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Bedtime Stories | Free 5 Min Bedtime Stories for Kids Online Bedtime Stories
The Classic fairytale of Cinderella: a young girl, mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters, who finds out that dreams really can come true.
The Classic Fairytale Story of Snow White with a Modern Twist: Who is the “fair”est of them all? Snow White of course!
A Bedtime Story of Honesty, Courage and Truth. If Pinocchio is to become a Real boy he needs to learn how to be honest, brave and true.
A Grimm’s Brother Tale: A miller tells a tale that his daughter can turn straw into gold. A strange little man is willing to help…for a price. Guess his name and he will be gone…but what is his name?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids. Goldilocks finds the three bears cottage in the woods. Should she make herself comfortable?
Hansel and Gretel Bedtime Stories for Kids. When Hansel and Gretel go in search of food, they find a gingerbread house. But who is inside?
A Story of Friendship, Love and Courage. Rapunzel’s Story ~ A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. An evil witch has trapped Rapunzel in a tower. Can her long hair or love save her?
A Story of Courage, Justice and Self-Awareness. Merlin the Magician places a magic sword in a stone…whomever can pull it out is the rightful king.
A Bedtime Story of Acceptance and Self-Awareness. A Mama Duck is proud when her six ducklings hatch from their eggs. But one duckling does not look like the others? Is he truly an Ugly Duckling?
The classic Brother’s Grimm fairytale that sparked the Disney adaptation.
A Story of Courage, Learning and Love. The Classic fairy tale: The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on shore and she makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human. But without her voice, how can the prince fall in love with her?
This Classic Folktale is adapted from the original story of “Aladdin” from The Arabian Nights. Aladdin, the Genie and the Magic Lamp work to impress the princess who wishes to be a commoner.
A Story of Courage, Kindness to Animals and Learning. The Classic Tale of a male deer, Bambi, his mother and his adventures learning in the woods.
A Story of Charity, Compassion and Justice, from England. Robin Hood takes part in an archery contest thrown by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Will he realize its a trap before it is too late? One of the many Tales of Robin Hood.
This is the Legend Tale of Maui the Demi-God from Moana. It is part of our Classic Bedtime Stories for Kids Collection. It has been adapted from the Tales of Maui as well as Disney’s version of Moana.
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. A toy rabbit learns that through a child’s love it can become real.
The Classic Tale of the Snow Queen: Gerda and Kai struggle to fight the Snow Queen and find the balance between Good and Evil.
The Classic Fairy Tale of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora has been cursed by Maleficent. When she pricks herself on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday, she is put into a deep sleep for 100 years.
Who can save her?
Bedtime Story for Kids: The Gift of the Magi, A Christmas Story. Della and Jim wish to give each other the perfect Christmas present, but how will they come up with the money?
A Bedtime Story of Friendship, Courage and Acceptance. . The story tells of the time Pocahontas saved the life of settler John Smith from her father, Powhatan.
A Cinderella Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic fairytale of Cinderella: a young girl, mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters, who finds out that dreams really can come true.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic Fairytale Story of Snow White with a Modern Twist: Who is the “fair”est of them all? Snow White of course!
Pinocchio Story ~ Fairy Tale Bedtime Stories in English for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Honesty, Courage and Truth. If Pinocchio is to become a Real boy he needs to learn how to be honest, brave and true.
Beauty and the Beast Classic Tale ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
The classic fairy tale of a beautiful woman and the monstrous beast.
Rumpelstiltskin ~ A Fairy Tale Bedtime Story for Kids
A Grimm’s Brother Tale: A miller tells a tale that his daughter can turn straw into gold. A strange little man is willing to help…for a price. Guess his name and he will be gone…but what is his name?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids. Goldilocks finds the three bears cottage in the woods. Should she make herself comfortable?
Hansel and Gretel ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
Hansel and Gretel Bedtime Stories for Kids. When Hansel and Gretel go in search of food, they find a gingerbread house. But who is inside?
Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm ~ Bedtime Stories
A Story of Friendship, Love and Courage. Rapunzel’s Story ~ A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale.
An evil witch has trapped Rapunzel in a tower. Can her long hair or love save her?
The Sword in the Stone: a King Arthur Legend of the Sword Story
A Story of Courage, Justice and Self-Awareness. Merlin the Magician places a magic sword in a stone…whomever can pull it out is the rightful king.
The Ugly Duckling Story ~ Fairy Tale Story for Kids in English
A Bedtime Story of Acceptance and Self-Awareness. A Mama Duck is proud when her six ducklings hatch from their eggs. But one duckling does not look like the others? Is he truly an Ugly Duckling?
