A beekeeper must protect an enchanted hare from an evil witch.
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:
Boots and His Brothers ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Three brothers embark on a quest to serve their King.
The Enormous Nose ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Flatterers divert the Prince from the truth about his enormous nose. (from France)
The Fisherlad & the Mermaid’s Ring ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A fisherlad wins a mermaid’s ring to win the heart of his own true love.
The Frog & the Condor ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A girl kept as a slave by a condor is offered a hope of rescue.
Goblin’s Market, A Halloween Poem ~ Fairy Tales Poems for Kids
The goblins have captured Sarah. To save Sarah, what must her sister do?
The Golden Goose ~ A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A parade of villagers get stuck to Simpleton and his golden goose.
Time Changes All Things: Greyfoot and the Princess of England ~ Fairytale
A haughty princess must marry a beggar, who is actually a prince in disguise.
Guleesh and the Princess of France ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
After Guleesh and his band kidnap a princess, he tries to make amends.
Janet and Thomalyn (Tamlane) ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Only Janet can save Thomalyn from being sacrificed by the Fairies.
Princess Kate Story ~ Fairy Tales Stories for Kids
Princess Kate and her sister flee the palace to try to break an evil spell.
The Lad and the Maiden in the Rose-Colored Clouds ~ Fairy Tale Stories
A Story of Courage, Friendship and Love, from Scotland.Â
A lad spends his life searching for a maiden who appeared in his dream.
The Lion’s Enchantment ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
To save a prince, a maiden must give up what is most valuable to her.
The Witch’s Magic Ball ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A Story of Cooperation and Perseverance, from Argentina.Â
An evil witch lures a girl with a magic ball, and her brother must free her.
The Magic Horse ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A prince jumps on a magic horse without first hearing how to run it.
The Magic Mirror ~ Fairy Tale Bedtime Stories for Kids
The King will marry only a maiden who will look into his magic mirror.
The Magic Tree Trunks ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A prince and princess exiled from the castle hide in two magic tree trunks.
The Native American Cinderella Story from Canada ~ Fairy Tale Stories
A scar-faced youngest of three daughters seeks a warrior’s heart.
Princess Amaradevi Story ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Princess Amaradevi engineers a scheme to free her exiled husband.
Prince Derek and the Ring ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Prince Derek throws off the magic ring designed to help him stay good.

The Lad and the Maiden in the Rose-Colored Clouds ~ Fairy Tale Stories
A Story of Courage, Friendship and Love, from Scotland.Â
A lad spends his life searching for a maiden who appeared in his dream.

The Lion’s Enchantment ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
To save a prince, a maiden must give up what is most valuable to her.

The Witch’s Magic Ball ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A Story of Cooperation and Perseverance, from Argentina.Â
An evil witch lures a girl with a magic ball, and her brother must free her.

The Magic Horse ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A prince jumps on a magic horse without first hearing how to run it.

The Magic Mirror ~ Fairy Tale Bedtime Stories for Kids
The King will marry only a maiden who will look into his magic mirror.

The Magic Tree Trunks ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A prince and princess exiled from the castle hide in two magic tree trunks.

The Native American Cinderella Story from Canada ~ Fairy Tale Stories
A scar-faced youngest of three daughters seeks a warrior’s heart.

Princess Amaradevi Story ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Princess Amaradevi engineers a scheme to free her exiled husband.

Prince Derek and the Ring ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Prince Derek throws off the magic ring designed to help him stay good.

Queen Anait ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Anait will marry the the prince only if he first learns a trade.

The Queen and the Mouse Fairy Tale ~ Stories for Kids
A queen locked up as prisoner has but one friend- a dancing mouse.

Rags and Tatters ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Whoever picks up a rose thrown into the street will marry the princess.

The Contest of the Fairies (Fairy) ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Two fairies bet on whether a womanizing prince will stay true. (from France)

The Six Friends ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
One of six friends is missing – where is he? The five friends go in search.

The Spellbook in the Forbidden Room ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A spellbook holds the key to rescue- but who can read the spells?

The Stolen Bairn (Baby) ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A Scottish folk tale of a mother’s fierce love for her baby (“bairn”).

Sunlight & Moonlight ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Two young princes escape danger at the palace, & find more in the desert.

Susu and the Magic Mirror ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Susu’s magic mirror reveals the truth about her stepmother.

The Talking Eggs ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
The talking eggs of a magical old woman can bring fortunes- or not.

The Golden Goats ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Three brothers catch runaway golden goats, but not for long.

The Troll in the Ditch ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A Story of Generosity, Helping, and Selflessness, from Sweden.Â
Pedar is rushing to get to Lisa’s house- why take time to help a little old troll in a ditch?

The Twelve Wild Ducks ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
A princess risks everything to free her 12 older brothers from a spell.

The Wild Man & the Prince ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Exiled, a prince is forced by his servant to switch clothes.

Baba Yaga The Witch
Baba Yaga: A classic Russian Fairytale in Early Reader version. Natasha is sent deep into the forest to face the witch, Baba Yaga.
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.