A Bedtime Stories Classic: An Emperor is fooled into believing he is wearing magic clothes which can’t actually be seen.
Bedtime Stories | FREE Stories Kids Love
Short bedtime stories for kids, 5-10 minute bedtime stories, fairy tales, online story books, audio stories, and more!
Our FREE Bedtime Stories for Kids are PRAISED & RECOMMENDED BY: Scholastic, USA Today, The New York Times & Education World.
Enjoy our collection of FREE Bedtime Stories for kids:
Mulan Story: Tale of Hua Mulan | Bedtime Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Stories Classic: A legend tale about a girl who goes in disguise as a boy and joins the army in her brother’s place.
The Girl Who Changed Her Fate ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Poor Alena is cursed with an ill fate. Is there a way for her to change it?
The Girl with the Loveliest Hair in the World ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A Story of Love from Pakistan.Â
A prince sets out to discover why every night his bride, the girl with the loveliest hair in the world, returns home.
The Girl Fish ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A girl is transformed into a fish to seek the lost crown of a queen-fish.
The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds, The Tale of El Capitan ~ Folktales
Overnight, a magic rock, El Capitan, raises a boy and girl who had fallen asleep on top of it.
The Girl and the Puma ~ Legend Stories for Kids
A frightened Spanish girl forges a powerful relationship with a puma.
The Maiden and the Boy who Vanished ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Three maidens try to rescue a nobleman’s son who had vanished.
How to Turn Dirt Into Gold ~ Folktale Stories for Kids
A young man learns the secret of how to turn dirt into gold.
A Caterpillar’s Voice ~ Bedtime English Story for Kids
Who is in the hare’s cave? A big voice!
A Donkey to Market ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. How to best take their donkey to market? Everyone weighs in.
The Painting & the Cat ~ Short Stories for Kids
Fable Short Stories for Kids: The fable is a fictional story meant to teach a moral lesson. See what lesson about the nature of perception Mark Twain is trying to show us.Â
Androcles and the Lion ~ Folktale Stories for Kids: Aesop’s Fables
Androcles, an escaped slave, meets a lion in the woods. An Aesop’s tale.
A Spider & Robert the Bruce ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. A defeated Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, is inspired by a spider. (from Scotland)
A Story from Confucius on Losing One’s Temper ~ Folktale Stories for Kids
Story from Confucius: Folktale story for kids from the philosopher Confucius which explains losing one’s temper and the art of self-control.
A Surprise in the Oven Story ~ Canadian Folktales for Kids
A story of creative thinking and working together from Canada.
Akbar and the Half-Reward ~ Akbar Birbal English Story for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. Akbar gives a reward to Mahesh Das who saved him but someone else demands half. What will he do when he is bullied to split the reward?
All for a Paisa Story ~ Riddle Stories for Kids
A father challenges his son to solve an impossible riddle with only a paisa.
Birbal and the Mango Tree ~ Akbar Birbal English Story for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. Who owns the Mango tree? Birbal helps two men decide and discover who is the proper owner.

The Girl Who Changed Her Fate ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Poor Alena is cursed with an ill fate. Is there a way for her to change it?

The Girl with the Loveliest Hair in the World ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A Story of Love from Pakistan.Â
A prince sets out to discover why every night his bride, the girl with the loveliest hair in the world, returns home.

The Girl Fish ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A girl is transformed into a fish to seek the lost crown of a queen-fish.

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds, The Tale of El Capitan ~ Folktales
Overnight, a magic rock, El Capitan, raises a boy and girl who had fallen asleep on top of it.

The Girl and the Puma ~ Legend Stories for Kids
A frightened Spanish girl forges a powerful relationship with a puma.

The Maiden and the Boy who Vanished ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Three maidens try to rescue a nobleman’s son who had vanished.

How to Turn Dirt Into Gold ~ Folktale Stories for Kids
A young man learns the secret of how to turn dirt into gold.

A Caterpillar’s Voice ~ Bedtime English Story for Kids
Who is in the hare’s cave? A big voice!

A Donkey to Market ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. How to best take their donkey to market? Everyone weighs in.

The Painting & the Cat ~ Short Stories for Kids
Fable Short Stories for Kids: The fable is a fictional story meant to teach a moral lesson. See what lesson about the nature of perception Mark Twain is trying to show us.Â

Androcles and the Lion ~ Folktale Stories for Kids: Aesop’s Fables
Androcles, an escaped slave, meets a lion in the woods. An Aesop’s tale.

A Spider & Robert the Bruce ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. A defeated Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, is inspired by a spider. (from Scotland)

A Story from Confucius on Losing One’s Temper ~ Folktale Stories for Kids
Story from Confucius: Folktale story for kids from the philosopher Confucius which explains losing one’s temper and the art of self-control.

A Surprise in the Oven Story ~ Canadian Folktales for Kids
A story of creative thinking and working together from Canada.

Akbar and the Half-Reward ~ Akbar Birbal English Story for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. Akbar gives a reward to Mahesh Das who saved him but someone else demands half. What will he do when he is bullied to split the reward?

All for a Paisa Story ~ Riddle Stories for Kids
A father challenges his son to solve an impossible riddle with only a paisa.

