Classic Bedtime Stories: 12 Timeless Tales for Kids

Classic bedtime stories are the folk tales, fairy tales and fables that families have told for generations, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare and The Ugly Duckling. Most come from oral tradition or were written down by Aesop, Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, and the original texts are in the public domain. Below are 12 classics with the right age for each, tips for softening the scary parts, and one tale retold in full for tonight.

What makes a story a "classic"?

Classic tales have survived because they are easy to remember and easy to retell. They use patterns of three (three bears, three pigs, three billy goats), clear heroes and villains, repeated lines ("Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin"), and a simple lesson. Those same features make them ideal for bedtime: children know what is coming, and that predictability is comforting.

12 classic bedtime stories for kids

A classic retold for tonight: The Elves and the Shoemaker

This is our own retelling of the tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It takes about four minutes to read aloud.

Once there was a shoemaker who worked hard every day, but times were difficult. One evening he had only enough leather left for one last pair of shoes. He cut out the pieces carefully, laid them on his workbench, and went to bed, thinking, "I will sew them in the morning." When he came downstairs the next day, he could hardly believe his eyes. On the bench stood a finished pair of shoes, with stitches so small and neat that you could barely see them. A customer came in, loved the shoes, and paid so well that the shoemaker could buy leather for two more pairs. That night he cut out the leather again and left it on the bench. In the morning: two perfect pairs of shoes. The next night, four. Soon his little shop was busy from morning until evening, and he and his wife no longer worried about money. One winter evening his wife said, "Let us stay up and see who is helping us." They hid behind a curtain and waited. At midnight, two tiny elves climbed onto the bench. They had no shoes and no coats, and they were shivering, but they sewed and hammered so quickly that their little hands were a blur. Before the sun came up, they hopped down and slipped away. "They have helped us so much," said the wife, "and they are cold. Let us make them something." She sewed two tiny shirts, two tiny coats and two pairs of warm trousers. The shoemaker made two pairs of very small shoes. On Christmas Eve, instead of leather, they laid the presents on the bench. At midnight the elves arrived, and when they saw the clothes, they clapped their hands. They dressed in a hurry, danced around the bench and sang a little song about being fine and warm. Then they skipped out of the door and did not come back. But the shoemaker's shop did well from then on, and every winter, when he cut leather late at night, he smiled and remembered his two small friends.

A question to ask afterward: "How did the shoemaker and his wife say thank you?"

Short fairy tales for preschoolers

For three- to five-year-olds, choose tales with lots of repetition and a safe ending: Goldilocks, The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Man and The Princess and the Pea are good first fairy tales. Keep them to three to five minutes and let your child join in with the repeated lines. Save tales with real peril, such as Hansel and Gretel, for older children and for daytime.

How to soften the scary parts

Many original versions are darker than parents remember. You are free to retell them gently; storytellers have always adapted tales for their audience.

Some classics also carry old-fashioned ideas, such as the princess who only waits to be rescued. For modern tales that keep the magic and lose the clichés, see Princess bedtime stories: modern tales without the clichés.

Children's famous short stories and who wrote them

• Aesop (ancient Greece): short fables such as The Tortoise and the Hare, The Lion and the Mouse and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
• Charles Perrault (France, 1697): Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots and Little Red Riding Hood.
• The Brothers Grimm (Germany, from 1812): Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Snow White, The Frog Prince and The Elves and the Shoemaker.
• Hans Christian Andersen (Denmark, 1830s–1840s): The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor's New Clothes and Thumbelina.
• Rudyard Kipling (1902): the Just So Stories, such as How the Elephant Got His Trunk.
• Beatrix Potter (1902): The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Animated films often change these stories a lot; reading an older version together can lead to fun conversations about the differences.

Fairy tales for kids learning English

Classic tales are excellent for children learning English because the patterns repeat. Start with Goldilocks ("too hot, too cold, just right"), The Three Little Pigs and The Little Red Hen ("Not I," said the dog). Read slowly, act out the repeated lines, and let your child say the refrain. Retell the same tale for a week before moving to a new one.

Classic stories and brave new ones

Classics give children a shared cultural vocabulary: they will meet wolves, giants and glass slippers everywhere from cartoons to jokes at school. Mix them with new stories where the hero looks and lives like your child. For an original tale about everyday courage, read A bedtime story about being brave.

How Nori Tales adds new stories to the classics

Nori Tales creates a personalized 7-chapter book every week, starring your child by name with the heroes they choose, one chapter per night, in text, illustrated or audio format. Like a classic, each book has a clear shape and a value at its heart, from the values-by-age programme. See the Nori Tales programme for ages 4–6, or read the free first chapter of the sample book Cloud Friends.

Frequently asked questions

What are some traditional bedtime stories?

Traditional bedtime stories include Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, The Little Red Hen, The Gingerbread Man, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Elves and the Shoemaker. They are short, repetitive and end safely, which suits bedtime.

What are the 10 classic fairy tales?

Lists differ, but ten that appear again and again are Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks, The Three Little Pigs and Beauty and the Beast. Most were written down by Perrault, the Brothers Grimm or English collectors.

What are the top 10 bedtime stories for kids?

Popular picks are Goldilocks, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Lion and the Mouse, The Princess and the Pea, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Ugly Duckling, The Gingerbread Man, The Little Red Hen and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Choose the gentlest ones for the youngest children.

What are some classic, old-fashioned children's stories?

Beyond fairy tales, old-fashioned favorites include Aesop's fables, Andersen's tales, Kipling's Just So Stories and Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Their language can be old-fashioned, so many parents paraphrase as they read.

A new classic for tonight

After the elves, try a story with chapters. Read chapter 1 of Cloud Friends free, no account needed, then create a free account to get a weekly personalized book with your child's name.