A FAIRY TALE about neuroplasticity
Once upon a time, there was a girl called Lily. She lived in a cosy house with her kind and loving parents and her older brother, Savva. Her parents always tried to support Lily in whatever she set out to do, whilst her brother often teased her, but was still ready to protect his little sister at a moment’s notice.
However, Lily didn’t want to do anything useful – neither studying her school homework , nor dancing, nor music, nor even playing outside with her friends. The only things that she really enjoyed were watching cartoons and eating sweets.
‘Lily, it’s time to do your homework,’ Dad would say.
‘Sweetie, are you sitting in front of the TV again? — Savva would tease.
But Lily didn’t want to change a thing. If they turned off the TV or didn’t give her sweets, she’d start crying and claim that nobody loves her. Oh, how her parents grew weary with all these tantrums. So this went on until one day, after yet another long session watching cartoons, Lily fell asleep right in front of the screen.
But when she opened her eyes, the girl realised she wasn’t in her room, but in a dark, dense forest. All the trees were intertwined, as if they had grown too close to one another, and there wasn’t a single well-trodden path paths. The forest seemed strange and frightening to her.
Suddenly, she spotted a tiny flame. It was faint, but it glowed with a warm, inviting light. Lily walked over closer.
‘Hello, Lily,’ the flame said unexpectedly.
‘Who are you?’ asked the girl, surprised. But she wasn’t at all taken aback by the fact that the flame was talking.
‘I am your inner light, your strength and your potential’, replied the little flame.
‘Why are you so small? And what sort of place is this?’ asked Lily.
‘That’s your mind,’ replied the little flame. ‘ It’s completely dark in there because you aren’t creating any paths within it. You just watch cartoons and eat sweets, and that, in turn, doesn’t help me grow and become stronger. The less you learn and the less you practise your abilities, the darker your forest becomes, and I grow weaker and weaker.’
Lily felt a slight chill, and she began to feel uneasy herself. She had never thought that her lifestyle might lead to such a result.
‘Come on, I’ll show you how it works,’ suggested a little flame.
And in the blink of an eye, the little flame transported Lily to another forest that was bright and spacious. There were paths there that were easy to walk along.
‘That’s your dad’s mind,’ said the little flame. ‘See,
there are wide paths here. These are the areas in which your father trains a lot – in sport, for example. Do you remember how he goes for a swim every morning?
‘Exactly!’ exclaimed Lily.
‘But look,’ continued the little flame, ‘this path in his forest is barely trodden. That’s his cooking skill, and he rarely does it for pleasure.’
Lily smiled, imagining her dad trying once again to bake a cake, which always ends up burning.
Then the little flame led Lily into yet another forest – it was her brother Savva’s forest. There were lots of paths here; they were wide and easy to walk on. Lily noticed one of the widest paths, on which, from time to time, she came across some bushes and pebbles and asked:
‘What sort of path is this?’
‘That’s the football path; I suppose your brother likes playing football.’
‘Likes it? Are you joking? He absolutely adores it and spends so much time training; I think I’m beginning to understand,’ said the girl, her voice tinged with sadness.
Then the little flame led her into yet another forest – it was her mum’s forest. There were paths here, along which it was pleasant and easy to walk in, although there were a few issues with places where the paths were overgrown.
‘Mum doesn’t do everything perfectly either,’ quietly said Lily, ‘but she always tries her best.’
‘You see, Lily, everyone has their own little paths in their mind,’ said the little flame. ‘Some people are good at it’ Some have already been trodden down, whilst others are yet to be trodden down. If you don’t learn or practise your skills, then your forest will remain just as dark and as tangled as it is now.’
‘What will happen if I start learning?’ she asked.
‘Then your forest will be as bright as your parents’ and your brother’s. ‘I’ll grow brighter, and your life will change,’ reply a tiny flame, gradually growing in size.
And at that very moment, Lily woke up. It seemed to her that it was just a dream, but on her bedside table lay a drawing of her and a tiny flame. The little girl realised straight away: it wasn’t just a dream, but a sign.
From that day on, Lily decided to change everything. It was difficult at first. After all, she’s used to cartoons and sweets, but she didn’t give up. After all, Lily knew that if she stopped, her forest would become as gloomy and tangled as before, and her little flame would fade once more.
Lily began to change her habits little by little. The girl started getting up a little earlier so that she could manage to do homework, started learning the alphabet, doing sums on mathematics, and even took up dancing again, which she used to left behind. Her parents were surprised by the changes in her.
‘We’re so proud of you, Lily!’ they told her.
As time went by, Lily began to enjoy herself successes, and the flame grew not only with every success, but every ATTEMPT, not necessarily successful.
One day, the girl dreamt of her forest again, but this time it was completely different – bright and cosy, with along the clear paths, which she could easily follow go for a walk. Lily realised that her efforts really had made sense. Now she knew that any effort helps her inner flame to grow.
And although she still enjoyed cartoons and sweets, Lily no longer wanted to spend all her time. She found joy in her achievements – in learning, dancing and playing games with friends. Her little flame had grown so bright that its light drew him towards her those around her, and people were drawn to Lily for warmth and support.
Now Lily knew that every step forward, even the very small, made it stronger and her little flame brighter. She continued to walk her own paths with a smile, realising that her strength would always grow, as long as she didn’t give up and kept moving forward.
Before we begin, let’s talk a little about what lies behind this fairy tale.
What happens in Lily’s Forest isn’t just a beautiful story. It’s how the brain actually works: a phenomenon called neuroplasticity. Every new skill is like a path that’s barely visible at first, but with each repetition, it becomes wider and easier to follow. And the more of these paths there are, the brighter the inner flame burns—that very strength and confidence that Lily’s guide spoke of.
Explain this to your child in your own words before moving on to the questions below—that way, it will be easier for them to understand why the paths and the flame from the fairy tale are actually about them, about what’s happening inside them.
And now it’s time to talk to your child:
✅How do you picture your ‘forest’ in your mind? – Can you describe what paths already exist in your forest? For example, what are you already quite good at?
✅ Why do you think repetition and practice help to create new pathways in our minds?
✅ How do you feel when you manage to do something new, just like Lily in the fairy tale?
✅ Was there anything you were initially unsure about at first, but then became more confident with practice?
✅ What is your ‘little flame’? – What can make it shine brighter? And what could make it dim?
✅ DRAW YOUR OWN LITTLE FLAME
Talk to your child as often as possible about any topic – this can always be the first step towards helping to resolve various problems and issues.
Tip 💡If you’re reading a fairy tale to your son, I recommend changing the main character’s name to that of a boy, such as Leo. This is one of the rules of fairy-tale therapy.
With love for children,
Anita Vayakanti,
Pediatric Perinatal Psychologist and Art Therapist