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5-Minute Bedtime Stories For Kids: Quick Reads Before Sleep
One of the most quality times that parents spend with their children is bedtime. However, it is not always possible to find time to read long stories after a hard day. That is where 5-minute bedtime stories come in - little, sweet, and magical enough to put the day to a warm end.
These short stories not only stir up the imagination of your child, but also allow you to create some of the most beautiful memories of your lives together. We at Kiko Riko understand this, and that’s why we’ve curated some short stories that will help you forge a bond with your children.
Let’s move further and learn more about these bedtime stories that are ideal for sleep time.
Why 5-Minute Bedtime Stories Are Great for Kids?
A story during bedtime, 5 minutes long, can seem little, yet can miraculously work with your child. These stories are little gems before bedtime, whether it is inspiring children to read or building good emotional connections with them.
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Time Friendly
Ideal on hectic nights when parents are pressed for time but wish to provide children with an experience of a complete bedtime process.
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Builds Bonding
Storytime serves to build a solid emotional bond between parent and child, establishing beloved nighttime routines.
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Boosts Imagination
Short stories bring kids into fantasy worlds, which makes them creative and curious.
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Encourages Reading Habit
Children anticipate reading at night when the stories are brief and captivating.
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Calming Effect
Reading bedtime stories makes children relax and drift off to sleep.
15 Bedtime Stories For Kids In English
When you are seeking a list of short bedtime stories to read to children in English, here are seven fast stories you can read out to children in five minutes. The stories have a fun theme and will keep your child entertained before he/she fall into the dream world.
1. The Lion and the Mouse
In a jungle, there lived a strong yet proud lion and an intelligent and playful mouse. One day, the mouse came out of its hole and started playing with the mane of the sleeping lion.
Disturbed in his sleep, the lion woke up in anger and grabbed the mouse with his paws, ready to kill it. Seeing no way out, the mouse pleaded with the lion to spare its life and promised him that it would save him one day.
At first, the lion laughed at how a small mouse could save my life, but it freed the mouse and let it go. One day, the lion was caught in a hunter’s net and roared and pleaded to the other animals to free it. But no one dared to move forward as they were afraid of the lion.
Hearing the lion’s constant roar, the mouse came out of its hole and started cutting the threads of the net with its sharp teeth. Within a few minutes, the lion was free from the net. He thanked the mouse and ran as far as it could.
Moral: The weakest can do good to the strongest.
2. The Thirsty Crow
It was a hot summer day. A thirsty crow was flying over a town in search of water to quench its thirst! He searched everywhere but couldn’t find a source.
It was tired, thirsty, and was about to lose its strength and patience! Just then, its eyes fell on a clay pot with water in it. Excited, it rushed towards the pot, but the water level was beyond its reach in the pitcher.
It made multiple efforts to quench his thirst and tried to tip the pot also, but failed. However, he didn’t give up! He saw some pebbles lying near the pitcher. So, it started throwing pebbles in the pitcher till the water level started rising.
At last, the water level rose enough, allowing him to quench his thirst, and he flew away proud and refreshed.
Moral: Smartness triumphs over problems.
3. The Tortoise and the Hare
The hare and tortoise story is common folklore about a race between a tortoise and a hare. One day, the fast and overconfident rabbit challenged the patient and steady tortoise to participate in the race.
The rabbit believed it could win the race easily because the tortoise used to walk slowly. The day of the race arrived. As expected, the rabbit started running fast and was almost at the finish line.
Seeing the slow pace of the tortoise, he thought to himself: Let’s take a small rest. The race is almost in my kitty, and the tortoise won’t be able to defeat me. Despite the slow pace, the tortoise kept walking and ignored all the distractions on the way.
Finally, the tortoise crossed the finish line before the rabbit, leaving it shocked and helpless.
Moral: Stay humble and take your time. Overconfidence always leads to downfall.
4. The Golden Egg
Each day, a hen owned by a farmer lays a golden egg. The egg was pure gold, and the farmer used to sell it in the market and fetched a heavy price for it. Thanks to the hen, he became rich!
At first, he was grateful towards the hen and was enjoying his good fortune.
But sadly, he became greedy and thought Why get only one egg each day? How about killing the hen and getting all the golden eggs at once! He took a knife and ended up killing the hen. In the end, there were no eggs inside, only flesh and organs.
He started repenting his actions as his greed ruined his fortune!
Moral: Greed often leads to loss.
