child to concentrate, to hold a pattern, to wait their turn — the beginnings of self-control and of playing by rules.
Through folklore a child picks up kindness towards others, respect for adults, honesty and patience, along with an interest in where their people came from. They begin to feel close to the generations before them, and to listen to them without being told to.
Folklore groups usually mix ages. The older children take on the role of mentors and helpers; the younger ones learn to work as part of a group and to take other people's views into account.
Songs are another side of it, and perhaps the clearest expression of what a community values. Ideas about people, about right and wrong, about the sound of one's own language — all of it lives in folk songs. That is why singing is worth starting early.
Seasonal customs and celebrations teach through play. A festival gives children a reason to treat older generations with respect: hearing the story behind it, a child works out for themselves that an old person is someone who knows things, and worth listening to.
Folklore also does much of the work of connecting a child to their heritage — to the place and the people they come from. Because so much of it is concrete and visible, children join in readily: they handle real objects, work things out, and pick up practical skills along the way.
The setting is relaxed and nobody is made to take part, which helps children loosen up and lets go of the tension that comes with feeling uncertain or out of place.
It suits any age. For the very young, it establishes a settled, positive mood. Older children learn to deal with other children and make friends. The oldest take on the role of protector and helper — which strengthens those ties further.