The Frog Prince: The Story of the Princess and the Frog ~ Bedtime Stories
The classic Brother’s Grimm fairytale that sparked the Disney adaptation.
The Little Mermaid Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids in English
A Story of Courage, Learning and Love. The Classic fairy tale: The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on shore and she makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human.
But without her voice, how can the prince fall in love with her?
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp from The Arabian Nights ~ Bedtime Stories
This Classic Folktale is adapted from the original story of “Aladdin” from The Arabian Nights. Aladdin, the Genie and the Magic Lamp work to impress the princess who wishes to be a commoner.
Bambi Story: A Life in the Woods ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids in English
A Story of Courage, Kindness to Animals and Learning. The Classic Tale of a male deer, Bambi, his mother and his adventures learning in the woods.
Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow Story ~ Legend Stories for Kids
A Story of Charity, Compassion and Justice, from England. Robin Hood takes part in an archery contest thrown by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Will he realize its a trap before it is too late? One of the many Tales of Robin Hood.
Maui from Moana: Tales of the Demi-God ~ Legend Stories for Kids
This is the Legend Tale of Maui the Demi-God from Moana.
It is part of our Classic Bedtime Stories for Kids Collection. It has been adapted from the Tales of Maui as well as Disney’s version of Moana.
The Velveteen Rabbit Story ~ Bedtime English Story for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. A toy rabbit learns that through a child’s love it can become real.
The Snow Queen Fairy Tale Story ~Bedtime Story for Kids
The Classic Tale of the Snow Queen: Gerda and Kai struggle to fight the Snow Queen and find the balance between Good and Evil.
Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tale Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic Fairy Tale of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora has been cursed by Maleficent. When she pricks herself on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday, she is put into a deep sleep for 100 years. Who can save her?
The Gift of the Magi Story ~ A Holiday Story for Kids
Bedtime Story for Kids: The Gift of the Magi, A Christmas Story. Della and Jim wish to give each other the perfect Christmas present, but how will they come up with the money?
Pocahontas and John Smith Story ~ Folktales Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Friendship, Courage and Acceptance.
. The story tells of the time Pocahontas saved the life of settler John Smith from her father, Powhatan.
The Emperor’s New Clothes Story ~ Bedtime Stories
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. The Emperor is fooled into believing he is wearing magic clothes which can’t be “seen”.
Mulan Story ~ Tale of Hua Mulan Bedtime Stories | English Story for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. Based on the “Ballad of Mulan” and Disney’s Mulan, this is a legend tale about a girl who goes in disguise as a boy and joins the army in her brother’s place.
Short Stories for Kids ~ Folk tales, Fairy Tales, Riddles, Legends, Poems
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More From Stories to Grow By
You will find a story you love. Did you know that Stories to Grow By also provides a collection of World Tales? Folktales, fairytales, fables, and more! Whether you are looking for a story from your own country or culture, or a want to learn about a new one! We have you covered.
Check out our special collection of world tales by clicking HERE.
We are strive to provide more. If you would like to see additional stories, content, and materials, or maybe even have some of your own you would like to share - drop us a line! Contact us directly by clicking HERE.
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Teaching Resources from Stories to Grow By
In addition to our bedtime stories, we also offer a multitude teaching resources! This includes over 100 free bedtime stories, fairy tales, folk tales, readers theater play scripts, and performance notes!
You will find the bedtime stories and the materials you need for your classroom with Stories to Grow By.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
Thanks to Artist, yehachan
This is the fairy tale story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with a modern twist.
It is brought to you by Stories to Grow by. Check out our other great stories!
Listen to the story while you read along!
Once upon a time a girl named Goldilocks lived in a house at the edge of the woods. In those days curls of hair were called "locks." She was "Goldilocks" because golden hair ran down her head and shoulders.
One morning Goldilocks was out for a walk when she came across a beautiful bird. She followed that bird right into the woods, where her mother had said many times she must never go. But Goldilocks didn’t think of that.
Thanks to Artist, JoannaPasek
Deeper and deeper into the woods she went. But where was the bird? It was nowhere to be seen. Goldilocks looked around. That's when she knew she was lost.
But a house was not far away. “I wonder who lives there,” she thought, "so deep into the woods." She went up and knocked on the door.
No answer. She knocked again. Still no answer. Goldilocks knocked a third time and the door opened. But no one was behind the door.
“Well, the door is already open,” said the girl. “So I may as well go in.”
Goldilocks smelled a wonderful smell, and soon knew why. On the table were three steaming bowls of oatmeal. All of a sudden she realized how very hungry she was.
