In a world brimming with screens and buzzing notifications, the timeless tradition of a bedtime story remains a beloved ritual. Bedtime stories ignite the spark of imagination in young minds, help develop a love for reading, and create cherished parent-child bonds.
The list below compiles a treasure trove of websites where you can find free bedtime stories for kids to enchant your little ones as they drift off to dreamland. Whether you prefer classic fairy tales, adventurous exploits, or tales filled with whimsy, these resources have something for everyone.
Table of contents show
Where to Get Free Bedtime Stories for Kids.
1. Kokotree
Kokotree offers a collection of 10 engaging 5-minute bedtime stories to nurture a love for reading and bonding between parents and children. These stories include “Moonlit Dreamscape,” where a little girl named Luna embarks on a whimsical journey, discovering enchanting places as the Moon goes through its phases. Each story also aims to teach a particular skill, like understanding moon phases and time management in “Moonlit Dreamscape.”
Kokotree is a platform for bedtime stories and an award-winning learning app designed for children aged 1-5. The app is crafted to educate, entertain, and inspire young learners, making it a trusted choice for parents prioritizing quality education. It was recognized with an EduTech Award in 2023, reflecting its high-quality educational offerings​.
The platform further emphasizes the importance of bedtime stories in nurturing a love for reading, promoting parent-child bonding, and providing a soothing transition to sleep. It houses a curated selection of resources and captivating tales that support early literacy skills while promoting creativity, confidence, and cultural understanding​​. This collection of short, engaging narratives is designed to capture young children’s attention and imagination, making bedtime an enriching and enjoyable experience.
Get Started and Download the Kokotree Learning App for Kids
2. Storyberries
Storyberries is a treasure trove of children’s literature, offering a diverse range of free bedtime stories, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, poems, and short stories aimed at young readers. Here are some highlights:
- Age Range: The platform caters to children from kindergarten through 5th grade, providing an easy-to-use format for adults​.
- Content Variety: Besides bedtime stories, it hosts a vast collection of fairy tales, nursery rhymes, poems, and even chapter books and comics for kids​​.
- Interactivity: Storyberries offers animated books and audiobooks, making the reading experience more engaging for kids​​.
- Submission of Original Works: It provides a platform for original compositions, allowing submissions through the site​.
- Educational Value: The site also includes book reviews and lists to help parents and educators find quality reading material for children​.
- Founding Year: Established in 2015 to create a large, easily accessible library of free quality stories for children​.
Dive into magical worlds with just a click on Storyberries.
3. FreeChildrenStories
FreeChildrenStories is a simplistic yet rich online platform providing a variety of free children’s stories. Some of its features include:
- Ease of Use: The website is highlighted for its simplicity, with straightforward options to filter stories by age and book style, making it easy for parents and children to find stories that suit their preferences​.
- Spanish-Language Books: A notable feature is the availability of many Spanish-language books, catering to a broader audience​.
- Founding Year: Established in 2008, the site operates on the principle that children’s development is paramount, offering traditional, meaningful storytelling for free to every child, parent, or teacher around the globe with internet access​.
- Author Contributions: Most stories on the site are written by Daniel Errico, although it accepts submissions from anyone, allowing for a range of narrative styles and themes​.
- Word Count Indicator: The site provides a word count for its collection, helping readers gauge the length of the reading material​.
Discover a realm of classic and original tales perfect for kids of all ages on FreeChildrenStories.
4. 5 Min Stories (Storyberries)
5 Min Stories on Storyberries offers many short stories for children aged 4-6. The stories encompass a variety of themes and situations, aiming to entertain and educate young minds. Each story is crafted to engage a child’s imagination and curiosity, making bedtime or anytime reading a delightful experience​.
Short on time? 5 Min Stories has a beautiful collection of 5-minute bedtime stories that pack a punch of imagination in a compact time frame.
5. Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer-driven platform that offers over 60,000 free eBooks, including a large selection of children’s literature. The collection includes classics, fairy tales, and bedtime stories, catering to a wide age range. It’s an invaluable resource for parents and educators looking to expand their children’s or students’ reading horizons.