Birbal and the Mango Tree ~ Akbar Birbal English Story for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. Who owns the Mango tree? Birbal helps two men decide and discover who is the proper owner.

Birbal Finds a Thief ~ Akbar Birbal English Story for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. How can Birbal tell who the thief is? With a clever plan, of course!

The Stonecutter ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Haku yearns to be Emperor- if only!

Sima Guang Breaks the Vat ~ Chinese Stories in English for Kids
A Chinese Story in English for Kids Learning to Read. Sima Guang is tasked to save his friend who has fallen in a vat of water.

Swapping Places ~ Folktale Stories for Kids
A farmer and his wife swap places, and he finds her work is not so easy.

The Apple Dumpling Story ~ Learn to Read
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. An old woman’s search for an apple dumpling leads her to generous trades. A story of Gratitude and Kindness.

The Bear Feast Story ~ Folktales Stories for Kids
A Story of Friendship, Hospitality and Sharing, from the United States.Â
An old man invites the grizzly bear chief and his followers to a feast.

The Empty Pot ~ Learn to Read with English Stories for Kids
An English Story for Kids Learning to Read. The boy who grows the finest plant will be emperor, but Jun’s seed does not sprout.
Our Bedtime Stories Are Different
Stories to Grow By is a non-profit organization. We dedicate ourselves to providing the best treasury of stories and reader's theater scripts. Each one is kid-tested, providing children a meaningful experience that will last a lifetime.
Kid-Tested Free Bedtime Stories
All of our stories are Kid-Tested and Kid-Approved. We are the WORLD'S FIRST Kid-tested and Kid-approved collection of folktales & fairy tales. Each story is based on themes of human ethics. Our stories are diverse, non-denominational and contain themes of respect, honesty, and caring.
Stories to Grow By is the only bedtime story website that is PRAISED & RECOMMENDED BY major outlets. These include Scholastic, USA Today, The New York Times & Education World!
Read more about us and our mission HERE.
What is a Bedtime Story?
Bedtime stories are a story told to a child once they have gotten into bed for the evening. Reading a story every night is beneficial for children and parents, too! Reading stories each night to your child has been proven to improve reading and vocabulary skills. Read a special story for children tonight!
Reading stories each evening to a child promotes positive sleep habits. It builds on reading skills, vocabulary size as well as the imagination. It calms a busy child and engages their mind into a world of magic and sweet dreams. The bedtime story is the best way to end the child's day and lead them into a night of wonderful rest.
Reading bedtime stories to kids is a wonderful way to spend the end of each day and create memories which will last forever. Reading bedtime stories can be the most magical moment of the day. Taking that child to a world of discovery through a story will surely leave a lasting impression. Read our collection of stories for kids to your children today and see the positive impact they have.
What We Believe
Stories to Grow by believes that these are the best stories that should be shared at bedtime. Each story has been hand selected from among hundreds of stories for kids from all over the world. We ensure that each bedtime story helps children ease into sleep and leaves them with a positive outlook on themselves and the world around them.
What better way to teach morals then through magical short stories for kids. Our bedtime stories have been kid-tested and kid-approved. Kids loves our stories and parents love the special time they spend reading with them each night. Our bedtime stories and all our stories for kids are read by children of different ages to ensure reading level as well as understanding are accurate.
Enjoy our entire collection of short bedtime stories for kids!
Our children's stories come from folktales (or folk tales), stories that have been shared from generation to generation by word of mouth, from all over the world. Folktales have been shared for thousands of years and are the starting point for most of your favorite tales and Disney movies. This collection of stories for kids has stories which are 10 min and are for a longer reading experience or for older children.
All of our stories for kids have positive morals and teach important values such as friendship, kindness and gratitude. Our children's folktale stories consist of fairy tales, animal tales, riddles stories, myths and legends,from all over the world! Our stories for kids are kid-tested to ensure read time, reading level, and kid-approval. They are multicultural and feature positive moral messages. Share our short stories for kids with those children in your life and share the joy and love we have for stories and storytelling.
More Than Just Bedtime Stories
You will find stories you love. Stories to Grow By provides a collection of World Tales. Folktales, fairytales, fables, and more! Stories from various countries and cultures! We have you covered. View our special collection of world tales HERE.
Not Finding the Bedtime Stories You Need?
If you would like to see additional stories, content, and materials - drop us a line! Contact us directly by clicking HERE.
Teaching Resources from Stories to Grow By
In addition to a great bedtime story, we also offer teaching resources! This includes over 100 free bedtime stories, fairy tales, folk tales, readers theater play scripts, and performance notes! You will find the stories and the materials you need for your classroom with Stories to Grow By.
Interactive Reader's Theater | PlayAloud
In 2023 Stories to Grow By launched PlayAloud. A PlayAloud is an interactive reader's theater destination for families and the classroom. PlayAloud is great for struggling readers, drama enthusiasts, or those who want to practice reading fluency and expression. The PlayAloud website helps to build reading confidence too! A PlayAloud is an interactive reader's theater play script. You can follow along, line by line, and listen to voice actors deliver the lines. Check it out HERE.