What Goldilocks did not know, however, is that three bears lived in this house. In fact, that very morning the three bears had sat down to their bowls of oatmeal but the cereal was too hot. So they had decided to take a short walk. They said to each other, "By the time we return home our oatmeal will be perfect."
Gazing at the steaming bowls of oatmeal, Goldilocks thought, “I'm sure whoever lives here won’t mind if I take just one sip.” She sat at the first chair and took a sip. “Ah!” she said, “it is too hot.”
She moved to the next bowl and took a sip. “Ah!” she said, “it is too cold.
”
Thanks to Artist, JoannaPasek
She moved to the third bowl and took a sip. “It is just right!” And before she knew it, the oatmeal was all gone.
Goldilocks rubbed her tummy. “I'm full! I must find somewhere to sit that's more comfortable.”
She went to the living room. Three chairs were lined up in a row – one big chair, one medium-sized chair, and a wee little chair.
“I'm sure whoever lives here will not mind if I sit on just one chair,” said Goldilocks. She sat on the big chair, but it was too hard.
“The next chair looks good,” said Goldilocks. She moved to the medium-sized chair, but it was too soft.
“The wee little chair looks better,” said the girl. She sat on the little chair and it was just right! But when Goldilocks leaned back a bit, the chair broke into a dozen pieces. She plopped right on the floor.
“Oh, no!” Goldilocks wailed. Then she yawned.
There must be somewhere she could lie down for a short nap.
The girl saw a ladder and climbed it to an attic. In a row, three beds were lined up – one big bed, one medium-sized bed, and a wee little bed.
“I'm sure whoever lives here won’t mind if I lay down for just a short nap,” she said. She laid down on the big bed but it was too hard. She laid down on the medium-sized bed but it was too soft. The girl laid down on the wee little bed, and it was just right! As her head hit the pillow, Goldilocks was fast asleep.
Just then, the three bears came home from their walk. "Oh, my!" said Mama Bear. “Did either of you leave the front door open?”
“Not I,” said Papa Bear.
"Not I," said Little Bear.
Slowly the three bears stepped inside and looked around.
“Most odd!” said Papa Bear, seeing his spoon in his bowl. “Someone has been eating my oatmeal!”
“Most odd indeed!” said Mama Bear, also seeing her spoon in her bowl.
“Someone has been eating my oatmeal!”
“This is the most odd of all!” said Little Bear. “Someone has been eating my oatmeal and they ate it all up!”
The three bears were very surprised, as you can imagine. With care, they stepped into their living room.
“Do you think someone was sitting in my chair?” said Papa Bear.
“I know someone was sitting in my chair,” said Mama Bear, “because I can see the seat cushion is pushed down.”
“And I know someone was sitting in my chair!” said Little Bear. “Because it’s all broken!”
Thanks to Artist, Joannapasek
The three bears were even more surprised at that! They climbed the ladder to their attic.
“Someone has been sleeping on my bed,” said Papa Bear, who could see that his blankets were moved.
“Someone has been sleeping on my bed, too,” said Mama Bear, who could also see that her blankets were moved.
“Someone has been sleeping on my bed,” said Little Bear.
“And look - she is still there!”
Goldilocks bolted awake. Three bears were looming over her, and they did not look happy.
Thanks to Artist, Joannapasek
“Oh my!” said Goldilocks, jumping out of bed. As quick as she could, she climbed down the ladder and ran out the front door.
Little Bear chased after her. "Wait, please!"
Goldilocks stopped and turned around.
"Tell me," said Little Bear, “Why did you come inside our house?”
“I guess I didn’t think–,“ said Goldilocks.
“And why did you eat my oatmeal?” said Little Bear.
“Well I guess I didn’t think–,“ said Goldilocks.
“And why did you break my chair and sleep in my bed?” said Little Bear.
“Well I guess I didn’t think about that, either,” said Goldilocks.
They were silent.
Goldilocks said, “I suppose I could have waited outside your door.”
“We were coming right home,” said Mama Bear.
"We might have invited you in if we knew you were hungry."
“I’m sorry about the chair,” said Goldilocks. “I guess you saw it broke.”
"Yep," said Mama Bear with a frown.
“I’m good at fixing things,” said Goldilocks, “If you have glue.”
“Of course we have glue!” said Papa Bear. “What kind of bears do you think we are?”
“I will make it up to you!” said Goldilocks.
“Come on in then, dear,” said Mama Bear.
“We'll start over,” said Papa Bear with a nod.
“Come in, come in!” said Little Bear, jumping up and down.
With smiles, they skipped together inside the Bear’s house.
Bedtime stories for children. Read online with pictures.
