Reading bedtime stories before bed is a wonderful way to help children calm down, ease their minds, increase their vocabulary, and a fantastic bonding opportunity.
Looking for great reads to do with little readers? Here are some of our top picks for the best bedtime stories for kids at various age ranges.
In This Guide
Bedtime Stories for Babies | Bedtime Stories for Toddlers | Bedtime Stories for Ages 5-8 | Bedtime Stories for Ages 9-12 | Choosing a Story | Why It Matters
Best Bedtime Stories for Babies
The best bedtime stories for babies are generally short, have high-contrast illustrations, and thick pages or board books. Check out some of our favorites below.
Look, Look
A high-contrast book full of simple words and illustrations, designed to get the attention of young babies.
- Author: Peter Linenthal
- Style: Board Book
- Length: Short
The Going To Bed Book
The story of animal friends who tell about their routine getting ready for bed on the high sea. Follow along with the silliness until everyone is tucked in tight!
- Author: Sandra Boynton
- Style: Board Book
- Length: Short
You’re My Little Cuddle Bug
A cute story that uses bright colors and playful cut-outs of insects to show love for your little cuddle bug!
- Author: Nicola Edwards
- Style: Board Book
- Length: Short
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
A story about a caterpillar that can’t seem to get enough to eat. After a week of eating everything in sight, the very hungry caterpillar undergoes a big change!
- Author: Eric Carle
- Style: Board Book
- Length: Short
Bedtime for Chickies
Bedtime in the barnyard starts out as one big party as pig, cow, and sheep all try their best to get the little chickies to sleep. Will they fall asleep before the sun comes up?
- Author: Janee Trasler
- Style: Board Book (XL)
- Length: Short
Best Bedtime Stories for Toddlers
The best bedtime stories for toddlers can be a little longer than baby stories, but still should be between 2-10 minute reads. Any longer than that and toddlers generally tend to float off and lose focus.
Toddler stories oftentimes have bright illustrations, rhymes, onomatopoeias (like ROAR, CHIRP, or MOOOO), or other repeating themes that give the story a sense of cadence and rhythm.
Guess How Much I Love You
The tale of two hares who use creative ways to tell each other just how much they love each other. Who loves who more?
- Author: Sam McBratney
- Style: Board Book or Hardcover
- Length: Short
We’re Going on A Bear Hunt
The exciting story of a family on an unexpected adventure. They travel far and wide to go on a bear hunt, walking through all kinds of different environments. Follow along as they get closer to the bear cave—you won’t believe that happens when they find it!
- Author: Helen Oxenbury + Michael Rosen
- Style: Board Book, Paperback, or Hardcover
- Length: Moderate
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
A fun story that uses repetition and flow for a new take on the familiar alphabet. Illustrating a silly story about letters getting together for a party up in the coconut tree.
- Author: Bill Martin Jr.
- Style: Board Book, Paperback, Hardcover, or Spiral-bound
- Length: Short
Goodnight, Little Blue Truck
Little Blue Truck gets ready for bed when a storm rolls in. Follow along as Blue and his friends ride out the storm together before bedtime!
- Author: Alice Schertle
- Style: Board Book or Hardcover
- Length: Short
If Animals Kissed Goodnight
An adorable look at different animals and imagining how they each could say goodnight to their own little ones.
- Author: Ann Whitford Paul
- Style: Board Book
- Length: Short
Best Bedtime Stories for Age 5-8
As kids get older, bedtime stories can get a little longer and with more words on each page. You may even want to try short chapter books. Our favorite reads for this age group include a mix of “choose your own adventure”, short story treasury books, and easy readers.
What Should Danny Do?
Follow Danny throughout his day and use the power to choose to see how Danny’s choices cause different things to happen. There are 9 different endings to this playful story and endless fun!
- Author: Adir Levy
- Style: Hardcover
- Length: Moderate
365 Bedtime Stories
This book contains a short story for every night of the year. Primarily classic stories and rhyming tales, this book is a fantastic staple to have in your reading library.
- Author: Cottage Door Press
- Style: Hardcover
- Length: 100 Short Stories
Mistakes That Worked
This book tells the short history of 40 different inventions that came to be through the process of a mistake. Encouraging children to feel okay making a mistake is a great way encourage confidence.
- Author: Charlotte Foltz Jones
- Style: Paperback or Hardcover
- Length: 40 Short Stories
The Day The Crayons Quit
A story of crayons from an unexpected perspective. This book features a series of letters written to a child from the crayon’s perspective. What would blue crayon say if he could talk? Find out here!
- Author: Drew Daywalt
- Style: Paperback, Hardcover, or Board Book
- Length: Moderate
The Berenstein Bears
A collection of stories and facts about science and nature, featuring the Berenstein Bear family. These books are great for early readers or for an adult to read aloud to children.
