Although taboo topics are part of everyday human life, they are rarely spoken about openly. They often cause discomfort in society, which leads to avoidance or the formation of negative attitudes toward them. As the person who introduces children to a broad and diverse world, the preschool teacher should be able to answer children’s questions and use fairy tales as helpful tool in doing so. Reading fairy tales during the preschool period is important for a child’s development in various areas. The diploma thesis entitled Taboo Topics in the Preschool Period consists of a theoretical and empirical part. In the theoretical part, I presented the characteristics of children’s literature that includes the treatment of taboo topics. I defined the concepts of taboo and fairy tales as a tool for addressing more sensitive content with children. I also examined the possible consequences children may experience after traumatic events, as well as the occurrence of problematic themes in fairy tales, such as death, domestic or peer violence, sexual education, and others. The empirical part of the thesis was based on a questionnaire for preschool teachers and revealed that taboo topics such as death, sexuality, and violence are present in kindergartens, with teachers devoting the most attention to the topic of death and the least to violence. The findings also showed that many do not feel sufficiently professionally equipped to address these topics, often relying on fairy tales as a safe tool for conversation. My contribution lies in developing guidelines and recommendations for addressing taboo topics in the preschool period, which include the appropriate selection of literature, creating a safe environment for discussion, and suggestions for additional professional training for teachers.
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