Interesting fairy tales

10 Best Classic Fairy Tales For Your Kids

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” ― Albert Einstein.

Fairy tales often take people to the sweet memory lane of their childhood. The memories of magic, dragons, and evilness getting defeated never fail to bring a smile to our faces. 

Reading or listening to classic tales can help parents bond better with their children and nurture their creativity.

So, if you are looking for the best bedtime stories for your children, this blog will surely help you. Let’s explore some of the fascinating and timeless fairy tales that can bring lots of colors and blooms to your kid’s childhood. 

Cinderella is one of the most popular fairy tales of all time. Its story remains an all-time classic and will remain the same for future generations as well.

Cinderella was a young woman who lived with her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. Thanks to her glass slipper, she found her Prince Charming and escaped her difficult life. 

Cinderella’s story has been adapted in many variations over history. Cinderella’s popular version “The Brother Grimm” was published in 1812. Recently, in 2021, Disney has released a new Cinderella movie with a modern outlook. 

Moral: This story tells kids how they should never stop dreaming despite all the hardships that life presents them with.

Related Reading: Top Reading Apps for Kids: How to Use Screens For Stories 

Beauty and the Beast is a fairy tale that celebrates real royalty. In the story, a spoiled prince turns into a beast and imprisons a beautiful young lady named Belle. It’s only when he learns to love Belle that he becomes the prince again. 

This fairy tale is assumed to be inspired by a real-life couple who lived in France in the 1500s. The man had a condition called hypertrichosis. This condition causes abnormal hair growth on the body. 

So, he was referred to as a wild man and was kept in a cage for a long time. In a surprising turn of events, he married a royal court servant’s daughter, and they had 7 children.

Moral: We should value internal characteristics such as kindness over other superficial or physical qualities. 

Rapunzel is a beautiful and motivational fairy tale. The story shows how a poor couple lost their daughter Rapunzel when they stole fruit from their neighbor’s garden. It also focuses on how the angelic voice of Rapunzel reunites her with her lover. 

Moral: This story gives two bold messages that one should never steal, and evilness never wins. 

Related Reading: Best Children’s Books to Stimulate Kids’ Imagination & Creativity

Snow White is a young princess and is defined by her inherent kindness and pure beauty. In the story, an evil queen spends all her life envying Snow White’s beauty. 

But, in the end, Snow White finds her happiness by marrying the prince. In contrast, the evil queen loses her peace and leads an unhappy life while chasing meaningless physical beauty. 

Moral: This story has an insightful moral — if you lust over physical beauty, you lose your peace in the way. The story also encourages kids to be kind and pure like Snow White. 

A rebellious Red sets off alone to meet her grandmother with instructions to never step off the forest path. But she disobeys the instructions and attracts the attention of the bad wolf. 

Now, what happens next depends on the version you are reading. In the Charles Perrault version, Red gets gobbled up by the wolf. However, across Europe, North America, and many other tellings, she was saved by her hood or a guy with an ax. 

Moral: This fairy tale intends to teach children to follow directions and express their courage at the time of need.  

Jack is a rule-breaker and loves to prank. Once, he traded a family cow for a couple of magic beans in the hope of climbing the beanstalk and reaching the giant’s castle to steal his magic possessions. 

This story will help you teach your naughty little pranksters that no matter how daring you are, one should never cross certain boundaries in life. 

Moral: The story shows that undying greed for more will take away what you already have in your life. 

Related Reading: Learning Styles That Make Learning Easy-Peasy For Kids

Sleeping Beauty is slightly similar to Snow White. The story revolves around a Sleeping Beauty who was cursed by a wicked fairy. Beauty spends all her childhood sleeping, but on her 16th birthday, her prince charming finds her and wakes her up after years of slumber. 

Like other fairy tales, different interpretations of Sleeping Beauty are also available. However, Disney’s Maleficent in the year 2014 achieved the most success. 

Moral: The story shows that growing up has its own hurdles but in the end, love conquers all.

If you want to raise a little animal helper, this is the perfect story for you. Puss is a bold trickster who masquerades as the servant of a nobleman. His tactics bring him fame, fortune, and a wife at a young age. 