In this section we have collected interesting fairy tales from all over the world that are suitable for reading before bed. These small instructive and kind stories will help children calm down after a stormy day and tune in to rest.
In bedtime stories you will not find cruelty and frightening characters.
Only light plots and pleasant characters.
At the bottom of each fairy tale there is hint for what age it is intended, as well as other tags. Be sure to pay attention to them when choosing a product! You do not have to spend time reading a fairy tale to find out if it suits your child or not. We have already read everything, sorted and compiled short descriptions of fairy tales.
Enjoy reading and good dreams :)
bedtime stories for children read
An interesting fairy tale is that part of childhood that stays with us forever, even when childhood is gone. This is a magical world that is wide open in front of the baby, and acquaintance with it begins with a short and sweet bedtime story.
At what age to read fairy tales to a child
There is no strict age limit in reading fairy tales to a child. Reading for a child is primarily an opportunity for emotional intimacy with an adult. Even if not a word is clear yet, the familiar timbre of the voice, the measured rhythm soothe the baby and stimulate its development.
That is why psychologists recommend reading fairy tales even to babies. The main condition: the process should bring pleasure to both the adult and the baby.
The benefits of reading fairy tales
A bedtime story read by a parent is a powerful stimulus for the development of the child, the child has ample opportunities in the following areas:
- imagination;
- fantasy;
- creative thinking;
- language skills;
- emotional development;
- the ability to find a way out of problem situations.
Unlike cartoons, a fairy tale does not present the child with ready-made images and the world invented by the artist, but invites him to think, think out and imagine what is not in the illustrations.
Simply put, we read to children at night and at the same time unleash their creativity. The next step is the first children's tests of themselves as an author and artist, but that will come later. And now such familiar and at the same time amazing short bedtime stories come to the aid of parents.
Bedtime stories - what should they be?
It often happens that every day a baby asks for the hundredth time to read a familiar fairy tale to him, not wanting to listen to any others.
Do not argue and try to read something new - a bedtime story exists for this, to cradle and give pleasant dreams. So, it should be:
- short;
- calm;
- kind;
- without dynamic details in the plot, but with a happy ending.
Repeated repetition of the same situation (a familiar room, a favorite blanket and soft toy, next to it is a mother reading a familiar fairy tale) turns into a kind of ritual for the baby, which has a calming effect. It helps relieve the emotional stress that has accumulated over a long day.
Short stories on our website
The Short Bedtime Stories section presents famous works by Russian and foreign authors that have become favorites for children all over the world.
Magic little men created by Astrid Lindgren, kind tigers by Donald Bisset, inseparable Hedgehog and Bear cub by Sergey Kozlov - these and other characters are looking forward to meeting young readers.
Here you will also find folk tales and illustrated works by Vladimir Suteev. Kids will be delighted with simple instructive stories and colorful pictures created by a real Master.
Tips on the website
The free bedtime stories presented on our website are so diverse that sometimes it can be difficult to find the right one. To help parents, we have developed a convenient search engine that allows you to view the parameters of a fairy tale without opening it:
- readers' age;
- reading time;
- short description;
- popularity indicator;
- illustration.
Secrets of reading bedtime stories
In order to replace the evening fairy tale with a sweet dream, it should be a short fairy tale, which should be read online in a calm and familiar environment.
Read in a low voice, without haste. Remember, we read to children at night not to give them new knowledge - there is daytime for this. In the evening, it is important to create a relaxing atmosphere and a sense of peace.
For this, it is important to choose the right bedtime story, which is why our site is always open for you, dear parents!
The Tale of Peter the Rabbit - Potter B. How Peter ran around the garden.
The tale of Peter the Rabbit, who went to the field with his brothers to eat blackberries. Their mother strictly ordered them not to go to Mr. McGregor's garden. But Peter disobeyed and got into trouble!
Once upon a time in the same forest there were four little rabbits named Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton Tail and Peter. They lived with their rabbit mother on a high sandy shore in a rabbit hole under the roots of a tall spruce.
One morning Mother Rabbit said to her children: “Come on, my dears, go for a walk in the field or run along the street along the hedge. But God forbid you go near Mr. McGregor's garden!
Do you remember how such a grief happened to our dad there: he was caught and Mrs. McGregor baked a pie out of him. Our poor dad!
Well, run, my dears, and be careful not to get into trouble.
And while I'm on my way.
Having said this, Mother Rabbit took a basket with an umbrella and went straight through the forest to the bakery for delicious raisin buns, which her little rabbits loved so much, and a loaf of black bread. The rabbits Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail ran to the hedge, as advised by mother, and began to eat the blackberries that grew there with great pleasure.
