Category: Age 4-6 Bedtime Stories

Welcome to our curated collection of bedtime stories for ages 4-6. These tales, brimming with magic and adventure, are perfectly crafted to capture young imaginations. Each story combines fun, learning, and creativity, making bedtime both exciting and soothing for your child.

The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time, there was a little duckling who looked different from his brothers and sisters. He was called the Ugly Duckling because his feathers were gray and he didn’t fit in with the other ducklings. They made fun of him and didn’t want to play with him.

Feeling sad and lonely, the Ugly Duckling decided to leave the farmyard in search of a place where he would be accepted. Along his journey, he faced many challenges and met animals who laughed at him. Winter came, and he struggled to find food and stay warm.

But one day, in the spring, the Ugly Duckling saw a group of beautiful swans swimming in a pond. He was amazed by their grace and elegance. He approached them, expecting to be rejected like before. But instead, the swans welcomed him with open wings.

To his surprise, he saw his reflection in the water and realized that he had grown into a magnificent swan himself. He was no longer an ugly duckling but a beautiful swan.

Now the Ugly Duckling was happy because he found his true identity and a place where he belonged. He lived happily ever after with his new swan family, understanding that true beauty comes from within.

Moral of the Story: No matter how we look on the outside, what truly matters is who we are inside.

Unity is Strength

Once upon a time, in a village, there was an old man and his four sons who always fought. The old man worried and tried telling them to stop, but they ignored him.

One day, the old man gathered his sons and gave them a bundle of sticks. He challenged them to break the bundle, which seemed easy. The eldest son tried first, but the sticks wouldn’t break no matter how hard he tried. The other sons also failed.

With a smile, the old man told them to untie the bundle and handed each son a single stick. They easily broke the sticks one by one.

The old man looked at his sons and said, “A single stick can be broken easily, but when sticks come together, they become unbreakable.”

His words struck a chord, and the sons understood the lesson. They stopped fighting and started working together as a team, succeeding in every task they were given.

Moral of the Story: Unity is Strength – When you work together, you are stronger!

The Old Man and The Cat

Once upon a time, there was an old man who went for a walk in the forest. While he was walking, he spotted a little cat trapped in a hole. The poor cat was trying very hard to escape but couldn’t manage to do so. The kind-hearted old man decided to help the cat.

He reached out his hand to the cat, hoping to lift it out of the hole. However, the cat got scared and scratched the old man’s hand by accident. It hurt the man a lot, but he didn’t give up. He understood that the cat was just frightened and didn’t mean to hurt him.

Another man happened to be watching this whole incident and was surprised. He shouted, “Why are you still trying to help the cat? It can find its own way out!”

But the old man didn’t pay attention to the other man’s words. He continued his efforts to rescue the cat, again and again. He knew that sometimes animals act out of fear, and it was his duty to show love and care.

Eventually, after several attempts, the old man successfully freed the cat from the hole. He approached the other man and kindly said, “My dear, cats have natural instincts to scratch and protect themselves. It’s my responsibility to show compassion and take care of them.”

Moral of the Story: Treat others the way you want to be treated, regardless of how they treat you.

The Golden Egg

Once upon a time, in a village, there lived a farmer and his family. They had a special hen that laid a golden egg every day. The farmer, however, was not satisfied with just one egg each day. He wanted to be rich instantly.

One day, the farmer came up with a plan. He thought that if he could get all the golden eggs at once, he would become very wealthy. But to do that, he decided to kill the hen.

The next day, when the hen laid its golden egg, the farmer took a knife and sadly killed the hen. He was hoping to find all the golden eggs inside. But when he opened the hen, there was nothing but blood. There were no eggs at all. The farmer felt really sad because now he had lost the hen and wouldn’t get any more eggs.

Before, the farmer had a good life with one golden egg every day, but because of his greed, he had made himself poor. Every day, he became poorer and poorer until he had nothing left. He realized how foolish he had been and regretted his actions.

Moral of the Story: Don’t be greedy, appreciate what you have.

Posted on June 23, 2023December 4, 2023
2 Comments on The Golden Egg

The Monkey and The Crocodile

Once upon a time, there was a clever monkey who lived in a tree with tasty red apples. One day, a hungry crocodile came and asked the monkey for food.

The kind monkey shared his apples, and they became friends. The crocodile started visiting every day and became friends with the monkey.

The crocodile mentioned his wife and how she loved the apples. The monkey happily gave him extra apples to take home. Their friendship grew deeper.

However, the crocodile’s wife became jealous and wanted to end their friendship. She tricked the crocodile into bringing the monkey to their home, planning to eat him.

