Stories are a great way to keep your kids engaged, have deep conversations, and add spice and enjoyment to their lives while sharing life-long lessons.
If you are looking for some great stories you want to tell your kids during bedtime, you are in the right place. We have curated this list for you, so if you want to know more about the best bedtime stories for kids, keep reading.
In this post, we have covered 10 short bedtime stories your kids will love. We have covered from Goldilocks and Three Bears to the magical Godfairy and Cinderella, Swapping Places of work roles of a husband and wife to Snow Queen, the Ugly Duckling, The Hungry Caterpillar, Ant and Grasshopper, the Selfish Giant Story, and many more, all having unique story line and have good lessons and morals.
1. Goldilocks and The Three Bears
This is very popular in bedtime stories for kids. The original story of Goldilocks and the three bears was first published in 1837 in print version in The Doctor magazine by Longman and Rees. And later, it got three different versions. Here you will read about the story of a little girl, Goldilocks, who has golden hair.
One day, Goldilocks was walking in the forest & lost there. She reached the cottage that belonged to 3 bears. No one was there, and she was feeling hungry. She saw three bowls over the table, where two big bowls were very hot, so end up finishing the food from the last bowl, which was the smallest. She wanted to relax, and two big chairs were not for her. It broke down when she sat on the third one that was the right fit for her.
Further, her tiredness sought a relaxing space, so she slept on the smallest bed upstairs. Then all three bears entered the cottage and were angry when they saw that the porridge from one bowl was missing and the baby bear’s chair was broken. They found Goldilocks sleeping on the bed. When she saw them, she was frightened. In a hurry, she jumped from the bed, and rush out of the cottage towards the forest, and never returned.
2. Bedtime Stories for Kids About Cinderella
If you are looking for bedtime stories for kids about magic and adventure, they will love this story of Cinderella.
Once a beautiful young girl, Cinderella used to live with her Stepmother and Step-sister. Both of them are cruel towards Cinderella and used to force her to work like the housemaid. One day there was a function at the King the Palace ball, where both stepmother and sister went leaving her behind. She also wanted to join them, but they didn’t too her with them. Cinderella was sad. Suddenly magic happens, and a God fairy appears in front of Cinderella.
She used magic to make Cinderella a beautiful Princess with a sweet, lovely outfit and glass sandals. With the help of a pumpkin, she created a carriage and converted the mice into horses. The fairy also told Cinderella that her magic would disappear at midnight, so she should reach home before 12. Cinderella reached the ball, and Prince saw her, danced, and fell in love with her. When Cinderella sees the clock will strike 12, she rushes to the carriage before the magic disappears. Her glass Sandal was left hurriedly, and Prince kept it with him. The next day, Prince and his people searched for Cinderella in every Home.
Soon the Prince discovered that the Glass Sandal fits Cinderella, and they married and started their new life.
3. Swapping Places Bedtime Stories for Kids
If you are looking for bedtime stories for kids that teach – every job needs effort and how both genders work is important, share this Ancient tale of Swapping Places with them.
A long time ago, there was a family of farmers. The man used to go to the farm, and the woman used to stay and handle the home and kids. One day, when the Farmer reached the Home, the house was messy, dinner was not ready, and the kids were crying. He was angry and asked his wife what she even did all day. He also said that he can do better and more work in one day as compared to what his wife does all week. In response, his wife said okay.
She will work on the farm the next day, and he will handle the Home and the kids. The lady went to the farm the next day early in the morning. And the man started doing household chores, from feeding chickens to churning milk for butter. In between baby started crying; Man left work and pick the baby. The toddler spilled the churned milk everywhere. When he started cleaning the spreading mess, he remembered about the breakfast. When he was preparing the breakfast, he forgot to close the door of the chickens’ farm & they ran into the Home, leaving their feathers and poop. Whenever he was trying to do one thing, another was a mess. When the lady returned, she found his man sitting on a bed with a crying baby, and everything was a mess. He admits his mistake and apologizes to his wife.
The Farmer didn’t complain from that day. He started helping her lady to share her workload from that day.
4. Snow Queen Bedtime Stories for Kids
Hans Christian Andersen originally wrote these creative bedtime stories. The Snow Queen story was first published by New Fairy Tales magazine in 1844 in Denmark.
