MarytaleBedtime stories for kindergartners
Bedtime stories for kindergartners: long enough to feel like a real story, short enough to finish before the yawning starts.
This is the age when a child starts asking what happens next before you turn the page. Let them guess; being wrong is half the fun.
By kindergarten a story can be longer and a child will still make it to the end. These are the ones with something at stake: a promise that gets broken, a friend left behind, a small animal that turns out to be braver than anyone expected.
This is the biggest group on the site, and the one where children start predicting. They will tell you what the hero should have done, and they will be indignant when the hero does something else. That argument, at the edge of the bed, is the story working.
Six to ten minutes each. If bedtime is already late, the five-minute stories finish sooner without feeling cut short.
83 stories
Alice in Wonderland10-12 min read · 20 pagesAlice in Wonderland, retold for reading aloud. A girl follows a rabbit with a pocket watch and lands somewhere the rules keep changing.
Apollo and the Whole Wide Sky5-6 min read · 13 pagesHigh on the windswept cliffs, in a nest of sticks and sunlight, lived the smallest eaglet of all — a little dreamer named Apollo who longed to open his wings and touch the sky.
Ava and the Whisper of Autumn7-9 min read · 12 pagesWhen the woods blaze red and gold, little Ava sets off alone to find the Spirit of Autumn — the wondrous creature the old stories promise can grant a single wish.
Beauty and the Beast8-10 min read · 16 pagesBeauty and the Beast, retold for reading aloud. A rose picked in the wrong garden, a bargain kept, and a question asked every single evening.
Bella and the Golden Acorn5-6 min read · 17 pagesDeep in the whispering woods lives Bella, a little squirrel with a big, brave heart and a nose for adventure.
Benny the Brave Little Boat3-5 min read · 12 pagesDown in a quiet little cove lived a small blue boat named Benny, who dreamed of faraway seas though he was the tiniest boat of all.
Birbal's Khichdi4-6 min read · 13 pagesBirbal's khichdi, an Akbar and Birbal story to read aloud. A poor man earns a reward, and the court finds a reason not to pay it.
Bruno the Bear and the Honey Machine7-9 min read · 18 pagesDeep in the woods lived Bruno, a clever bear who loved to build. When he saw how hard his friends the bees worked, he invented something wonderful to help them — but even the best ideas can go wrong.
Cinderella8-10 min read · 16 pagesCinderella, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. No fairy godmother here — what helps her grows on her mother's grave.
Clara and the Crystal of Kindness6-8 min read · 13 pagesClara always dreamed of the secrets the enchanted forest kept hidden, and one bright morning she set off to find the legendary tree that grants wishes.
Elara and the Little Song-Bird5-6 min read · 7 pagesWhen kind Princess Elara rescues a small hurt bird, she has no idea their meeting was ever meant to be.
Follow the Thread: How Your Clothes Are Made7-9 min read · 12 pagesT-shirts, sweaters, dresses — we pull them on every single day, but have you ever wondered where they come from?
Frau Holle7-9 min read · 16 pagesFrau Holle, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A girl falls down a well into another country, where shaking the beds makes it snow.
Hansel and Gretel8-10 min read · 16 pagesHansel and Gretel, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. The breadcrumbs do not work, and the house in the clearing is made of sugar.
Jack and the Beanstalk7-9 min read · 16 pagesJack and the beanstalk, the English folk tale to read aloud. He sells the cow for five beans, and by morning one of them has gone up.
Leo and the Star Guest6-8 min read · 20 pagesLeo is a boy with a heart full of stars and a head full of questions about space.
Lina, the Sheep Who Wandered8-10 min read · 18 pagesIn a green valley where everyone follows the same worn path, a little sheep named Lina chooses her own way.
Lucas and the Little Starship6-8 min read · 12 pagesEvery single night, Lucas lies in the grass and wishes on the stars, dreaming of faraway journeys through space.