The boots in this fairy tale symbolize wealth and wisdom. The story is set back in the 16th century when people used to be barefoot. So, having boots at that time was a significant sign of wealth. 

Moral: The story’s moral is simple — your wisdom can help you win wealth. 

This tale talks about the hunger of the heart and stomach. Hansel and Gretel are abandoned by their stepmother in the forest. Both children can’t resist eating a real gingerbread cottage out of hunger. But they get caught by a cannibal witch who lives there.  

In the end, they shove the witch into the fiery oven to escape. 

Moral: This story will teach your kids how fortunate they are to have food on their plates. It will help them be grateful in life and never have any egos! 

In this story, a frog helps a princess to find her golden ball in the pond and then invites her to live in the castle. It is then that the frog turns into a prince. The storyline of The Frog Prince is quite similar to Beauty and the Beast.

Moral: The story teaches that it’s important to value kindness and goodness over physical beauty. It also tries to convey the importance of keeping our promises.

Related Reading: Best Riddles for Kids of all Grades (With Answers)!

Are you wondering how centuries-old fairy tales can benefit your child in this digital age? Well, no matter how old fairy tales are, they can always make your kid’s childhood happy and memorable.  

Be it The Brothers Grimm or Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, all the classic magic stories can benefit your child in a number of ways:

Storytelling plays a significant role in a child’s development. That is because 95% of the human brain develops by the age of six. Therefore, reading or listening to fairy tales can build imagination and literacy for your child. 

Your child can engage in fantasy land and learn to distinguish the fantasy world from the real world. They can learn to express their thoughts and ideas better. 

Some studies even indicate that storytelling helps to improve vocabulary and confidence among children. 

Through stories, children and even adults can learn how to handle certain problems. Cinderella’s story fits perfectly in this context. It tells how a young woman escapes her difficult life despite her wicked stepmother and stepsisters’ cruelties.  

Stories allow people to step into the character’s shoes and learn how they can easily conquer problems and presents children with an interactive method of learning. This is one of the reasons why SplashLearn creates visually appealing and character-based animated games. 

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Children connect better with the characters in the stories. This helps them learn from their favorite characters’ life stories. The stories can show children how to believe in goodness amidst problems and anxieties. 

For example, Beauty and the Beast portray how selfishness can turn a prince into a beast. It also shows how beauty and kindness can turn a beast into a prince again. 

Fairy tales can bring cultural flavors into your child’s life. Different versions of stories are available today that can help your children interact with different cultures.  

Fairy tales show that life isn’t perfect. Children discover that bad things happen to everyone. But if you are emotionally resilient, you can overcome all challenges. 

This helps children stay strong during hard times and always believe in the richness of life despite hardships. 

Exposing your child to the world of fantasy can stimulate their imagination. It might amaze you to see how children can give a spin to traditional stories and interpret them into something completely different. 

For instance, the University of Hawai’i conducted a study to evaluate the positive impact of fairy tales on children. In the study, researchers exposed children to different classic stories to understand their impact. 

Interestingly, after listening to Little Red Riding Hood, a seven-year-old boy draws the wolf to the size of an ant. He used his imagination to create a funny interpretation of the bad wolf and show his courage.  

So, when you introduce a story to your child, you are providing them with an opportunity to think and imagine different scenarios. 

Every fairy tale is attached to a moral lesson. Fairy tales often leave us with a strong message, whether it is being good or believing in love or friendship. 

You might have a hard time making your toddler understand where the difference between good and bad lies. But stories like “The Emperor’s New Clothes” can better show to your kids, the consequences of convincing yourself that something was true when it wasn’t.

Through classic fairy tales, parents can bond with their children in a great capacity. They can relive their childhood memories with their kids and build some new memories.

You can forget anything in your life, but you can never forget all the classic fairy tales that you have heard in your childhood. Have you ever thought, why? 

That is mainly because stories capture our interest in a much better way. And once we learn something with an interest, we tend to not forget that information. 

SplashLearn creates learning games to spike and capture kids’ interest. The engaging characters and visuals motivate the little ones to learn. Different mediums like games, worksheets and courses on Math and English can help them remember and retain concepts their entire life. 

Today, you can try SplashLearn with your kids to see how they actually interact with interesting learning mediums. 