But Peter liked to play pranks and didn't really like to obey his mother. He, contrary to all orders, galloped straight to Mr. McGregor's garden and climbed into it through a gap under the gate.
Here Peter Rabbit began to delight in eating the delicious vegetables from Mr. McGregor's garden. First, he chewed a little lettuce and green beans. Then I ate radishes. And when he already felt bad from the radish, he went to look for parsley.
And where the frames of cucumber greenhouses ended, he stumbled upon who do you think? Of course, Mr. McGregor! Mr. McGregor at this time was on all fours planting cabbages.
As soon as he saw Peter, he immediately jumped up and, waving a rake in the air, rushed after Peter:
- Stop the thief! he shouted.
Poor Peter was terribly scared. From fear, he ran all over the garden and could not remember where the gate was.
And while Peter was running, he lost his right shoe in the cabbage patches, and his left in the potatoes.
— Maybe Peter could have escaped his pursuer, but unexpectedly ran into the net with which Mr. MacGregor covered the gooseberry bushes from forest birds. The big brass buttons on his new jacket were stuck in the mesh and Peter couldn't help it.
Poor Peter thought he was gone, that they would catch him and make a pie out of him. And he wept bitterly. But then the familiar sparrows heard his sobs.
They flew up to the rabbit, very excited, and began to beg not to lose heart.
Mr. McGregor saw how Peter got stuck in the net and managed to grab a sieve along the way, with which he was going to cover our Peter. But Peter turned out to be a smart fellow and managed to wriggle out of the sleeves of his jacket just at that time, and took off as fast as he could, leaving his brand new jacket near the bush with the net.
He ran into a nearby barn and hid in Mr. McGregor's watering can. Of course, the watering can was a good hiding place, but for some reason it turned out to be a terrible amount of water!
Mr. McGregor had no doubt that Peter was hiding somewhere in his barn, well, for example, under this empty flower pot. He began carefully turning over the empty clay pots, peering under each one. And then Peter sneezed:
- Ah-chh-h-hee!
Mr. McGregor rushed to the watering can with Peter and wanted to step on him, but Peter managed to jump out the window, dropping three flower pots with geraniums in the process.
And, thank God, the window was too small for Mr. McGregor to fit through. By this time, he was already quite tired of chasing the rabbit and he returned to the seedlings of his cabbage.
After getting away so safely from the formidable Mr. McGregor, Peter sat down to catch his breath. He was out of breath and still trembling all over with fear. In addition, he was soaked to the bone while sitting in a watering can. And now, tired and frightened, he did not know at all where to run.
Somehow recovering his breath, Peter timidly trotted to the gate, which he saw nearby, but it was locked, and, besides, there was no way for a plump rabbit to crawl under it.
And the old mouse was scurrying back and forth past the gate. She carried peas and beans for her mice, who lived in the woods next door. Peter asked her how to get to the unlocked gate, but the mouse had such a huge pea in its mouth that it could not say a word to him. And she just shook her head.
And then Peter began to cry again in resentment.
Trying to find a way out, he went obliquely through the garden, but only got more confused. And suddenly, quite unexpectedly, he found himself near the pond, from where Mr. MacGregor took water for watering. A large white cat sat on the shore and watched the goldfish in the pond. She sat very still, only occasionally moving the tip of her tail. Peter decided to sneak past her unnoticed. He heard some stories about cats from his cousin Benjamin Bunny.
Peter started back towards the barn again when he heard a chik chik chik sound of a hoe. Peter quickly ducked into the bushes. Waited. I soon realized that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Then he got out of the bushes, climbed onto the cart and carefully looked around. The first thing he saw was Mr. MacGregor himself, who by this time was spudding a bow. It's good that he had his back to Peter, and - look! - just behind Mr. MacGregor there is that very unlocked gate.
Peter silently got off the cart and ran as fast as he could along the path behind the blackcurrant bushes.
Mr. McGregor only saw him at the turn. But Peter had already slipped under the gate, not paying any attention to him, and finally found himself safe - in the forest behind the garden.
And Mr. McGregor found Peter's jacket and little shoes and attached them to a stick like a scarecrow to scare off blackbirds.
At that time, Peter was running without looking back, not stopping for a second, until he was at home, under their big spruce.
Poor guy, he was so tired that he immediately fell on the soft sand that covered the floor of their rabbit hole and closed his eyes. Mother Rabbit was already preparing dinner. She looked at her son and was very surprised: where did Peter put his shoes and the jacket he had just bought again? After all, this was the second time this naughty bunny lost his jacket and boots in the last two weeks! Mom didn't like it very much.
Unfortunately, Peter did not feel the best that evening and could not explain anything to his mother.