She pretended to be sick and claimed that only a monkey’s heart could cure her. The crocodile felt torn between his friend and his wife’s life. He invited the monkey to cross the river but had a hidden plan to kill him.

As they crossed the river, the crocodile revealed his plan. The smart monkey told him that his heart was left in the apple tree and they needed to go back.

The crocodile, eager to save his wife, swam back. The monkey quickly climbed the tree, outsmarting the crocodile.

He told the crocodile to go home and tell his mean wife that he was the silliest crocodile in the whole world.

Moral of the story: Be careful who you trust, as some people may pretend to be friends but have selfish intentions.

The Bear and The Two Friends

Once, two friends went into a strange forest. They knew it could be dangerous, so they promised to stay together no matter what.

Suddenly, they saw a big bear coming towards them! One friend quickly climbed a tree, but the other didn’t know how to climb. So, the clever friend lay on the ground, pretending to be a statue.

The bear came closer and sniffed around the still friend. It looked and listened carefully. After a while, the bear decided to go away. You know why? Bears don’t harm things they think are already dead.

When it was safe, the friend who climbed the tree came down and asked, “What did the bear say to you?” Smiling, the other friend replied, “The bear told me to watch out for fake friends.”

Moral of the story: A true friend is someone who is always there for you and supports you, no matter what happens.

The Ant and The Dove

Once upon a time, in a forest, a little ant was searching for water. It wandered and wandered until it found a spring. But oh no! The ant slipped and started to drown.

Luckily, a kind dove was flying nearby and saw the ant in trouble. The dove quickly grabbed a twig and dropped it into the water. The ant grabbed onto the twig and the dove gently brought it to safety on the ground.

But there was more danger! A hunter wanted to catch the dove with a net. The clever ant realized what was happening. It bravely bit the hunter’s foot, making him drop the net in pain. The dove flew away, safe and sound.

Moral of the story: One good action leads to another.

The Rabbit and The Tortoise

Once upon a time, there was a rabbit who was known for his speed. He loved boasting about how fast he could run and would often make fun of other animals for being slow. One day, he came across a tortoise who was minding its own business.

Mocking the tortoise, the rabbit said, “You are so slow! I bet I could beat you in a race without even trying.”

The tortoise, wise and composed, replied, “I may be slow, but I am determined. If you are up for a race, let’s give it a try.”

Excited to prove his speed, the rabbit agreed and the race began. The rabbit zoomed ahead, leaving the tortoise far behind. Confident of his victory, the rabbit decided to take a nap under a shady tree since he was so far ahead.

Meanwhile, the tortoise kept plodding along steadily, never losing sight of the finish line. Slowly and steadily, he made progress. When the rabbit woke up, he was surprised to see the tortoise nearing the finish line.

With a burst of energy, the rabbit sprinted towards the finish line, but it was too late. The tortoise had already crossed it.

The rabbit was shocked and realized that his overconfidence had cost him the race. He admitted his mistake and learned an important lesson about patience, determination, and not underestimating others.

Moral of the story: Slow and steady wins the race. It’s not always about being the fastest, but about staying focused, determined, and never underestimating the abilities of others.

The Thirsty Crow

On a hot day, a thirsty crow flew around the fields searching for water. But there was none to be found. The crow started feeling weak and lost hope.

Just then, it noticed a water jug under a tree. Excitedly, the crow flew down to see if there was any water inside. And yes, it could see some water!

The crow tried putting its head into the jug, but the jug’s neck was too narrow. Then it tried to push the jug to make the water flow out, but the jug was too heavy.

The crow thought hard for a moment. Then it looked around and saw some pebbles nearby. Suddenly, it got a clever idea!

It started picking up the pebbles one by one and dropping them into the jug. As more and more pebbles fell into the jug, the water level began to rise. Soon, it was high enough for the crow to drink. The crow’s plan had worked!

Moral of the story: If you think and work hard, you can find a solution to any problem.

The Fox and The Grapes

Once upon a time, a clever fox was walking through the forest when it spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from a high branch. The fox’s mouth watered at the sight.

“I want those grapes!” the fox exclaimed.

The fox took a few steps back and tried to jump up to reach the grapes, but it missed. It tried again, and again, but it couldn’t reach them. The fox started to feel a bit frustrated.

“They’re probably sour anyway,” the fox grumbled, and walked away with a shrug, leaving the grapes behind.

Having no food to eat that night, he slept on an empty stomach.

Moral of the Story: We make excuses when something is too difficult to attain. Instead of working hard for it, we tell ourselves that it’s probably not that great.