Once upon a time, a strange mirror was made by a Devil. Anything reflected in that mirror used to become uglier, like beautiful things became terrible and ugly. The Devil was excited by his invention and wanted to reach Heaven to play a prank on the Gods. Just before reaching Heaven, the Strange mirror flew away from his hand, shook, and broke into pieces when it fell on the earth, scattered all over it. The glass splinters fell on whoever eyes were observing everything awry, and the distortion and ugliness even reached the heart of some people. Gerada and Kai were two best friends and neighbors living in a large city. They used to read books and listen to stories shared by Their Grandmother. The piece of glass splinter of Strange mirror also fell into Kai’s eyes, and he changed. Gerada looks ugly and boring to him. One day, in winter, Kai took his arranged Sleigh in snowflakes. Snow Queen, the most beautiful woman, took Kai in the Sleigh beside her. The beautiful Snow Queen looked like white snow with a face like white ice to Kai. She kissed him, and his heart was frozen. He forgot about Gerda and his part. Snow Queen took him to her place by flying over the forests. Gerda was missing Kai, so she decided to find him.
Her boat was carried away by the water flow and reached to big Cherry garden. She cried for help. An older woman exited the small house, pulled the boat, and saved Greda. She asked about Kai but didn’t get any clue. Lady wanted to keep Gerda with her, but finally, she came out from there, ran into the forests, and somehow found the address of Kai and reached him. Kai was frozen with ice, and it melted when tears from Gerda’s eye rolled down and fell on him. The Strange Mirror splinter came out from his heart and eye. He hugged Gerda.
Everything was beautiful, and after fighting with Snow Queen’s capture, they returned home. That’s how their strong bond overpowered the magics of devils.
5. The Hungry Mouse Bedtime Stories for Kids
This Hungry Mouse bedtime story is perfect if you want to teach your kids how and why greed is not good.
Once upon a time, a mouse was starving for several days. His condition was miserable, and he would die if he did not get food sooner. He lost the fat and looked very thin. One day he found a basket of corn with a hole in it. He crept through the hole in the basket to eat the corn.
He was full, but he didn’t stop and was continuously eating it. His stomach and body started growing with the food intake, and he couldn’t fit in the basket hole more. The worst was that he could not escape from the hole and was trapped there. A rat passing by heard the mouse and suggested to him that he has to starve again so that he again becomes thin. That is the only way he can come out from the basket hole.
The mouse was regretful of overeating and was helpless because of greed. To save his life, he was starving again to escape the hole, despite sufficient food nearby.
6. The Ugly Duckling
This type of bedtime story for kids is inspiring and amazing if you teach your kids why they should never make fun of anyone’s looks.
Once upon a time, a Duck used to live in the forest. One day she laid some eggs and engaged in their care and warmth so they could hatch. One day three lovely ducklings came out by breaking three eggshells from the inside. She was excited and wondering when the largest egg would crack from inside. A large, ugly, gray baby emerged when it burst and cracked into pieces. The Mother Duck was surprised as it couldn’t be her baby because he is different from all other babies. The rest of the lovely ducklings hate that big gray baby and used to mock him and make him fun.
One day Ugly duckling baby was so sad that he ran away from Home. He reached a house where an older woman was sitting, and a hen and cat were also there. The woman cuddles the duckling but screams, calling him ugly the next moment. The poor baby duckling again ran out of there. He was crying, feeling miserable and lonely. One day he reached the pond and was joyful to see the water and swim till he felt satisfied. But soon, winter arrived, the water became cold, and the pond was frozen.
A kind farmer noticed the ugly ducking baby in miserable condition, took him to his Home, nurtured him, and left it back in the pond when he became good. One day he noticed beautiful swans around him, he was ashamed because of his ugly look, so he put down his own. He was amazed to see his beautiful reflection in the water.
He was a beautiful Swan now and was no longer Ugly Duckling. And other Swams were calling him the most beautiful Swan in the group.
7. The Hungry Caterpillar
Consider this one if you are looking for bedtime stories for kids that can teach your kids about numbers, fruits, and food, all for fun.
The story of Hungry Caterpillars comes with a storybook having many pictures to teach kids, with several different colored pages and holes as the trails to help your kids learn in all fun, along with the life cycle of a Butterfly. And the story goes as follows.