Percy the Prankster Pigeon6-7 min read · 11 pagesIn a busy little park where laughter always drifts on the breeze, there lives a cheeky pigeon named Percy who loves to startle the visitors.
Pinocchio6-8 min read · 16 pagesPinocchio, the tale by Carlo Collodi to read aloud. A puppet who runs off on the first day, and a nose that gives him away every time.
Piper and the Mountain That Waited7-8 min read · 11 pagesPiper is the smallest plane in the whole valley, but her heart is as big as the sky.
Puss in Boots7-9 min read · 16 pagesPuss in boots, the folk tale to read aloud. A miller's son inherits a cat, and the cat asks him for a pair of boots and a sack.
Rapunzel6-8 min read · 16 pagesRapunzel, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A tower with no stairs and no door, and a plait of hair long enough to climb.
Ricky and the Great Chip Caper5-6 min read · 11 pagesIn the leafy little town of Maplewood lives Ricky, a raccoon with clever paws and an even bigger nose for mischief.
Rumpelstiltskin7-9 min read · 16 pagesRumpelstiltskin, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. He spins straw into gold three nights running, and the third time he names his price.
Sir Arthur and the Mountain That Grew Cold6-8 min read · 9 pagesHigh in a green kingdom of misty peaks and whispering forests lives Sir Arthur, a knight as gentle as he is brave.
Sleeping Beauty7-9 min read · 16 pagesSleeping Beauty, or Briar Rose, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. Every spindle in the kingdom is burned, and one is missed.
Snow White8-10 min read · 16 pagesSnow White and the seven dwarfs, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A mirror gives the same answer every day, until one day it does not.
Snow White and Rose Red7-9 min read · 15 pagesSnow White and Rose Red, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. A bear knocks at the door in winter and asks to sleep by the fire.
The Acorn of the Winds6-7 min read · 11 pagesWhen a fierce storm rolls toward the forest, a small squirrel named Chippi doesn't waste a moment.
The Ant and the Grasshopper2-3 min read · 7 pagesThe ant and the grasshopper, Aesop's fable to read aloud. All summer he plays and she carries — and then the first cold morning comes.
The Bamboo That Glowed6-8 min read · 16 pagesDeep in a whispering bamboo forest lives Muffin, a curious little panda who loves nothing more than a good mystery.
The Blue Jackal4-6 min read · 12 pagesThe blue jackal, a Panchatantra tale to read aloud. He falls into a vat of dye and everyone in the forest decides he must be a king.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf5-7 min read · 13 pagesThe boy who cried wolf, Aesop's fable to read aloud. Twice he shouts for fun and the village comes running. The third time is not for fun.
The Bremen Town Musicians7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe Bremen town musicians, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. Four animals too old to be useful set off to become a band, and never arrive.
The City Mouse and the Country Mouse5-7 min read · 13 pagesThe city mouse and the country mouse, Aesop's fable to read aloud. One has plain food and quiet; the other has cake and footsteps in the dark.
The Compass That Chose a Kind Heart8-10 min read · 18 pagesKai never expected a school trip to a crumbly old lighthouse to change everything.
The Crow Count2-3 min read · 13 pagesThe crow count, an Akbar and Birbal story to read aloud. How many crows are there in the city? Birbal gives an exact number.
The Elves and the Shoemaker5-7 min read · 12 pagesThe elves and the shoemaker, the Brothers Grimm tale to read aloud. The shoes are finished every morning, and nobody has seen who does it.
The Emperor's New Clothes7-9 min read · 16 pagesThe emperor's new clothes by Hans Christian Andersen, to read aloud. Two weavers sell him a cloth that only clever people can see.
By age
Want to know where these stories come from? The articles are here
Frequently asked
- Are these too long for bedtime?
- Six to ten minutes, which is a normal bedtime story. If you are short on time, the five-minute stories end sooner without leaving anything out.
- My child wants the same story every night. Is that a problem?
- No. Knowing what happens next is a large part of why a child loves a story at this age. The variety matters more to the adult reading than to the child listening.