For a lot of children, story time is part of their nightly routine. It helps them relax and get in the mood for sleeping, even if they protest that they’re not quite ready yet.
Bedtime stories are excellent ways to bond with your kids—a chance for some quality time that’s separate from the hustle and bustle of the day. More than that, these stories, while appearing short and simple, can actually help accelerate your child’s development in many areas, including language and emotion.
Best Bedtime Stories For Kids
Childhood is an important stage of development for any person. It’s where the foundations of your personality, behavior, learning capacities, and thought processes are set.
Parents are invested in making sure that their children grow up to be healthy and fully functioning individuals. This is why most bedtime stories impart a lesson or emphasize a virtue.
I’ve curated a list of excellent stories that are filled with ideas of kindness, justice, and love to help your child grow. Check them out below!
1. The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin
Reading Age: 3–7 years
This book conveys every parent’s curiosity and hope for their child’s future. It affirms a parent’s love for their child, no matter the experiences and choices they may take as they grow up. Accompanying its sing-songy prose are simple illustrations that can capture any kid’s attention.
2. The Going-To-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
Reading Age: 2–5 years
It’s a challenge for any parent to get their kids into bed. This book features a group of silly animals rushing to brush their teeth, take a bath, and finally get to sleep. Not only does this encourage your child to do the same, but it emphasizes the importance of a nightly routine to them.
3. Kind by Alex Scheffler
Reading Age: 3–8 years
Kind features cute illustrations of animals that demonstrate the importance of kindness and the many ways they can be kind to others. From friendship to inclusivity, this book will teach your kids how positive actions can enrich the world.
4. If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Reading Age: 4–8 years
Mouse is hungry for a cookie and then a glass of milk. After that, it’s on to looking at a mirror and considering a trim. This book is a perfect analogy to the “five more minutes” strategy that most kids like to employ. Simple yet hilarious, this book will get your kids giggling and begging for a re-read.
5. IRA Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber
Reading Age: 4–7 years
A sleepover can be a scary situation for a child. They’re placed in an unfamiliar environment without their parents. Your kid can find support and inspiration with this book’s protagonist as he slowly confronts his fears about his first-ever sleepover.
6. Astronaut Annie by Suzanne Slade
Reading Age: 6–8 years
Teach your kids to shoot for the stars with this charming story about space. Career Day is near and Annie’s excited to tell her family what she wants to be: an astronaut! It’s still a secret though and everyone’s eager to know. There are also fun facts about the moon and female astronauts to add to your child’s reading experience.
7. Good Night, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas
Reading Age: 6–7 years
Three baby dragons can’t sleep. Thankfully, a good knight comes by and reads them stories, sings them songs, and even gives them a good night kiss. The repetition in this book will help your kids gain confidence in their reading skills.
8. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Reading Age: 4–8 years
An apple tree happily provides for a young boy’s needs but as the boy grows older, he becomes more demanding. This is a gentle story that can help your kids learn the concept of give-and-take while emphasizing the need for gratitude.
9. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Reading Age: 5–9 years
The Lorax—a strange, mustachioed creature—appears and warns mankind about the dangers of destroying the trees. This is a great book to teach your kids about the importance of the environment and how to protect it.
10. The Moon and the Cap by Noni
Reading Age: 4–6 years
A child’s favorite cap is blown away by the wind and ends up in an unreachable place. His quest to retrieve it gains him an unexpected friend: the moon. It’s a highly imaginative story that can teach your kids to appreciate the simple things.
11. The Fisherman and His Wife by The Brothers Grimm
Reading Age: 4–6 years
A fisherman catches a talking fish, who submits to all the demands of the fisherman’s greedy wife. In the end, they end up with nothing. Though it’s part of a collection of stories (which are equally delightful), this tale stands out as it tells the dangers of too much desire.
12. A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
Reading Age: 3–7 years
Join an owl as it cruises through the night sky, observing all manners of animals as they settle in to sleep. Accompanied by gorgeous illustrations to catch your kid’s attention, this book can also teach them how different animals go to sleep.
13. The BFG by Roald Dahl
Reading Age: 8–12 years
Sophie is taken by a giant and fears being eaten. Instead, she and the Big Friendly Giant team up to defeat the other giants who want to eat the world’s children. This classic is great for helping your child learn the difference between good and bad behavior.
14. Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
Reading Age: 8–12 years
Paddington Bear has traveled all the way from Peru to experience the world. He meets the Browns in a train station, and hilarious shenanigans ensue from then on. Paddington’s innocent, yet strangely mature understanding the world can help your child’s critical thinking skills.
15. Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Reading Age: 4–8 years
Max is sent to bed after causing havoc in the house. Inside his room, he sets sail to a mysterious island inhabited by the Wild Things. He’s content to stay there, but something’s beginning to smell good outside his room. This book is a great exercise for your kid’s imagination.
What Makes a Great Bedtime Story?
The best bedtime stories always have a lesson to impart to their readers. It’s an easily understood message that stays within a kid’s thoughts, and can be easily recalled and mulled over.
Aside from lessons though, great bedtime stories help a kid wind down after a full day’s worth of energetic movement. It relaxes them mentally and physically, getting them ready for sleep. Just like music, there are stories that are better suited to relaxation than entertainment. It’s important for you to pick the correct one.
But what makes a bedtime story truly great is the level of interaction it promotes between parent and child. Some stories can be simply read, but bedtime stories better affect your kids when you get into character and perform them for or with them. It strengthens your bond and gives you an opportunity to bring out your inner child.
There’s no real science to choosing bedtime stories. It’s a process of trial-and-error that largely depends on your kid’s personality, likes and dislikes, and temperament. Consider what you know about your child or ask them what kind of stories they want.
Do you have your own favorite bedtime story? Share it in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 15 Best Board Books to Educate your Child
- 15 Fun and Meaningful Graphic Novels for Kids
- 16 of the Best Children’s Authors that Delight All Ages
- 30 Classic Children’s Picture Books
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
