Bedtime stories play an important role in the overall growth of children. The stories help the parents to strengthen their bond with their kids and regulate a healthy and sound sleep routine. By narrating different stories to toddlers, parents can make them learn different things in an entertaining way.
Parents should read slowly and use dramatic expressions to make stories more interesting. They should involve the kids while narrating by which they will learn different things. Kids at their age are very quick to learn things while they are playing or having fun. So, use some unique ideas and improvise accordingly to make stories more interesting and entertaining. Try to read different stories and explain the characters comprehensively so that your kids understand the story and learn some strong character points from them.
5 Best Bedtime Stories For Your Kids
Here are some of the top bedtime stories for kids. Collect different books and stories and narrate them to your kids for their overall personality development.
1. Story Name: Winnie The Pooh And The House At Pooh Corner
- Author: A Milne
- Age Recommendation: 3 years and above
- Genre: Fiction
- What Is It About: Milne’s ‘Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner’ is his second volume of short stories for kids with Winnie, a honey soughing bear as the protagonist. It’s a perennial and evergreen bedtime short story for kids. These are dreamy tales that can be adored by children of age four to six since they have the ability to merge reality with the dreamy world. Its best said by making the child imagine that atmosphere by showing an image of such an atmosphere and asking them to add on to their imagery too. Making session interactive by making the child a creator helps a lot.
- How To tell: You can use different props to represent it to the child for more fun.
2. Story Name: The Giving Tree
- Author: Shel Silverstein
- Age Recommendation: 4 years and above
- Genre: Fiction
- What Is It About: The lovely bedtime story for kids by Shel Silverstein,’ The Giving Tree’ is a fictional parable emphasizing the eco-friendly relationship between a boy and a tree. It is a classic work that traces connectivity and recommends four to six ages. Silverstein created a gentle story of love, tenderness, warmth, and consolation that merges its borders on sadness. Thus, slow enunciation filled with low and remorse voice is essential. Questioning the child what he or she would have done if he was a protagonist makes them profoundly get in the story.
- How To Tell: Do actions of acting like a tree with a soft voice is preferred.
3. Story Name: The Wind In The Willows
- Author: Kenneth Grahame
- Age Recommendation: 7 years and above
- Genre: Fiction
- What Is It About: Kenneth Grahame’s “The Wind in the Willows” is one of the classics in children’s literature that lists adventures of three main characters – Rat, Mr.Toad, Badger. It is also involving beastly denizens, the friends of these main characters from Thames Valley (England). It’s a young adult creation, a bedtime story for kids that is apt for kids of seven years and above. Perfect stage or atmosphere adaptations, with slow reading or enunciation, enacting various voices for characters are all methods that can be employed to tell the story.
- How To Tell: Make the story more interesting with slow reading
4. Story Name: Where The Sidewalk Ends And A Light In The Attic
- Author: Shel Silverstein
- Age Recommendation: 7 years and above
- Genre: Fiction
- What Is It About: Its lovely idiosyncratic poetry recommended for children age seven and above. This masterpiece by Shel Silverstein is created as a collection of a pair of verses. It has mesmerized and held children for generations. The beautiful rhythm, assonance, and alliteration are delightful for ears and imagery. Thus, this fun-filled joyous poetry can be read or sung with rhythm and that’s the best way in which it can be said. It’s one of the most memorable and vivid times one would get with his or her child upon enjoying this poem like rhythm as a bedtime story for kids.
- How To Tell: this amazing story needs reading in rhythm
5. Story Name: Big Fat Hen
- Author: Keith Baker
- Age Recommendation: 3 years and above
- Genre: Fiction
- What Is It About: The aforementioned stories may not be bible stories for kids or scary stories for kids. Yet those were interested in other aspects to attract children of age groups four to six and seven and above. But Keith Baker’s ‘Big Fat Hen’ is exclusively meant for three to four-year-old children. Illustrations, simple dance steps with small movements, narrative rhymes make recitation better. It is one of the best bedtime stories for kids that make them recollect, recite it again and again. It offers a treat storytime!
- How To Tell: To make it sound the best, the story needs to be read slowly.
6. Story Name: Robin Hood
- Author: Howard Pyle
- Age Recommendation: 8 and above
- Genre: Fiction
- What Is It About: Robin Hood is the story of the legendary hero of Nottingham. The tale of the archer who robbed from the rich to give to the poor is sure to leave the child in fantastical dreams of similar adventures, and the escapades of the Merry Men will make the child look at their friends in a different light. The funny and awesome rivalry between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham is always an amazing read and even you will find yourself rooting for Robin to outsmart his enemies.
- How To Tell: Make sure you insert all the appropriate emotions in the correct places, i.e., excitement during heists, sadness during loss, etc.
Some Last Words
Bedtime stories are a fun way to bond with your kids. You can use different props to make them more entertaining. So, buy some books and start narrating different stories to your kids to improve their overall personality.