5. The Honest Woodcutter
The story is about a woodcutter who used to go to the jungle with his iron axe to cut the trees and make his livelihood. One fateful day, he was cutting a tree near the river and all of a sudden his axe slipped from his grip and fell into a stream. He kept searching for it inside the stream, but couldn’t find it. He started crying beside the shore. All of a sudden, the river goddess came in front of him and brought him a golden axe, asking whether it was his axe.
He denied that this was not his axe; his axe was made of wood and iron. The goddess again dived in the river and presented him with a silver axe, but again he said that it was not his. Pleased by his honesty, the goddess once again dived into the river and returned with his iron axe.
The woodcutter’s eyes suddenly lit up seeing his axe, and he joyfully said: This is my axe! Pleased by his honesty, the river goddess gave him both a golden and a silver axe.
Moral: Always tell the truth.
6. The Fox and the Grapes
A starving fox was searching for food to quench his hunger and came across hanging grapes. The grapes were on a high branch, and he had to jump for them. But sadly, it couldn’t reach the desired height.
So, he walked for a short distance and took a running leap, but again it failed. It kept trying and trying, but everything went in vain.
This left him disgusted, and he went away, saying that the grapes were sour.
Moral: It is so simple to hate the things that you can not possess.
7. The Ant and the Grasshopper
Once upon a time, there lived a grasshopper and an ant on a farm near the river. During the hot summer season, the ant was toiling hard and collecting grains from the farm, carefully carrying them on its back to its home.
He repeated the schedule throughout the day. On the other hand, the grasshopper was casual in its approach and often spent its day singing and dancing. He often mocked the ant for doing the hard work and invited it to join him in singing and dancing.
The ant politely refused, stating that it was collecting food for the winter and advised the grasshopper to do the same. But being arrogant, it didn’t pay heed to the ant’s advice.
With the arrival of winter, the grasshopper realized that he had a shortage of food and no shelter to hide. So, he went to the ant’s house seeking help, stating that it would sing and dance only if the ant provided him with food and shelter.
The ant refuses the offer, stating to go somewhere else.
Moral: Make hay while the sun shines.
8. The Cap Seller
Once upon a time, a cap seller was selling the caps in the village in exchange for money. After a long, tiring day, he decided to take a nap under the tree’s shade, keeping his bag full of caps on the side. Little did he know that there were a bunch of mischievous monkeys in the tree.
The monkeys sneaked down the tree and took his bag full of caps. When he woke up, he realized that his bag was missing. He frantically searched everywhere but couldn’t find anything.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on the tree branch, and he noticed that the monkeys were wearing the caps. He tried hard to get the caps back but failed. All of a sudden, a thought came to his mind.
He threw his cap on the floor, and the monkeys imitated his act. He calmly collected the caps, leaving the monkeys confused about their own actions.
Moral: Quick thinking on your feet can save you from every situation.
9. The Three Brothers
The story revolved around a father who was constantly worried about the quarrels between his three sons. They were always fighting and never listened to each other.
On his deathbed, he asked his sons to come near him and provided each son with a single stick to break. The brothers easily broke the stick. Now he tied the broken sticks in a bundle and asked them to break the bundle.
Each son tried hard but failed miserably. Watching this, the father smiled and told them, It is easy to break a single stick, but when they are together, no one has the power to break them.
The sons realized what their father wanted to say and promised him that they won’t fight from now on.
Moral: Unity is Strength.
10. Three Little Pigs
The story revolves around 3 little pigs who unanimously decided to construct a home for each other independently. However, they received a warning that a big bad wolf was on the loose, and they should finish the construction part as soon as possible.
Hearing this, the two brothers panicked and started building their home with straws and sticks. However, the third pig remained unmoved by the warning and constructed a powerful brick house with his labor and wisdom.
When the wolf came, he easily destroyed the house of the other brothers. But when it tried to break down the third brother’s house, it failed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t destroy it. The third pig protected his brothers by allowing them to stay in his house.
Moral: Hard work always pays off.
11. The Girl and Three Things
Once there was a young girl who lived with her father in a faraway land. She always felt tired and upset in his life. She had no idea what to do in her life, so she decided to consult her father and ask for his help.
Sensing her emotions, her father asked her to bring an egg, a potato, and tea leaves. Though confused, she brought all the items. The father asked her to pour all three items into boiling water in different vessels.
After some time, he took out all the items, asked her to peel the egg and potato, and strain the tea leaves. The girl obeyed her father’s instruction and found something interesting.
- The egg, which was initially soft, is now hard.
- The hard potato is now soft.
