Tales
How to search?
On the left-hand side of the screen, filter by age group 🧒 and by type of story 🌀.
The turquoise labels indicate mathematical notions.
The coral labels point to strategies and skills, as well as situations and emotions involved in mathematical activity, illustrated by the story and its characters.
The orange labels refer to transversal competences that are strengthened when listening to or telling the story, and that are useful for doing well in mathematics.
For each story, every label is justified by a short explanatory sentence.
How to proceed? Two possibilities:
– Starting from a notion: select it and then choose an associated story.
– Starting from a story: discuss with your pupils what is at stake from a mathematical point of view.
The Eye
Wisdom tale
Age : 10-12 13+
equality and inequality multiplication
The Legend of the Three Sisters
Legend
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
equality and inequality measures scheduling classification
creative thinking
The intelligent daughter of the farmer
Riddle tale
Age : 10-12 13+
logic
creative thinking self-confidence
The Farmer's will
Riddle tale
Age : 10-12 13+
division fractions prime numbers
problem solving
The three scientists and the apple
Facetious tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
angles equality and inequality geometric shapes
collaboration
A Sheet
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
geometric shapes
La Pierre blanche et la Pierre noire
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
logic
strategy
The Eye of Horus
Tale
Age : 10-12 13+
division fractions convergence limits measures powers
Le Géant
Cumulative tales
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12
recursivity
error handling
The Hunter and the Nut
Etiological tale
Age : 10-12 13+
probabilities
perseverance
The multiplication table
Nursery rhyme
Age : 7-9
multiplication numbers
Grandpa and the turnip
Cumulative tales
Age : 3-4 5-6 7-9
addition subtraction count
collaboration
In your hands
Wisdom tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
logic
strategy creative thinking
The Lyre Player
Fairy tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
logic probabilities
error handling
Ten little dogs
Nursery rhyme
Age : 5-6
addition subtraction count
The Quick Thinker
Riddle tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
size comparison orders of magnitude
creative thinking error handling self-confidence
Walk!
Facetious tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
measures time
problem solving
The blind man on Baghdad Bridge
Wisdom tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
addition subtraction division powers
problem decomposition
Garbancito
Fairy tale
Age : 5-6 7-9
measures
The Age of Diophantus
Riddle
Age : 13+
fractions equations
The mountain goat
Fairy tale
Age : 5-6 7-9
orders of magnitude
The Shadow of Gerixeti
Author tale
Age : 10-12 13+
angles
collaboration
Courtillon-Courtillette
Fairy tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
construction planning
strategy problem solving error handling
The Five Breads
Riddle tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
division fractions logic
critical thinking problem solving
Nursery rhymes and fingerplays
Nursery rhyme
Age : 3-4 5-6
count numbers
There were five in the nest
Nursery rhyme
Age : 3-4 5-6
count numbers
problem decomposition
The Empress chooses a Prime Minister
Wisdom tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
critical thinking error handling self-confidence
The Mittens
Cumulative tales
Age : 3-4 5-6
addition subtraction count measures
The Parable of the Elephant
Wisdom tale
Age : 3-4 5-6 7-9 10-12 13+
including part of the whole
collaboration
The Groumf Hunt
Cumulative tales
Age : 3-4 5-6
Six birds on a branch
Riddle
Age : 3-4 5-6 7-9 10-12
numbers
A Liar's Truth
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
logic
Ветрилото
Facetious tale
Age : 10-12 13+
symmetry
The two bear cubs too greedy and the fox
Facetious tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
addition subtraction size comparison equality and inequality fractions convergence limits
problem solving
Count to ten
Facetious tale
Age : 3-4 5-6 7-9
count
creative thinking
The rooster Kirico
Cumulative tales
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12
scheduling classification
problem decomposition
Papa Big-Nose
Fairy tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
problem solving error handling collaboration
The Wisdom of a judge
Facetious tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
size comparison
problem solving
The Account
Fairy tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
multiplication
The Hare and the Tortoise
Wisdom tale
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12
equality and inequality measures time
perseverance
The Three Goats
Cumulative tales
Age : 3-4 5-6 7-9
size comparison
strategy
La Cacahuète
Cumulative tales
Age : 3-4 5-6 7-9
size comparison scheduling classification
How to fill the house?
Riddle tale
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12 13+
geometric shapes
creative thinking problem solving
The Goat, the Cabbage and the Wolf
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
problem decomposition
Geometric shapes
Riddle
Age : 5-6 7-9
angles geometric shapes
The yellow dragon and the blue dragon
Wisdom tale
Age : 10-12 13+
perseverance
The portrait
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
graphs
The one that disappears when you name it
Riddle
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12 13+
logic
Yes or No
Riddle
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12 13+
geometric shapes
The Cat and the Meat
Facetious tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
including part of the whole equality and inequality logic measures
L'Enfant
Facetious tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
recursivity
Mirror of Creation
Wisdom tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
symmetry
creative thinking collaboration
Le Ouistiti
Fairy tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
geometric shapes
The Little Red Hen
Cumulative tales
Age : 3-4 5-6
logic construction planning
autonomy
Oak carrier
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
size comparison measures
The Gingerbread Man
Cumulative tales
Age : 3-4 5-6 7-9
count
Times of life
Etiological tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
addition subtraction time
critical thinking
Two outputs for one input
Riddle
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12 13+
The Wolf and the seven little goats
Fairy tale
Age : 5-6
equality and inequality logic
critical thinking
The adventures of the three princes of Serendip
Riddle tale
Age : 10-12 13+
logic orders of magnitude
critical thinking problem solving self-confidence problem decomposition
The mountains of Calabria
Fairy tale
Age : 5-6 7-9
recursivity
The Disciple's Share
Facetious tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
division convergence limits logic
La oca de Navidad
Riddle tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
division optimization
creative thinking self-confidence
The Rascal and the King's Daughter
Fairy tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
The Legend of Chess
Legend
Age : 10-12 13+
multiplication numbers orders of magnitude powers
The longest word
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
Half a chicken
Fairy tale
Age : 7-9
problem solving
City of seven bridges
Author tale
Age : 10-12 13+
graphs
creative thinking problem solving
The Intelligent Bride
Riddle tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
logic
creative thinking
The twelve animals
Etiological tale
Age : 5-6 7-9
count scheduling classification
strategy
The Three Little Pigs
Fairy tale
Age : 3-4 5-6
construction planning
strategy problem solving error handling
Skeletons
Nursery rhyme
Age : 5-6
count numbers time
The Peasant of Isfahan
Wisdom tale
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
symmetry
collaboration intuition
And yet
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
The Rat Princess
Cumulative tales
Age : 5-6 7-9
equality and inequality
Dido's ruse
Tale
Age : 10-12 13+
geometric shapes orders of magnitude optimization
creative thinking self-confidence perseverance
The Weight of the Statue
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
fractions equations
The Key
Wisdom tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
perseverance
The Zebra
Riddle
Age : 5-6 7-9 10-12 13+
Fair sharing
Wisdom tale
Age : 7-9 10-12
problem solving error handling
The Story of Ommi Sissi
Cumulative tales
Age : 7-9
The Forest of the Century
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
multiplication numbers time
critical thinking
How many drops
Riddle
Age : 7-9 10-12 13+
logic the zero