First-day stories
Six gentle stories for first-day nerves, noisy classrooms, friendship worries and difficult school days.
Once upon a time, every night
Free bedtime stories for kids, made to be read aloud.
335 bedtime stories, free, with nothing to sign up for. Every one shows how many minutes it takes to read aloud and the ages it suits before you open it, and every one can be read aloud by your device.
Classic fairy tales retold gently, fables, nursery rhymes and brand-new tales, all illustrated. Pick by theme, by age, or by how many minutes you have left.
- Every story shows its read-aloud time and suggested ages before you open it
- Your device reads any story aloud, highlighting each paragraph as it goes
- Every story ends with the lesson, questions to talk about and the words to know
Tonight's story · 7 minutes · Ages 4–8
The Ratcatcher
Bumblebee Hollow is overrun by clever rats, causing sleepless nights for the villagers. Young Timmy, with a kind heart, seeks a better way than traps. He learns from old Gus, and together they discover a truly special solution that brings peace back to the village and happiness to all creatures.
The lesson: Always try to understand others, because kindness and compassion can solve even the trickiest problems.
Find the right story in ten seconds
Three ways in: how old, how long, or what kind.
How old is your listener?
How many minutes do you have?
What are they in the mood for?
Stories by theme
Every story is sorted by what it is really about, so you can pick the lesson as well as the tale.
Classic talesFairy tales, fables and rhymes families have loved for generations220 stories · Nursery Rhymes, Rhyming Stories & Poems, Aesop's Fables
MagicWishes, spells, dragons and journeys to somewhere new202 stories · Discovery, Journeys, Space
FriendshipStories about being a good friend and finding where you belong174 stories · Kindness, Love, Belonging, Mice
BraverySmall heroes, big hearts, and problems solved by thinking244 stories · Problem Solving, Responsibility, Hard Work
FamilyMums, dads, grandparents and the people who love us100 stories · Mothers, Fathers, Identity
Growing upHard days, big feelings, and the lessons hidden in them134 stories · Greed, Pride
Every theme in the library
Classic Tales 220Nursery Rhymes 34Rhyming Stories & Poems 23Aesop's Fables 41 Magic 202Discovery 119Journeys 58Space 19 Friendship 174Kindness 93Love 57Belonging 10Mice 4 Bravery & Courage 244Problem Solving 112Responsibility 96Hard Work 36 Family 100Mothers 10Fathers 32Identity 42 Hardship 134Greed 40Pride 39
Six to read tonight
A different six every day, drawn from across the library. Come back tomorrow for another set.
2 min
Ages 4–8 · Bravery & Courage
The Sleepover Lantern
When a first sleepover stops being funny and starts feeling far from home, Hana asks for help and learns that staying…
5 min
Ages 4–8 · Magic
The Dwarf With The Golden Beard
In the Peaceful Forest, kind dwarf Glim discovers a magical golden beard that grants him wisdom and the ability to talk…
7 min
Ages 4–8 · Classic Tales
The Horse and the Groom
A magnificent horse, proud of his looks, only admires himself. When a kind groom arrives, the horse slowly begins to…
7 min
Ages 4–8 · Rhyming Stories & Poems
The Little Weed
A tiny seed dreams of growing tall and strong, but finds itself in unforgiving soil, surrounded by towering plants…
9 min
Ages 4–8 · Kindness
The Little Good Mouse
Milo, a kind mouse, lives in a harmonious animal village. When the village's precious cheese supply mysteriously…
9 min
Ages 5–8 · Magic
Princess Rose and the Golden Bird
Princess Rose lives in an enchanted forest, known for her kindness. When a wicked witch plans to capture the magical…
Bedtime rescue packs
Small, ordered reading lists for the worry underneath bedtime.
Hospital comfort stories
A calm starting shelf for a planned hospital stay, an unfamiliar room or a child who needs predictable bedtime reassurance.
Two homes and moving
Reassuring stories about two bedrooms, a new street, familiar rituals and discovering that home does not have to be a contest.
After a bad dream
Low-intensity stories for checking shadows, calming the body and making the room feel familiar again.
Built for bedtime, not for scrolling
Every story page is a small story-book of its own.
Listen
Press Listen and your device reads the story aloud, highlighting each paragraph. Nothing is sent anywhere; it works on the sofa and in the car.
Story-book pages
Turn any story into big-text pages, one chapter at a time, with the illustration on the page it belongs to.
Night light
Dim the screen to a warm glow for the last story, with the text still easy to read in the dark.
Personalize
Swap a character’s name for your child’s. The story, Listen voice, Story book and printed copy all change on this page, and the name is never sent or saved.
Talk about it
Every story ends with the moral, a few questions worth asking, and the words a child might not know yet.
Next story, one tap
When the last page turns, the next story in the same theme is a single button away. Pick up where you left off tomorrow.
Favourites
Star the stories your child asks for again and again; they stay on this device, no account needed.
New in the library
The latest stories, newest first.
2 min
Ages 4–9 · Problem Solving
The Pirate and the Moon Map
2 min
Ages 3–8 · Kindness
The Unicorn's Winter Bell
2 min
Ages 3–8 · Kindness
The Treasure That Grew
2 min
Ages 4–8 · Bravery & Courage
The Pirate Who Lost Their Roar
2 min
Ages 3–8 · Discovery
The Unicorn Who Waited
2 min
Ages 4–8 · Magic
The Unicorn and the Paper Moon
2 min
Ages 3–8 · Bravery & Courage
The Friendly Shadows
2 min
Ages 5–10 · Love
The Goodbye Garden
For the grown-up doing the reading
Guides on bedtime routines, reading aloud, what to read at each age, and where the classic tales come from.
Start hereEverything on one page: why, when, what and how to read at bedtime
Bedtime routines and sleepBuilding a wind-down that works, night after night
Reading aloudVoices, pacing, questions, and what to do when they interrupt
Why stories matterLanguage, empathy, sleep and the science behind the ritual
Where the stories come fromGrimm, Andersen, Aesop, Perrault, and the folk tales behind them
Stories by ageWhat to read from the first months to the last years of being read to
Telling your own storiesInventing, adapting and performing stories of your own
Questions parents ask
Are the bedtime stories free?
Yes. Every story on BedtimeStory.kids is free to read, listen to and print, with no account and no app. The site is supported by unobtrusive advertising.
What ages are the stories for?
The library runs from short rhymes for toddlers to chapter-length tales for eight-to-twelve-year-olds. Every story shows a suggested age range and a read-aloud time, and you can browse by age.
Can the site read the story aloud?
Yes. Every story has a Listen button that reads it aloud using your device's own voice and highlights the paragraph being read. It works offline once the page has loaded and sends nothing to a server.
Are these the original fairy tales?
Many are retellings of classic tales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Perrault, Aesop and folk traditions from around the world, adapted to be read aloud at bedtime. The rest are original stories written for the site. Each story page says which.
How do I pick a story quickly?
Open Tonight's story for one pick that changes daily, or use the 5-minute stories list when it is late. Every story page ends with a next-story button in the same theme.