: The paper deals with the use of short literary genres in teaching children’s
literature. It highlights the didactic potential of short literary genres, as an independent
content or a supporting material while interpreting children’s poetry, fiction or drama.
The paper includes the following types of short literary genres: trick questions, riddles, proverbs, legends, articles from children’s magazines, dictionary and encyclopedia
entries, anecdotes and aphorisms. In addition to this, different ways of using school plays
and puppet shows in teaching literature are presented. The analysis of didactic potential
of short literary genres in teaching children’s literature has shown that they may serve as
a motivation for active participation of the students in the teaching process. Furthermore,
they may represent an innovative approach to the interpretation of children’s literature,
which is a characteristic of active teaching.Publishe