- The tea leaves changed the smell and color of the water.
Her father explained, just like these things change when put in boiling water and react differently, the same can be said for our lives. You can be strong like an egg, soft like a potato, or change the world like the tea leaves.
The girl understood what her father was trying to convey.
Moral: Even though life is tough, our reactions determine our fate.
12. The Clever Cat and Smart Old Rat
The story revolves around a clever cat who lived in a quiet house but was good at catching rats. The rats were afraid to come out of their hole as the cat would pounce and catch them.
This caused panic among the rats, and they stopped coming out of their hole. So, the cat thought of tricking them. One day, it pretended to be dead. It hung from a shelf upside down and looked very still.
The rats, believing that the cat was dead, came out of their hole and started celebrating. But little did they know that they had fallen into the cat’s trap. All of a sudden, the cat jumped on them and caught three of their compatriots.
The rest of the crew rushed to their holes and were trembling with fear. A few days later, the cat got hungry again. This time, it thought of another trick and rolled itself in flour to look like a bundle of white powder.
The rats got curious on seeing a strange shape and were about to check it, but all of a sudden, a wise old rat warned them that it could be the cat’s trick. Thanks to the advice, they were able to save their lives.
Moral: Always listen to the wise.
13. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Once in a quiet village lived a young shepherd boy who was very mischievous. He used to take his sheep to the hilltop for grazing purposes. One day, he was bored. So, decided to make a joke of the villagers and started shouting wolf, wolf!! A wolf is attacking the sheep.
The villagers hurried to the hilltop for help. But when they reached there, they didn’t find any wolves. Instead, the boy was laughing at them. The villagers were angry but didn’t say anything.
The boy repeated the same thing the other day, and this time the villagers were really upset. A few days later, the wolf appeared in reality. The boy shouted again for help, but this time the villagers didn’t pay heed to his request for help.
The wolf attacked the sheep, and the boy couldn’t do anything!
Moral: Honesty is the best policy!
14. The Elephant Circus
A man once visited a circus and was thrilled watching the elephants performing stunts! However, he was amazed to see that the circus people had tied the elephant with a weak rope.
He couldn’t resist asking them why they’re tying the giant with such a weak rope? Won’t they break the rope and run away! Hearing this, the ringmaster told her that they had made the elephants believe that they were weak from a young age.
That’s why the elephants believe that they’re weak!
Moral: Don’t succumb to the limitations set by the people.
15. Equal Division
The story revolves around two mice who have had a big piece of chocolate with them. But the problem that lay among them was how to divide it equally.
All of a sudden, their eyes fell on a clever cat passing by and sought its help. The cat pretended to be helpful and told them that she would divide the chocolate equally. She divided the chocolate into two pieces but sneakily made one piece bigger than the other.
Sensing something fishy, the mice asked the cat to divide equally among them. Sensing the opportunity, the cat took a bite from the larger piece, and before the mice could understand, the cat ate up the whole piece of chocolate.
Moral: Be careful of whom to trust.
Tips for Reading 5 Minute Stories to Kids
It is not only the story that makes 5-minute stories fun, but it is also the way you read. These are some of the easy tips on how to make your bedtime storytelling magical.
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Use Fun Voice Expressions
Provide each character with a distinct voice. It makes the story interesting and keeps children glued.
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Create a Calm Bedtime Atmosphere (Dim Lights, Cozy Atmosphere)
A gentle environment will allow children to become more relaxed and relate stories with a feeling of comfort and sleep.
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Ask Kids Simple Questions About the Story
Get them involved by asking what they liked or what they think will happen next.
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Keep it Consistent in Daily Routine
Turn storytime into a routine at bedtime, so that children look forward to it each night.
Conclusion
Bedtime is not only about sleep at the end of the day, but about love, connection, and care. Similar to Kiko Riko, a brand that knows what children really require. Kiko Riko offers comfortable and skin-friendly innerwear that the child can wear to make sure he or she is comfortable in his/her daily exploits and evenings.
Then, present your children with the pleasure of peaceful evenings with prompt tales. Explore the collection of kids innerwear from Kiko Riko now and make bedtime cosy and comfortable!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are short bedtime stories good for children?
They are easy to follow, engaging, and perfectly fit into a child’s short attention span.
How do parents use 5-minute bedtime stories in daily routines?
Parents can read them every night before sleep, making storytime a consistent bonding activity.
Can 5-minute stories help kids sleep better?
Yes! They relax the mind, reduce restlessness, and create a calm transition to sleep.
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