8 Short Bedtime Stories for Kids, with Egyptian Arabic Versions

A bedtime story is one of the best habits a home can have: a few quiet minutes that close the day, bring your child close and grow their vocabulary. Here are 8 short original bedtime stories, each about three minutes long and suitable from age 3. The Arabic version of this page has them in Egyptian Arabic. Read them as they are, or swap the hero's name for your child's — they will love it even more.

1. Arnoob and the Hidden Carrot

There was once a little rabbit called Arnoob who loved carrots more than anything in the world. One day he found a big orange carrot in the garden and said to himself, "This one is mine and only mine!" He hid it under the tree.

That night his friend Hedgy the hedgehog came by. "I'm so hungry, Arnoob. Do you have anything to eat?" Arnoob looked at the tree, remembered the carrot, and stayed quiet for a moment. Then he ran, dug up the carrot and broke it in two. They ate together and laughed until the moon came up. When Arnoob fell asleep, he felt that the carrot shared had tasted much better than the carrot hidden.

The lesson: good things taste sweeter when we share them with the people we love.

2. Mishmish the Kitten Doesn't Want to Sleep

Mishmish was a little kitten the colour of an apricot, and every night she told her mother, "It's still early! I don't want to sleep!" Tonight her mother said, "Let's go out on the balcony and see who else is awake." Mishmish looked up and saw the moon shining and the stars winking.

"Doesn't the moon sleep?" asked Mishmish. Her mother laughed. "The moon stays up to watch over the world while you sleep, and in the morning the sun wakes up to play with you. Everyone has their time." Mishmish gave a big yawn, climbed into bed and said to the moon through the window, "Good night — look after the garden until morning."

The lesson: going to bed early means waking up happy and ready to play.

3. Zizi and the Red Dress

Zizi was going to her friend's birthday party in her new red dress. As she drank her orange juice, it spilled all over the dress and left a big stain. Zizi was scared, and she thought about hiding the stain with her bag and telling no one.

But her grandmother saw her eyes and asked, "What's wrong, sweetheart?" Zizi told the truth, crying. Her grandmother smiled. "These things happen. Let's fix it together." She pinned a big red bow from her sewing box over the stain. At the party, all the girls asked Zizi, "Where did you get that lovely bow?" — and Zizi learned that telling the truth felt better than any hiding.

The lesson: when we tell the truth, the people who love us help us fix any mistake.

4. Karim and the Cardboard Rocket

Karim dreamed of going to space. One day he brought a big box from the kitchen and told his dad, "We're making a rocket!" They glued on silver paper, drew a round window and made a tail out of cardboard. The moment Karim climbed in, the rocket fell over. Karim was upset. "That's it — it doesn't work!"

His dad said, "Every astronaut tries many times before they fly." They tried again and propped heavy books against the rocket to keep it steady. It stood! Karim climbed in and counted, "Ten… nine… eight…" all the way to "Lift-off!" He imagined the planets until he fell asleep inside the rocket, and his dad carried him gently to bed.

The lesson: the second try is sometimes better than the first.

5. Soso the Turtle Looks for Her Home

Soso was a little turtle. She woke up one morning and gasped, "Oh no! Where is my home? I can see the sparrow's home up in the tree and the ant's home under the ground — but where is mine?" Soso walked slowly, asking everyone she met. The rabbit said, "My home is in a burrow." The fish said, "My home is in the lake."

Soso grew tired and sat down, and suddenly it began to rain. Without thinking, Soso pulled her head and legs inside her shell — and found herself warm and cosy. She laughed. "My home is with me all the time!" From that day on, she walked proudly with her beautiful shell.

The lesson: sometimes what we are looking for was with us all along.

6. Little Filo and the Lake

Filo was a little elephant. All his friends played in the lake while he stood far away, because he was afraid of water. His mother said, "You don't have to go in all at once. Just put one foot in." Filo put in one foot — the water was cool and lovely.

The next day he waded in up to his knees, and on the third day he sprayed water with his trunk over all his friends, and everyone laughed. In the end, Filo loved the lake more than anyone, and he told every friend who was scared, "Just put one foot in — then you'll love it."

The lesson: fear gets smaller when we face it one small step at a time.

7. Nona the Bee and the Sad Flower

Nona was a busy little bee who visited the flowers every day. One day she found a yellow flower with its head drooping and no smile. "What's wrong, flower?" she asked. "The sun is hiding behind the wall," said the flower, "and I'm thirsty, and nobody notices me."

Nona flew off and fetched her bee friends, and they buzzed around the gardener until he came to see what was going on. He found the flower, watered it and moved it into the sun. The next day the flower lifted its head, opened its petals and said, "Thank you for seeing me." And Nona felt like the happiest bee in the garden.

The lesson: when we notice the people around us and help them, the whole world gets brighter.

8. Ali and the Missing Piece

Ali was building a big jigsaw of a lion. He was almost done when he found that a piece of the lion's eye was missing! "Someone took it!" he shouted, and threw the pieces on the floor. His little sister was frightened, and his mother said calmly, "First we breathe. Then we look together."

They looked under the table, inside the puzzle box and between the cushions. At last they found the piece under the sofa, next to Ali's little car. Ali put it in, and the lion had both eyes again. He told his sister, "Sorry I shouted." And from that day on, he always put the puzzle back in its box when he finished.

The lesson: staying calm helps us find the answer, and tidying up keeps our things safe.

How to tell a bedtime story

• Lower your voice little by little towards the last line, so your child's body understands it is time to rest.
• Give each character a voice — a thin one for the bee, a deep one for the elephant — and your child will laugh and listen.
• Ask one question at the end: "What would you have done if you were Arnoob?" — without turning it into a lesson.
• Don't tire of repetition. Children love the same story every night, and repetition is how they learn language.

If your child loves stories

A picture book adds pictures to point at and name. Try our picture books, the 3D pop-up stories where every page opens into a scene, and the World Tales set (5 books) with Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Carrot. For stories with religious values, see stories of the prophets and Islamic stories.

Frequently asked questions

What age are bedtime stories for?

You can read simple picture books from the first year, and from about three a child can follow a story with a beginning and an end, like the ones above.

How long should a bedtime story be?

Three to five minutes is enough for a child aged 3 to 6. If they fall asleep halfway, the story did its job.

Should I read from a book or tell stories myself?

Both are good. A book teaches pictures and words; a told story builds imagination. Alternate between them.

Read next: Raising a reader in two languages: bilingual Arabic–English books; Short animal stories for kids; Short stories about cleanliness; Short English stories with Arabic translation; three original stories about honesty.