- Author: Stan Berenstain + Jan Berenstain
- Style: Paperback or Spiral-Bound
- Length: 192 Pages
Best Bedtime Stories for Age 9-12
By this age, children can already read themselves, but sharing a bedtime story is still a great way to bond with a child. Age-appropriate reads for this age group often feature longer chapter books, playful series sets, or more developed plots.
Magic Treehouse Series
A series about Jack and his younger sister, Annie—two kids who discover a magic treehouse in the woods. Something magical happens and each book features a different adventure!
- Author: Adir Levy
- Style: Paperback (Boxed Set)
- Length: Chapter Book
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
A treasury of tales about women doing brave or rebellious things throughout history. This book is a great read for encouraging girls and their untapped, unlimited potential.
- Author: Francesca Favilli, Elena; Cavallo
- Style: Hardcover or Paperback
- Length: 100 Short Stories
Judy Blume Series
Follow along with Peter Hatcher and his mischievous brother, Fudge, in this series that tells of the classic ups and downs of surviving grade school. Adventures told with wit, excitement, and loads of laughs, this series has been a family favorite for over 50 years.
- Author: Judy Blume
- Style: Paperback
- Length: Chapter Book
Where The Sidewalk Ends
A collection of short poems with playful illustrations. This book is great for children who want to read books themselves or for family discussions before bed.
- Author: Shel Silverstein
- Style: Hardcover
- Length: Poetry Set
The One and Only Ivan
This chapter book is the story of a gorilla, Ivan, who has lived nearly his whole life in captivity. When he meets a wild elephant named Ruby he starts to question some of the creature comforts he has grown accustomed to. Is there more to life outside the glass?
- Author: Katherine Applegate
- Style: Paperback or Hardcover
- Length: Chapter Book
Choosing the Best Bedtime Story
Choosing the best bedtime story for a child has a few factors and the “best” may vary depending on what night it is. Three of the most important factors to consider are:
- Book Length
- Subject Matter
- Child Preference
#1. Book Length
Some nights you may have more time to read than other nights. Consider how many pages are in each book before deciding to start one. Some children like to read the book themselves.
In those cases, allow for extra time for them to work through challenging words if they are early readers. It’s important to give children time to figure out the words themselves instead of rushing through the book.
#2. Subject Matter
Consider the subject matter. What types of things is your child into lately? Or what lifestyle topics have been coming up?
Use books to build connections for topics they are already interested in or to serve as talking points for topics that may be hard to bring up.
#3. Child Preference
During the course of the day, children do a lot of what they’re told. What to wear, what to eat for breakfast, when to get in the car, when they may have a snack, what to watch on tv, where to put their dinner plate, when to take a bath—you can see that the list goes on and on.
At the end of the day, what a joy it can be to have your child pick their favorite book and share that special moment with you.
Why Bedtime Matters
Researchers and professionals agree that the three most important times in a child’s day are:
- When they wake up in the morning
- After your longest separation in the day (when they get home from school, you get home from work, after their nap, etc.)
- Immediately before bed
In these moments, your child is most receptive to quality moments and soaking up whatever you are pouring out in those moments. It may only be 15 minutes (5 minutes for each time), but how are you spending that time?
Everyone is busy. You may feel overwhelmed. But I promise you, this matters.
Take the time to read a bedtime story with your kids and know that you ended the day with that little bit of quality time.
FAQs
The best bedtime story for kids varies depending on each child. For starters, consider these three factors.
1. Age appropriate
2. The right length for the amount of time you have
3. On a topic your child enjoys
A good bedtime story oftentimes has a compelling plot, colorful illustrations, and is interesting to your child. A good bedtime story should help to relax your child and prepare their mind for rest.
Here is a short list of 10 of the most popular bedtime stories (the classics).
1. Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
2. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
3. The Tale of Peter Rabbit
4. Goodnight Moon
5. Little Red Riding Hood
6. The Ugly Duckling
7. Llama Llama Red Pajama
8. Guess How Much I Love You
9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
10. The Princess and the Pea
Yes. Reading to your kids before bed helps to create the habit of a routine as well as a set quiet time to help them relax and calm down. With a calm mind, children can reduce their stress levels which leads to better quality sleep.
Citations
- Cordell, R., Board, B. on, Marysa, Mallaury, Jewel, & Iris. (2019, April 20). The most important 15 minutes of your child’s day (are you wasting them?). hol FAMILY. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://holfamily.com/the-most-important-15-minutes-of-your-childs-day-are-you-wasting-them/
- Grabmeier, J. (2019, April 9). The importance of Reading to Kids Daily. College of Education and Human Ecology. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://ehe.osu.edu/news/listing/importance-reading-kids-daily-0
- Oklahoma’s Glenpool Fire Department Dads October 05, 2005. (n.d.). The brainy benefits of Bedtime Stories. Parents.com. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/books/the-brainy-benefits-of-bedtime-stories/
