MAGIC - Magical Tales as Anchors for Growth in Children

MAGIE is a citizen science study in which interested members of the public, educators, and cultural practitioners collaboratively modernize fairy tales – while we examine, from a scientific perspective, how this process influences the development of children aged 4 to 8.

Context

For centuries, fairy tales have played a central role in shaping cultural values and children’s development. Yet many traditional versions reflect role models and messages that no longer align with contemporary understandings of diversity, equality, and inclusion. At the same time, familiarity with many fairy tales is declining among children – particularly among boys.

Despite their importance, there is still limited research on how modern, collaboratively adapted fairy tales affect children – especially in terms of language, emotions, social behaviour, and parent–child relationships.

This is where MAGIE comes in: the project explores participatory, contemporary adaptations of fairy tales and investigates their impact scientifically. It brings together perspectives from developmental psychology, narrative research, AI-supported storytelling, and citizen science.

Aims and Impact

Acceptance: Are collaboratively adapted fairy tales embraced by parents and children?
Impact: Do they support children’s language, social, and emotional development more effectively than traditional fairy tales?
Relationships: Do they enhance the quality of parent–child interaction?
Character perception: How do children’s understanding and perception of fairy tale characters change?
Equal opportunities: Do boys and girls benefit equally?
Participation: How can fairy tales be collaboratively reimagined and adapted?
Open Science: Creation of an open repository (texts, illustrations, audio) as freely accessible educational resources.

Become a Citizen Scientist and Shape MAGIE

Join our research team with your ideas and experiences.

Citizen scientists are people without formal research training who actively contribute to scientific projects by sharing their knowledge, perspectives, and skills. Individuals, families, educators, school classes, illustrators, storytellers, and other members of the community are all invited to take part in developing contemporary fairy tales.

Together, we explore how stories influence children’s linguistic, emotional, and social development.

Program and Registration

The program includes talks, workshops, exchange formats, creative labs, and collaborative study planning. An overview of dates and content is available on the official event page and in the program flyer (PDF, 701 KB) (in German).

Registration takes place via the official event platform.

The current status of the project is outlined through its project phases.

How You Can Get Involved

Workshops and meetings (1–2 times per month): Develop fairy tales together, create characters, and discuss role models
Everyday testing: Try out new fairy tales with children (aged 4–8) and share feedback
Creative contributions: Contribute your own texts, cultural perspectives, illustrations, or audio ideas
Co-design the study: Help shape research questions, processes, and materials
Flexible participation: Contribute according to your time and interests – occasional participation is possible

Benefits and Forms of Participation

Certificate confirming your contribution as a citizen scientist
Insights from both research and practice, including developmental psychology, storytelling, and AI
Real impact: your perspectives help shape texts, illustrations, and study materials
Community exchange with families, creatives, educators, and researchers
Open science: access to all results, educational resources, and future publications