Folk tales represent a rich source of information about the culture of a nation, its customs and language, while dealing with them in various ways promotes the development of children and young adults linguistically, emotionally, and cognitively. The thesis covers the analysis of Slovenian and Russian folk tales, the history of the study of folk tales, and the possibilities of using them in teaching Slovenian and Russian as foreign languages. The reasons for using folk tales in foreign language classrooms come from the theory of foreign language teaching, but the greatest emphasis is placed on teaching foreign languages to students in primary and secondary schools. The presence and use of literary texts and folk tales in teaching Slovenian and Russian as foreign languages were verified with a small-dedicated sample carried out among teachers of Slovenian and Russian as foreign languages, as well as by reviewing and analysing the textbooks and workbooks used for teaching Slovenian and Russian as foreign languages in Slovenia. Teachers of Slovenian and Russian as foreign languages include literary texts in their lessons; most frequently poems and short prose texts, occasionally also Slovenian and Russian folk tales. Foreign language teachers see the advantage mainly in bringing students closer to the culture and history of the nation and confronting them with cultural differences. Slovenian and Russian folk tales have many linguistic and textual peculiarities that can support students in learning Slovenian and Russian as foreign languages, but their potential, especially in textbook materials, is still largely untapped.
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