Parents, sign up for free!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which is the oldest fairy tale?

According to some researchers, The Smith And The Devil is the oldest fairy tale. It goes back by 6,000 years to the Bronze Age.

Do all fairy tales have morals?

Yes. Fairy tales are written with a motive to teach a lesson to children via interesting characters and a storyline

How do fairy tales affect child development? 

When children listen to fairy tales often, it affects their imagination and helps them to think about new things. The fairy tales affect the emotional, physical, and mental development of a child. 

Do fairy tales have the truth? 

Fairy tales have been passed down from many generations and cultures. However, today there’s no solid source from where these tales come from, but they have been inspired from somewhere. So, we can say that some fairy tales are adaptations of real-life events. 

Are fairy tales timeless?

Yes. The storyline might have changed in many tales with time, but the central idea has always been the same. 

What is the right time to read fairy tales to your child?

There’s no specific time to read stories to your kids. However, most parents prefer to read stories before bedtime. But you can read them to your child anytime as soon as they turn two.

11 Lesser-Known Fairy Tales | Mental Floss

Generations of parents have told their children fairy tales—stories imparting moral lessons that are easier to remember when a princess or evil ogre is involved. The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and other folklorists dedicated their lives to collecting these tales. Some of these stories became common household names, like Snow White and Cinderella. But there are many weird, quirky, and sometimes incredibly dark stories you may not know. Here are 11 of the lesser-known ones.

1.

This Brothers Grimm tale stars a lazy girl who doesn’t want to work on her spinning wheel. Her mother punishes her. The queen happens to be passing by their home and asks why the girl is crying. The mother says it's because she actually loves spinning but is too poor to afford flax. The queen, who happens to have a houseful of flax, says the girl can marry her oldest son if she can spin it all in three days. Three old crones decide to help the girl, who still refuses to work, and in exchange, she invites them to the wedding. This lighthearted tale shows that, sometimes, laziness does pay off.

2.

A couple wants a child so badly they'd settle for a hedgehog in this Grimm tale. They soon learn to be careful what they wish for: They have a half-human, half-hedgehog son they name Hans-My-Hedgehog, and, disturbed by his appearance, make him sleep behind the stove for years. One day, the child asks for bagpipes and a rooster, promising he will leave and never return if he can have them. When his father acquiesces, the boy goes to live in the forest, playing his bagpipes and tending to his animals. Soon a king, who is lost, comes across the boy; Hans-My-Hedgehog promises to show the king his way back home in exchange for his daughter. The king agrees, but has no intention of following through on the promise. Eventually, Hans-My-Hedgehog takes bloody revenge on the deceitful king. Then another king comes across the boy and the same offer is given. This king is honorable and sends his daughter, who is frightened by the boy’s appearance. But on their wedding night, Hans sheds his hedgehog skin and becomes a handsome prince.

3.

This short Grimm story teaches the dangers of selfishness when a man decides to hide a giant roasted chicken from view when his elderly father visits his house. After his father departs, the man attempts to resume eating the chicken, but it turns into a giant toad and latches onto his head. He spends the rest of his days feeding the toad so it won't devour his face.

4.

An extremely dark Grimm tale in which a cat and a mouse decide to live together for the winter. They buy a pot of fat to share and leave it in a safe place—behind the alter of a church. But throughout the winter, the cat lies to the mouse and claims that he must attend to his godchildren. He goes to the church and eats the fat. The mouse finally realizes the cat's game, and just as she is about to reprimand him, the cat eats the mouse—for that is how nature works.

5.

This truly Grimm story is, um, a handful, so stay with us. The devil, apparently feeling super-bored, decides to trick a poor miller. He offers him riches for the whatever is behind his mill. The miller, thinking he means a large apple tree, agrees to the request. However, the devil actually means the miller’s daughter, who's sweeping the floor there. Three years later, the devil comes to collect the daughter—but because she's so pious, he can’t appropriate her.