Venture into a haven of free children’s books, including timeless bedtime stories on Project Gutenberg.
6. Open Culture
Open Culture has a segment dedicated to classic children’s books now digitized and put online, showcasing vintage works from the 19th & 20th centuries. The collection includes a variety of intriguing titles and illustrations from the past, such as “The Book of the Cat” from 1903, “The Wonder Clock” from 1888, and “Jimmy Crow” from 1902.
These books offer a glimpse into the historical context of children’s literature, providing a rich resource for those interested in the evolution of storytelling for kids​.
Explore many free children’s books online, including bedtime stories, at Open Culture.
7. National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids offers many free bedtime stories revolving around animals, nature, and science themes. The platform is tailored for young readers, helping them explore the natural world through engaging narratives. It’s a fantastic resource for fostering a love of nature and science in children from a young age.
Merge bedtime with a learning adventure through National Geographic Kids’ collection of bedtime stories revolving around animals, nature, and science.
8. PBS Kids:
PBS Kids on YouTube and on their official website offers a variety of educational content for children, including bedtime stories. The channel and website provide a platform where children can watch their favorite PBS Kids shows like Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, Odd Squad, and Sesame Street, with some episodes containing bedtime stories such as “A Bedtime Story for Compass”​.
A specific collection also features “Teletubbies Bedtime Stories and Lullabies” on YouTube​. Additionally, on the PBS Kids website, there’s a section for storytelling games where children can play games and tell stories with their favorite PBS Kids characters like Elmo, Arthur, Clifford, Xavier Riddle, and Pinkalicious​.
Furthermore, Maryland Public Television provides resources for growing curious readers and lifelong learners, mentioning that parents can try “Dog and Bear: Two’s Company” and other bedtime stories to share with little ones​.
Enjoy bedtime stories featuring beloved characters from popular PBS Kids shows like Arthur and Sesame Street on their YouTube channel.
9. The Story Mother
The Story Mother is a section on Sooper Books that provides a collection of free bedtime stories for kids of all ages. These include classic tales, original stories, and fairy tales. The platform aims to foster a love for reading among young children, making it a great resource for parents and educators. Moreover, the website categorizes the stories based on mother characters, providing a unique angle for children to connect with the tales.
Soak up the comforting tales available on The Story Mother, including classic and original stories.
10. Free Audio Books on Audible
Audible, a subsidiary of Amazon, launched Audible Stories in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide free audiobooks for children and teens. They offered diverse audiobooks to help people during self-isolation, including revered classics, recent releases, and old favorites for young listeners​.
However, it’s important to note that this program, Audible Stories, has since been discontinued, but during its operation, it provided a fantastic resource for young listeners, offering a mix of popular and classic children’s fiction and non-fiction available to stream on various devices​.
If you prefer an auditory experience, Audible offers a collection of free audiobooks, including bedtime stories.
11. Loyal Books
Loyal Books provides a vast collection of free audiobooks and eBooks, including a dedicated section for children. The platform allows users to create their own library from thousands of free audiobooks and eBooks, making reading a fun experience.
The children’s section offers free audiobooks in the genre of kids that can be downloaded in mp3, iPod, and iTunes format for portable audio players. The platform also features a user-friendly interface with audio previews, convenient categories, and excellent search functionality, making it easy to find and enjoy free audiobooks​.
The Loyal Books app further enhances the reading and listening experience by providing adjustable playback speed, offline downloading capability, and a vast selection of books in over 25 languages. It’s a rich resource for those seeking free access to classic works in audio and text formats, with a diverse selection of literature available​.
Journey through a collection of free children’s books online, including bedtime stories, on Loyal Books.
12. BookBub
BookBub is a free service that informs readers about the latest and notable books in their preferred genres. It analyzes users’ profiles and preferences to suggest a list of potential reads sent directly via email.
The service is well-regarded for its daily newsletters highlighting a curated selection of book “deals,” essentially books that are either free or discounted for a limited time. These deals can generate significant interest, with hundreds to thousands of sales for featured titles and tens of thousands of downloads for free titles​.
