Younger children love fairy tales about beautiful princesses and handsome princes. Through storybooks and movies, they can imagine themselves as the hero or heroine who overcomes adversity, shows kindness toward others and acts with independence and courage.

Kids also enjoy playing dress-up and acting out their favorite scenes, or using their imagination to make up their own stories.

With the recent release of a new, live-action Cinderella movie, you have a wonderful opportunity to encourage these behaviors in your child and create meaningful memories.

Playing pretend and using the imagination is an important, normal, healthy part of child development. When characters in movies like Cinderella serve as positive role models, it can open the door for conversations with your children about why being kind and brave and resilient is good.

Cinderella had it rough. With two nasty stepsisters, a cruel stepmother and a monotonous daily routine of cooking, cleaning and waiting on her “family,” she easily could have been sad and hopeless.

But Cinderella was happy. In fact, she loved her life. That’s because she possessed the positive traits that helped her grow into a strong young woman. She never gave up, and ultimately, she found a way to overcome her challenges and live happily ever after.

Watch a movie or read a book with your own little Cinderella or Prince Charming. Then talk about all the good things you saw or read about that can help you and your child create your own real-life happy moments.