So, he demands that she stop washing herself, to reach a state of filth suitable for the devil's girlfriend, but she cries in her hands, keeping them too clean. The devil tells the miller to put a stop to this by chopping off her hands. The miller, not wanting to be further harassed, chops them off. The girl leaves home (who can blame her) and soon comes across the king, who marries her even though she doesn’t have hands. They have a child, and the devil, annoyed at her good fortune, makes everyone think the king wants her and the son dead. The king’s mother sends them away for their own safety. She finds a small house and lives there for seven years, and her piety causes her hands to grow back. Eventually, the king finds them again, and they live happily ever after.

6.

In this Norwegian tale recorded by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, a beautiful princess never laughs and is uninterested in every man who asks for her hand. The king declares that anyone who can make his daughter laugh will get her hand in marriage and half of the kingdom. Many try and fail. A man who lives near the castle decides that his three sons will try their luck, but the first two strike out. Hans, the youngest, then goes to the castle, but instead of attempting to make the princess laugh, he obtains a golden goose. If anyone touches the goose, they stick to it. Numerous passers-by get stuck, and finally Hans arrives at the princess's window with a trail of unfortunate hangers-on covered in goose feathers. The princess laughs for the first time and Hans inherits half the kingdom.

7.

A man has two sons, according to the Grimms. The older one is smart and skilled; the younger is a burden and unable to learn anything. The father sends his younger son out to learn a trade. He decides to learn how to shudder because he has never been afraid before. As people try to scare him, he gets more annoyed, complaining that no one is teaching him how to shudder. The king of the land has a haunted castle and promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man who stays in the castle for three nights. The boy takes him up on it, hoping to get the heebie- jeebies, but just gets upset that his sleep is being interrupted. After the third night, the king lets him marry the princess. At this point the poor guy still is fixated on learning fear, so a maid pours a bucket of cold water and wriggling minnows over him while he sleeps. He wakes up, shuddering for the first time in his life.

8.

In this Grimmly depressing tale, a hen is choking on a nut and her rooster friend goes to a well to get her a drink of water. But the well demands that the rooster get a piece of red silk from a young woman. The woman will only give up the silk if the rooster gets her a wreath from a willow. Thanks to this convoluted quest, the hen dies waiting for the water. Sad at the lost of his friend, the rooster sobs and all the nearby animals hear it. They try to help the rooster bury her across the river. Then everyone but the rooster dies trying to cross the river. And once the rooster buries the hen, he is alone and cries until he too dies. But hey, the well got its red silk and lived happily ever after, we guess.

9.

Imagine if, one day, your shadow asks you to take its place and then convinces the whole world that you’ve lost your marbles. That’s exactly what happens in this whirlwind Hans Christian Andersen tale. A man’s shadow disappears, and he begins to grow a new one. Then years later, his old shadow shows up as an actual person of flesh and blood. The shadow is the opposite of the man, only seeing the bad in the world instead of the good. After a while the man begins to fall ill and the shadow offers to send him to a pond that will cure him, but only if the man becomes the shadow’s shadow for some time. The man agrees, but then the shadow meets a princess and becomes engaged. The man is upset and the shadow tries to bribe him into being the shadow forever. The man refuses, so the shadow convinces everyone that the man is a shadow that has gone crazy believing he is actually a real man. The princess executes the man, thinking he is really a shadow, and the shadow marries the princess. Moral of the story? Never be a shadow of yourself.

10.

In this Hans Christian Andersen story, a little girl named Karen is so poor she walks around barefoot. One day a lady in the village gives Karen a pair of red shoes. Soon, Karen’s mother dies and another villager takes Karen in; she assumes it's because of her red shoes. Instead, she learns the lady hates them and has them destroyed. Years later, the lady buys Karen new red shoes, thinking they are black thanks to her poor eyesight. Karen becomes obsessed with her bright red shoes, continuously wearing them to church even thought she isn’t supposed to. A mysterious old soldier calls them “pretty dancing shoes,” and forever after, Karen cannot stop dancing when she wears them. But eventually, Karen becomes desperate to escape the red shoes, which cleave to her feet and can't be removed. An angel tells Karen that she’s a lesson for other vain children. At wit's end, Karen convinces the town executioner to cut off her feet. She spends the rest of her life repenting her vanity, while working as a servant for a clergyman. Right before she dies, the angel returns to let her know she’s been forgiven.

11.

