The paper is devoted to the role of fairy tales in the cognitive and personal development of children. The article reviews the dialectical approach to the analysis of fairy tales. On the example of folk tales of the world, the generality of structural transformations inherent in fairy tales is shown.
The conclusion is made about the importance of fairy tales for the development of children’s creative abilities. Particular attention is devoted to the approach of L.S. Vygotsky, on the basis of which the grounds for correlating fairy tales with the age of the child are distinguished.
Analysis of the social situation of development at each age makes it possible to determine the essential aspects of fairy tales and narratives that are necessary for productive interaction between a child and an adult. Examples are given and a conclusion is made about the importance of following the principles of cultural-historical psychology for creating and using fairy tales as a way for a child to enter culture.