Little Red Hen is a well-known story that, by definition is not a fairy tale but a fable. Feel free to check the differences between fables and fairy tales. Little Red Hen tells about the hen who wants to make a leaf of bread. This is not very complicated but demands some planning, patience, and, above all, activity. She has a few friends who live in the same place but none of them seems interested to help. So she does everything by herself and in the end denies everybody else to eat with her.

Image by Tony Sarg

While such a fable doesn't possess any significant artistic value, we can frequently find Little Red Hen in textbooks. The reason is simple. It still possesses tremendous eductive potential. Here are three important lessons to learn from Little Red Hen:

1. If you want something, you need activity. Bread will not be baked without your initiative. It's great to share all the tasks with others but, in case nobody else can't or won't help, it's still up to you if you want to reach the goal. In this case, this is a loaf of bread. For this, you need seed, water, fertilizer, and some care, and the wheat will be grown. After that, harvest it, grind it, knead the dough, and bake it. With all these steps you won't get any bread!

2. If nobody wants to help you with one activity, this doesn't mean you can't get help in another step. Little Red Hen asks all the animals at the farm to participate in every single task of making the loaf of bread. Yes, it's true, nobody gives her a hand at any activity but they can't say she didn't give them a chance. Chances, actually. At the end of the project, nobody can say she excluded others. Her character is not the problem. Their behavior is. We can all learn that second chances are an important part of life. For others and yourself.

3. Life is cyclic. This is another important lesson from this fable. Every life has a beginning and an end. Each growth needs certain conditions. Each end of life is a chance for something new. Everything in nature follows certain patterns.

Here we are. With just three of many important lessons, we can learn from The Little Red Hen.