This Portuguese story from Zófimo Consiglieri Pedroso involves three beautiful daughters. The first two marry rich princes, but the youngest marries a poor man, and the older sisters shun her because of it. As the youngest daughter is giving birth, fairies in the vicinity bless her baby with beauty and riches. The child grows up, and her beauty catches the eye of a prince who's already engaged to a daughter of the mean older sisters. His fiancée, in a fit of rage, blinds the enchanted maiden and assumes her identity. But she gives her rival her eyes back in exchange for flowers for the wedding. The enchanted maiden visits the prince and begs him not to go through with the marriage. The prince weighs his options and puts the question to his wedding guests. “I lost something, and instead I bought another. I have now recovered that which I lost. Which ought I to make use of—that which I lost, or what I bought?” When all the guest vote for that which he's recovered, he marries the enchanted maiden.

Fairy tales for children to read. 1500 fairy tales with pictures online.

The tale about Kolobok is found in Russian and Ukrainian folklore, and also has analogues in the tales of many other peoples. Our site presents a version of a folk tale in the processing of A.N. Tolstoy. Read "Gingerbread Man" Once upon a time there was an old man with an old woman. Here...

A fairy tale about three brothers-piglets who built houses for themselves. One brother built a house out of straw, another out of twigs and twigs, and a third out of bricks. "Three Little Pigs" read Once upon a time there were three little pigs in the world. Three brothers. All…

A short story about a trusting girl and a cunning gray wolf. Disobeying her mother, the girl turns off the road and talks to a stranger - a gray wolf ... "Little Red Riding Hood" read Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her mother loved her without memory, and her grandmother…

Scientists recently discovered that there are naughty children in the world who do everything the other way around. They are given useful advice: "Wash in the morning" - they take and do not wash. They are told: "Hello to each other" - they are here ...

A Kitten named Gav is a series of short stories about the adventures of Gav the kitten and his friend Sharik the puppy. Ridiculous situations constantly happen to Gav, as soon as he goes out into the yard. Together with his friend, he copes...

A tale about a cowardly hippopotamus who ran away from the clinic because he was afraid of vaccinations. And he got jaundice. Fortunately, he was taken to the hospital and cured. And the hippopotamus became very ashamed of his behavior . .. “About the Behemoth, who was afraid ...

The turnip is a famous fairy tale for the little ones with a large number of repetitions. The child quickly remembers the sequence of presentation and a simple plot. "Turnip" read Grandfather planted a turnip and says: - Grow a turnip, sweet, sweet! Grow big, big! A turnip has grown, sweet and big, big….

Teremok is a short fairy tale for kids about a house that sheltered many animals. However, the tower could not accommodate a huge bear and broke. "Teremok" read There is a teremok in the field. A mouse runs past. I saw the tower, stopped and asked:—...

A tale about a hedgehog, a hare and a crow who could not share the last apple among themselves. Everyone wanted to own it. But the fair bear judged their dispute, and each got a piece of a treat... It was late to read "Apple"...

A story about one serious and independent boy, whose name was Uncle Fyodor and his friends: the cat Matroskin and the dog Sharik. Uncle Fyodor's mother did not like animals very much and did not want to start them. To live with a cat…

The story of the animals and the young Troubadour who went to the city of Bremen to become street musicians. In the city they stopped in front of the royal castle. The king and the princess came out onto the balcony of the palace, the townspeople came running to the square and it began ...

ACTORS Cat; Two kittens; Cat Vasily; Rooks; Goat; Beavers; Goat; Pigs; Rooster; Ram; Chicken; Sheep; Pig; Narrator. Chorus Beam-bom! Tili-bom! Outside is a tall building. Carved shutters, Painted windows. And on the stairs carpet - ...

A story about the Hedgehog, how he walked at night and got lost in the fog. He fell into the river, but someone carried him to the shore. It was a magical night! "Hedgehog in the Fog" read In the evenings, the Hedgehog went to the Bear Cub in ...

A short story about the baby and the prankster Carlson adapted by B. Larin for children. "Kid and Carlson" read This story actually happened. But, of course, it happened far away from you and me - in Swedish ...

