Your classroom doesn’t need a holiday to feel festive. Fairy tales, legends, and magical adventures can spark just as much excitement—and maybe even more! Best of all, they work beautifully for schools and communities that avoid holiday celebrations. You can make your classroom feel magical, full of learning opportunities, and rich with reading and writing—without needing a single seasonal tie-in.

Fairy tales have been around for thousands of years, long before Walt Disney gave us glass slippers and talking animals. These stories served real purposes: teaching lessons, passing down traditions, and sparking imagination. Kids may only know the Disney versions, but you can open their eyes to the bigger, richer world of fairy tales.

Here are fresh, creative ways to bring fairy tale magic into your classroom—any time of year.

Writing About Dragons & Fairy Tales

If your students love fire-breathing adventures, start with dragon stories. Read aloud a favorite dragon tale and then let them write their own. Our Writing About Dragons and Write Your Own Dragon Adventure resources make this easy to scaffold.

You can also guide students in creating their own fairy tales—either brand-new or fractured twists of the classics. Pair it with a Fairy Tale Word Wall or Fairy Tale Bingo to give vocabulary a boost while they work.

Puppet Shows & Plays

Fairy tales beg to be performed. Have students write short puppet shows or skits, then let them perform for buddy classes or parents. You don’t need fancy props—sock puppets and cardboard cutouts are just as magical. Our Teaching Fairy Tales resource walks you through how to make this happen without stress.

Add a Fairy Tale Book List

Kids love seeing fresh takes on familiar stories. Some classroom favorites:

• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

• The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer

• Wand by Landra Jennings

• Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

• Shrek (film) — challenge your students to spot every fairy tale and nursery rhyme cameo!

Castles, Knights & Real Life

Invite your students to step into “royal life.” Try a day of “Milord” and “Milady” greetings, practice “royal manners,” or research what castle life was really like. (Spoiler: most people weren’t lords and ladies—they were working hard, bartering, and surviving in a mostly illiterate society.)

You can tie this into financial literacy by hosting a mini Renaissance Fair. Assign groups to make simple, useful items—bookmarks, braided bracelets, origami decorations—and have them “sell” their creations to classmates. Add signs, pricing, and marketing pitches, and you’ve got a lesson in advertising and trade.

Crafts, STEM, & Mystery Items

• Candy Houses → Build Hansel & Gretel cottages, then add STEM with measurements and weight-testing.

• Storm the Castle Challenge → Build catapults with spoons, rubber bands, and tongue depressors to knock down marshmallow walls.

• Mystery Items Game → Put apples, golden braids, or spinning wheels in a basket. Students guess which fairy tale each item belongs to—it’s quick, fun, and sparks discussion.

Decorating & Parent Involvement

Transform your room with student-made castles, fairy tale word walls, or vocabulary displays. Invite parents in for puppet shows, reading days, or your Renaissance Fair. These little touches make the unit feel festive—without leaning on any holiday theme.

Closing Encouragement

Fairy tales have stood the test of time because they spark imagination, teach timeless lessons, and connect across cultures. By weaving them into your classroom, you can capture that magic while sneaking in writing, reading, research, STEM, and even financial literacy.

And here’s the best part: your students won’t just learn fairy tales—they’ll live them, in ways they’ll remember long after the unit is over.

Want a step-by-step plan for teaching a complete fairy tale unit in upper elementary? Don’t miss Teaching Fairy Tales to Fifth Graders

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