On a Sunday morning, a caterpillar whose face is red hatched an egg and came out from it. He started looking for food. He consumed the leaf but was unsatisfied and still very hungry.
He kept increasing the food quantity and kept changing their variety for the next five days. The caterpillar ate an apple on Monday and two pears on Tuesday. He consumed three plums on Wednesday and four strawberries on Thursday. On Friday, he got five oranges and tasty food in large quantities, from chocolate ice cream, cherry, and much more on Saturday.
He ate and overate it all while having fun with various tastes. But then he started feeling a bad stomach ache. On Sunday, when he felt better, he switched to his original light diet of leaves. Then he spins a cocoon around himself and remains in that state for the next two weeks.
When he emerged from the cocoon, he transformed into a beautiful butterfly with beautiful and colorful wings.
8. The Selfish Giant Bedtime Stories for Kids
Once, there was a beautiful garden whose owner was a Selfish Giant. The Giant was not there for a few days, so kids used to play in the garden. During the spring, twelve Peach Trees used to grow and bloom in their full glory. And during autumn, they were rich in fruits. The creatures, like birds, were happily chirping and living there. One day, the Giant returned to the Home after seven years and reached the garden. He was angry to see the kids playing there.
When the Giant asked them and said the Giant would not let anyone of them play in his garden, they were scared and ran away. The Selfish Giant was serious about his garden, so he started building the boundary wall around the garden so that kids couldn’t enter the garden. Soon it was the spring season, and the trees were flaunting their full glory, and birds were singing. But in the selfish Giant garden, the scene was still like the winter. The trees were dying. The condition worsened with the chill wind, snow, and hails. The Giant was confused and hoped for a change in his garden’s condition and weather.
One day he was sleeping till late. Suddenly he heard a melody voice and observed spring covering his garden, the hail stopped, and flowers bloomed. Then he noticed kids entering the garden via the hole in the wall, and he understood the Garden was Alive because of kids. They ran away to see him, except for one kid. Then he used to play with those kids but didn’t meet those kids again.
When he became old one day, he saw that Missing boy: and that boy took him to Heaven. The next day, the kids found that the Giant had died but with a huge smile.
9. Ant and Grasshopper
This is perfect if you are looking for a story that teaches your kids the importance of hard work and planning. The story is about the Ant and the Grasshopper.
During the summer, Grasshopper spends his time singing and idling away. He used to observe his neighbors, a colony of Ants, working hard throughout the summer to collect the food for the upcoming winter season.
This lazy Grasshopper used to laugh at the ants for their hard work. He used to suggest they enjoy and have fun instead of thinking and doing unnecessary hard work for the upcoming season. Meanwhile, ants used to suggest he worked hard to collect enough for the winter season; otherwise, he would be frozen and unable to work in the chilling winter. When winter hits, Ants are resting in their holes and can survive on the stored food. Meanwhile, the Grasshopper was hungry and reached their door to beg for food.
The kind ants shared some food from their storage, making him realize the importance of hard work. The Grasshopper promised to work hard in the coming Summer season.
10. I am Bored – Bedtime Stories for Kids
This is a short and perfect pick-up from bedtime stories for kids if you are seeking something to eliminate boredom. This interactive story, I am Bored, can spark a good and deep conversation between you and your kid.
Once upon a time, a girl complained a lot about the boredom. One day, she met a Potato. The Potato tells this Girl that kids are boring, which the Girl denies. Then she started saying how kids are fun and not boring. The Potato asked this small Girl to prove what she claimed about kids being fun.
She started looking for the things that make life fun. Kids can walk, play, swing, and do hundreds of activities to kill boredom and have fun. They have the best and best imagination ever. And she was no longer bored with her own life after telling the Potato all these things.
The purpose and moral of this story are to help kids not to feel bored and get involved in countless activities they can do to have fun and enjoy their lives.
Final Thoughts
Every kid loves bedtime stories, as they are the best way to dive into the imagination and another world while having lots of fun and conversations. And using suitable bedtime stories for your kid from an early age is the right way to shape their personality and develop good habits.
We have covered various stories from hard work to gender roles, from skin color and appearances to selfishness, hunger, greed, and much more, so you can add a touch of spice to your kid’s life with various types of stories and different morals. We have also covered the storyboard that helps them to learn numbers, alphabets, food, and more, all in the fun while reading the story, with the help of The Hungry Caterpillar story.
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