Moreover, BookBub recently introduced a ” CHIRP ” platform exclusively for audiobook deals. This new platform, curated by the same editors who work on BookBub’s daily book deals, offers free or heavily discounted audiobooks, creating an additional avenue for readers to discover new stories​.
Offers a range of free ebooks and audiobooks, including bedtime stories on BookBub.
13. FreeBooksy
FreeBooksy is dedicated to empowering young readers by offering free ebooks for kids, particularly from emerging authors. They have simplified the online access process of free children’s books, making it as easy as checking your email. The platform is highly rated, with a 4.08-star rating from 6 reviews, indicating general user satisfaction​.
FreeBooksy distinguishes itself from other book promotion services by being one of the largest sites solely dedicated to ebooks that are free of charge. Their daily book deals cover 20 genres and typically feature at least one free book.
The books listed on FreeBooksy are either free or discounted, with prices for discounted or on-sale books ranging from $0.99 to $5.99. Users can browse through the list of new free books each day, categorized by genre, making it a user-friendly platform for discovering new reads​.
Search for bedtime treasures among a collection of free ebooks on FreeBooksy.
14. Planet Stories on Storyberries
“Planet Stories” does not appear to be an official category on Storyberries. However, Storyberries hosts a variety of stories with planetary and space themes, one of which is “Tasha Soars,” a story about a nighttime adventure across the Solar System. This story and similar themes can be found under the broader categories available on Storyberries, such as 5-minute stories, fairy tales, and others. The platform provides free children’s stories, fairy tales, comic books, and poems for kids, with options for reading animated books or listening to the audiobook​.
Embark on space adventures with the bedtime stories on Planet Stories.
15. Just Books Read Aloud
Just Books Read Aloud is a free platform offering videos of children’s books being read aloud. With over 700 titles available in English and languages like Spanish, Italian, German, French, and Japanese, it’s a great resource for multilingual families or those looking to expose their children to new languages. This platform is highly recommended for teachers and parents who desire to provide their students and children with more independent reading and listening opportunities. Unlike other platforms, Just Books Read Aloud users can’t navigate away from other YouTube leads, making it a safer choice for young readers. The site exclusively features children’s books and was designed to encourage independent reading and listening among children​.
Discover an array of free kids books online, including bedtime stories, on Just Books.
16. The Public Domain Review:
The Public Domain Review is a meticulously curated online journal dedicated to showcasing and exploring works that have entered the public domain. Here are some key details about the platform:
Wide Spectrum of Content: The platform is a gateway to a vast array of out-of-copyright material from the realms of art, literature, and ideas. It hosts a diverse collection including images, books, films, and audio. The content ranges from the curious to the compelling, providing a rich terrain for exploration​.
Educational and Inspirational: By focusing on public domain works, it encourages educational exploration and inspires creative projects. Users are free to enjoy, share, and build upon the materials without any restrictions, making it a valuable resource for educators, students, and creative professionals​.
Ease of Navigation: The website is organized into Collections and Essays which can be searched by medium, time, or tags, making it user-friendly and easy to navigate​.
Curatorial Excellence: Unlike massive repositories, The Public Domain Review curates and examines the world of public domain information, offering a more refined and insightful exploration of materials. This curated approach sets it apart from other platforms like Project Gutenberg​.
Foundation and Mission: Launched on January 1, 2011, by co-founders Jonathan Gray and Adam Green, The Public Domain Review aims to surface unusual and obscure works, as well as offer fresh reflections on more well-known materials. Its launch coincided with Public Domain Day, reflecting its mission to celebrate and promote public domain works​.
The Public Domain Review serves as a bridge to the past, offering a treasure trove of public domain works coupled with insightful essays and a well-organized interface for an enriching user experience.
Explore a collection of free public domain books, including bedtime stories, on The Public Domain Review.
Conclusion
As the day ends and the night’s comforting embrace begins, nothing compares to the timeless ritual of sharing a bedtime story with a child. It’s not just about the tales of faraway lands, courageous heroes, or whimsical creatures; it’s about the magic that unfolds in those quiet moments before slumber. The collection of free bedtime story resources outlined in this post offers a treasure chest of adventures awaiting the turn of a page or the click of a button.
