Bedtime stories for preschoolers, ages 3 to 5
Short narrated stories for three-, four- and five-year-olds: simple words, one friendly problem and a calm ending, about five minutes long, with a gentle voice, soft music and sound effects. Play one now, no sign-up.
Stories written for ages 3 to 5
Every story here was written for three- to five-year-olds. Tap one and listen, no sign-up.
Ava and Pebble’s Spinning Rocket Adventure Beneath the Alien Stars
Play the story
Ruby and Ethan’s Goodbye Hug Hunt Through the Squeaky Library
Play the storyOr one with your child as the hero
Their name, the world they love, and choices they make themselves. The first story is free.
What works at three, four and five
At three, a story needs one clear problem and a friend to solve it with; repeating a line is a feature, not a flaw, because knowing what comes next is half the fun. At four, children start to guess along and love being asked what should happen. At five, a story can carry a small twist and a little suspense, as long as everything is solved before the end. Five minutes is enough at every one of these ages: long enough to settle into, short enough to fall asleep after.
Toddlers turning three
Our stories start at age three. For a two-year-old the words and the pace are usually still too much, and a picture book on your lap does more than any audio. From around three, when a child can follow a short story from start to finish, a five-minute narrated story works well, especially on the nights you have no voice left for reading aloud.
A story they can steer
At a fork the story asks what happens next: the bridge or the boat, the cave or the meadow. Preschoolers love being asked. If they drift off before answering, the storyteller picks after a while and the story carries on quietly to its end, so nobody wakes up for the exciting part.
Not ready yet? A free story every Friday
One narrated story a week in your inbox, for bedtime. Free, and you can unsubscribe with one click.
We use your address only for this. Details in our privacy policy.