Good night stories for children

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

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

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

Maui from Moana: Tales of the Demi-God ~ Legend Stories for Kids

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 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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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.

Fairy Tales, Bedtime Stories and Kids Poems!

A sweet and non-frightening bedtime story to celebrate Halloween with little ones!

5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Animals Environment Gardens Insects Mindfulness Picture Books Picture Books

One day Mr Barry decides to throw out his old sofa, Darla. But before he knows it, a whole community of friends pops up!

September 26, 2022October 6, 2022

5 Min Stories Age 7-12 All All Fairy Tales Animals Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Feel Good Fairy Tales Modern Fairy Tales Picture Books Picture Books

The people of Hamelin are happy. Until one day, a horde of multicoloured butterflies descend upon the town.

September 19, 2022October 6, 2022

Four trick-or-treating kids visit an old house at the end of their street, and return with a basket of apples...

A cute non-scary Halloween story about the most loveable little Halloween kid in your family!

Teeny Tiny Ghost steals a bone for her supper... but somebody wants it back!

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Bunu has a wriggly tooth! How can she help it fall out quicker?

A brother and sister talk about where the sun goes down at night. .. But how can they choose between so many different ideas?

When Henny Penny is hit on the head, she thinks the sky is falling down!

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An enchanted elf helps a miller's daughter turn straw into gold... for a price.

The English version of the fairy tale Cinderella.

Julia's parents have been fighting downstairs, so she decides to write them a letter.

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Some kids have an adventurous fight with a dragon for jewels..

Kynan the caterpillar LOVES shoes... but he can't possibly put them all on by himself!

Can you count all these pretty insects?

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Nash and his dog Toby find a key in the garden. Little do they know, it's the key to Grandma's memories!

Shaka has an invisible friend. Will he join him when he moves house?

When a little boy loses his hat in a tree, he and the moon share a secret.

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If three royal children won't go to sleep, the dragons will be sent in!

The breeze helps some flowering weeds spread their seeds.

A giant keeps Jack prisoner for seven years... until finally he makes his escape!

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The classic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale of a soldier who comes upon riches and a tinder-box...

Jorindel loses Jorinda to an evil witch, and must find a beautiful flower to save her.

A plump pancake manages to escape being eaten by 7 children!

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Are you feeling sad? Why not try wearing a Happy Hat!

A shower of arrows fall in the forest... who is attacking the forest? !

Poor Lolo wants to relax, but there's so much he has to do!

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When a Princess is caused by a spell to be as light as air, a Prince discovers the way to make her happy.

A water rat and a badger help their friend Toad, when he becomes addicted to fast cars!

Dorothy finds herself in a new and wonderful land when a cyclone picks up her house.

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When nobody shows up to Pepper's birthday party, she invokes some evil demons to even the score. ..

Pepper makes preparations to win a potion competition, with a little help from her friend Carrot!

Pepper enters a competition - but Carrot threatens to ruin it for her!

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Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye...

Simple Simon met a pie-man, going to the fair...

London Bridge is broken down, dance o'er my Lady Lee...

View Nursery Rhymes

A little mouse walks to Mount Fuji on a a journey of seven days - a haiku poem story.

A poem about how lovely it is to lie in bed, ready for sleep...

Can you imagine what it would be like if the sky rained roses?

View Poems for Kids

A trio of haikus about rain, holidays and bluebells.

Victoria invents a fork, and presents it to the King!

A girl creates an army, to fight a wicked man who started war.

View Kids Writing

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!

"Good night, little ones!" - 55 years. How it all began

The TV program that raised more than one generation in our country, "Good night, kids!" actively preparing for the celebration of the anniversary. Let's remember how it all began!

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In January 2020, the Good Night, Kids program will turn 55 years old. The program every day before going to bed pleases the kids with an instructive story and an animated film. But once there were no cartoons in the program, there simply were no technical possibilities for this.

How it all began

But once upon a time there were no cartoons in the program, there simply were no technical possibilities for this. The first issue of the program was released on September 1, 1964. But work on it began a year before. The team at Shabolovka thought over the concept of the release, wrote the first scripts.

The idea to create a special evening program came to Valentina Fedorova, editor-in-chief of programs for children and youth of the Central Television of the USSR. During her trip to Germany, she saw on TV a program dedicated to the adventures of the sandman and fired up to do the same.

It was decided rather quickly that the show would air before bedtime and become a kind of bedtime story. But the name had to work hard. Many options were proposed, but no majority voted for one. The competition was attended by such titles as "A Bedtime Tale", "An Evening Tale". The final version, familiar to everyone since childhood, appeared almost before the first broadcast.

At first it was not possible to record the program, so it was broadcast live. Neither Phil nor Stepashka was out of the question then. The program was shown in the format of pictures voiced by the announcer behind the scenes. But later, dolls began to appear. They were borrowed from the theater of S. Obraztsov.

Instead of puppet shows, sometimes children were shown short plays with artists from the Moscow Art Theater and the Theater of Satire. Invited to the shooting and children who acted as presenters. Artists came to visit them, drank tea, talked and, of course, told a bedtime story.

Scenarios were created by the best of the best. Usachev, Kurlyandsky, Uspensky and many others participated in their development.

The current permanent team appeared on the screens in the late 1960s and instantly won the hearts of young viewers and their parents. "Good Night, Kids" has always been officially a children's program, but in fact it has become a real family tradition.

In 1968 the dog Filya started to greet all the guys. In 1970 he was joined by the bunny Stepashka, in 1971 by the piglet Khryusha and in 1982 by the crow named Karkusha. Their puppeteers are usually also in no hurry to leave their seats.

So, Karkusha has been voiced by Galina Marchenko for 15 years. Since 1971, Natalya Golubentseva has been speaking for the hare Stepashka, and Khryusha has been speaking in the voice of Oksana Chabanyuk, for 17 years already.

The “backbone” of the program has remained the same, but sometimes new characters appear there, for example, the bear cub Mishutka, who was accepted into the program in 2202, and the tiger cub Moore, who appeared already in 2014.

The transmission concept itself has not changed since then. The host, together with the puppets, tells a story or analyzes a situation from which useful conclusions can be drawn. After that, a cartoon is usually turned on, then they say goodbye and a farewell musical screensaver starts.

By the way, the opening and closing songs were written at the very beginning of the program by the composer Ostrovsky and the poet Petrova. Today, this song has become a real symbol of the program along with its main characters.

But the splash screen, which has not changed for many years, was different at first. At 19In 1954, she depicted only a clock with moving hands, as before the Vremya program, and besides, it was black and white, like all television.

Plasticine screensaver, more like a full-fledged cartoon with a plot, was created by A.Tatarsky in 1981. Much has changed since then, but the screen saver with the same lullaby continues to delight all new generations of babies.

"Cars" our way

The creators of "Good night, kids" decided to prepare something special for their 55th anniversary. The producer of the program, Alexander Mitroshenkov, said that the premiere of the new animated series "Super Rally" will take place on the air of the program.