Bedtime StoriesBedtime stories for ages 2 to 3
6 short, calm stories to read aloud. Each one takes 2 to 3 minutes and ends in sleep.
- Goodnight, Little VillageThe sun slid down behind the neem tree. The sky turned orange, then pink, then a soft dark blue. In the little village, it was time for bed.Ages 2 to 3 · 3 minutes
- The Sleepy BusThe little blue bus had been busy all day. Broom, broom, up the hill. Broom, broom, down the hill. Now the sky was dark, and the little blue bus was sleepy.Ages 2 to 3 · 3 minutes
- Where Does the Sun Sleep?Little Tara looked out of the window. The sun was going down.Ages 2 to 3 · 3 minutes
- Five Little StarsFive little stars were shining in the sky. They twinkled over the rooftops. They twinkled over the trees.Ages 2 to 3 · 3 minutes
- The Yawn That Went AroundIt began with the cat. The cat sat on the wall, and the cat gave a great big yawn. Aaaah-ooh.Ages 2 to 3 · 2 minutes
- Soft, Soft RainSoft, soft rain began to fall. Tip. Tip. Tip.Ages 2 to 3 · 2 minutes
What suits this age
Stories for toddlers are not really stories yet. They are patterns: the same few words coming round again, a list of goodnights, a count from five down to one, a yawn that passes from the cat to the baby. A two-year-old does not follow a plot, but loves knowing what comes next, and that feeling of "I knew it" is what lets a small body relax.
How to read them
Each of these takes about two minutes. Read slowly, and expect to read the same one every night for weeks; that is how it should be. Point to things in the room as you name them, let your child fill in the last word of a line, and let your voice get quieter towards the end. Nothing surprising happens in any of them. They all end the same way: everyone is asleep.
Other ages
For the whole evening, from bath to lights out, see a simple bedtime routine.