Should children believe in magical characters? 2026

From November 18 we will be able to enjoy Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in cinemas, it is a British-American film for ages 10 and up in the epic-fantastic genre, directed by David Yates and written by J. K. Rowling, being her first film script, which is inspired by the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by the same writer.

On the occasion of the premiere of this film for children and adults, we asked Cristina García, pedagogue and child therapist, director of Edúkame.com, how it helps children to believe in magical characters like those who star in this film, and this is what she told us.

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There are parents who consider that offering them these beliefs is deceiving them and who prefer not to talk much about these characters and thus avoid the future disappointment they would have when they found out that Santa Claus does not actually exist... or that the Tooth Fairy never took his teeth.

But to deprive children of this fantasy is to deprive them of great food for their imagination, their development and also their soul. Children's thinking is mainly “magical” and this magic helps them understand the difficult world around them.

The small child does not distinguish between things that are real and those that are invented. And precisely for this reason he has an overflowing imagination and believes everything.

At first they do not suspect that something could be a lie, especially if someone older than them or an adult tells them. That's why they don't hesitate when we tell them that the Tooth Fairy has taken his tooth, or that the Three Wise Men go to every house in the world handing out gifts to make children happy.

We need magic to live

And also for this same reason, we must avoid telling them evil stories about witches or monsters that do harm, because they will also believe them, causing them harm, fear, and insecurity.

But on the other hand, it does help them to know stories about magical characters who do good deeds, spread love, smiles, protection or ensure the safety of all children. That is why children's stories are an ideal tool to help them understand the world around them, enhancing their enthusiasm and joy.

Thus, young children are prepared to believe in the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus, and they need to believe in characters and stories that convey love, trust, security and good actions that help them grow. Just like mom's magical kisses that heal everything, the nightmare-eating dolls that we offer to calm their fears, the protective drawings or the special band-aids that heal just by putting them on, help.

The magical characters when the child grows older

As the child grows and his thinking matures, he will begin to be prepared on his own to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Discovering at 7 or 9 years old that the Tooth Fairy does not exist is not discovering that mom or dad lied to me, but rather it is discovering that you have been believing in a fantasy that has made you excited and has made you feel very special moments.

Frustration or disappointment is inevitable, but it is not harmful, since it is helping the child to mature and understand other facets of life and other resources that he did not have.

Of course, this frustration is painful, and we parents prefer to avoid all pain in our children, but the pain of frustration is implicit in the act of growing up.

And that belief, although the child now knows how to distinguish it from reality, we must not let them lose it completely.

Mom, have I been believing a lie? No honey, the Three Wise Men exist, but in fantasy; You've been believing in a fantasy. Even when we are adults, these magical rituals help us believe in something that goes beyond what we see, they help us believe in universal love and they help us trust, like when we were little, and above all not to lose our hope. Something that should never be missing in any family, whether you have small children or teenagers or adults.

Adults also need doses of magical thinking, so it also benefits us to protect these magical rituals and not let them disappear in our family nucleus. Yes, we already know that they do not exist, that they are not reality, but we also know that they connect us with the hope and confidence of believing in a better world.

Cristina Garcia. Pedagogue and child therapist, director of Edúkame.com