A fairy tale about a wooden boy who was carved from a log by Carlo's father, his adventures in the theater of Karabas Barabas, a meeting with scoundrels Fox Alice and Cat Basilio, Malvina and poodle Artemon, turtle Tortila and Duremar. “Pinocchio” read to the Joiner ...

A short story for the little ones about three restless kittens and their funny adventures. Small children love short stories with pictures, that's why Suteev's fairy tales are so popular and loved! "Three kittens" read Three kittens - black, gray and ...

A fairy tale about a girl Zhenya, who was presented with a magic seven-flower flower. It had seven petals and could grant any seven wishes. Zhenya spent the first six wishes, but did not receive any pleasure and only made her last wish ...

The Snow Queen is one of Hans Christian Andersen's most famous fairy tales about love, which can overcome any trial and melt even an icy heart! “The Snow Queen” read The first story, which tells about a mirror and its…

The fairy tale tells about an evil wolf who changed his voice, made his way into the goat's house and ate little goats. But the mother goat will be able to save her children and get rid of the wolf. "The Wolf and the Seven Kids" read Once upon a time there was a goat with kids ....

A fairy tale about a baby mammoth that melted out of the ice and went looking for its mother. But all mammoths died out long ago, and the wise Uncle Walrus advised him to sail to Africa, where elephants live, which are very similar to mammoths. Read your favorite…

This section of our site presents Russian folk tales with vivid illustrations, as well as a selection of fairy tales by foreign and Russian authors: Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Perrault, Pushkin, Tolstoy, Suteev and many others. The site is constantly updated with new authors and works.

For your convenience, we have written a brief description of each fairy tale and developed a system of labels (tags). Thanks to them, you can easily pick up fairy tales according to age and preferences. Use the menu to quickly find the right author. Happy reading :)

Fairy tales for children are one of the very first literary works that young readers get acquainted with. The roots of these stories go far into antiquity, but they do not lose their relevance today. Children believe in magic, in reincarnation, in the victory of good over evil, in the existence of good wizards, and it is children's fairy tales that give rise to this belief - pure, naive, bright, at the same time instructive and educating. Most often, animals are the main characters, so popular works also instill love for our smaller brothers.
The site mishka-knizhka.ru contains a fabulous collection - a real magical wealth for the children of domestic and foreign authors, Russian folk tales and tales of the peoples of the world, illustrated and printed without abbreviations. Through such works, kids get to know the world and learn to distinguish good from bad, highlight the positive and negative qualities of a person, form their correct position in life. They learn the rules of conduct, the way of life of their own and other countries. The benefits of a children's fairy tale can hardly be overestimated, and the huge variety and popularity is a direct confirmation of this. The whole section is completely at your service, so you won’t have to look for a long time what to read with your child. A convenient online format will allow you to use the site, read with your child anytime and anywhere, even if you are in transport or waiting in line. Spend time with benefit, plunging into the world of unique reincarnations.
Reading is an important stage of learning. At an early age, children can listen to adults and look at illustrations, imagining unprecedented colorful pictures, empathizing with the characters, trying to find clues, draw logical chains and draw conclusions. Looking at the pictures, the child is transferred to a magical world and imagines himself as a part of what is happening. We have selected the brightest and kindest illustrations that will appeal to both children and adults.
Reading fairy tales will definitely benefit. Looking at our site, you will see a huge variety of works, among which there are sure to be the most beloved and interesting for the child. Every evening you can choose any, listen and fall asleep with a good mood and positive emotions. Over time, the baby himself will certainly begin to compose and tell fairy tales, this will allow him to develop his vocabulary and mental activity to the maximum. The longer a person reads fairy tales, the more he will remain a child, see everything in a rainbow light, believe in a better future and treat people kindly.

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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.
There are 9 at the bottom of every fairy tale0061 clue what age it is for, and 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.

Benefits of reading fairy tales

A bedtime story read by a parent is a powerful stimulus for the child's development, the child's wide opportunities in the following areas:

• imagination;
• fantasy;
• creative thinking;
• speech 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.

The repeated repetition of the same situation (a familiar room, a favorite blanket and a 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 fairy tales 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, Donald Bisset's kind tigers, Sergey Kozlov's inseparable Hedgehog and Bear cub - 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.

Hints 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.

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