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Story Time Resources: Short Stories & Fairy Tales

Story Time Reading Resources

Let story time resources help you at night. It’s bedtime for the kids. Teeth have been brushed, PJ’s are on, covers have been tucked.

They want you to tell them a story. Normally, reading a book together is a wonderful, peaceful time.

But tonight is different. Tonight, they don’t want a story they already know or have heard before. No – they want a NEW story. One they don’t have sitting on their bookshelf. And they won’t sleep until they have it.

Maybe your little one found out that it is ‘National Fairy Tale Day‘ at school, and demands that it be celebrated.

Or you’ve run out of good stories and haven’t made it to the library or book store yet.

Or, maybe you’re traveling with the kids and forgot to bring books along for bedtime reading.

What do you do? Try to tell a story you vaguely remember hearing once before? Try to get away with telling the plot of ‘Frozen’ or ‘Moana’, but change the names and hope they don’t notice?

Whatever the reason may be for your story- emergency, have no fear! We’ve got you covered! Below you will find links to great resources full of free short stories, fairy tales, and fables.

Several of these sites also include stories from other parts of the world. If your kids are learning about a new culture or country, this can be a great opportunity to integrate learning into story-time!

Enjoy!

*Please Note: Some of these sites include ‘classic’ fairy tales. These stories – especially those written by The Brother’s Grimm- may be different than you expect. They may be a little spooky, tragic, dark, or odd. (Example: The original Little Mermaid is very dark. After the Prince marries another woman, her sisters tell her to kill the Prince with a cursed knife because it is the only way to become a mermaid again and return home. She realizes she is incapable of murder, but she is too heartbroken and lonely to remain human. She jumps overboard and turns into sea-foam.)

Hans Christian Anderson adapted many fairy tales into the kid-friendly stories most of us are accustomed to. While the Brother’s Grimm stories are wonderful stories, they were written for adults and older children. If considering a Brother’s Grimm or other ‘classic fairy-tale’ story, we recommend reading it first for age appropriateness (and to avoid potentially inducing a nightmare or two.)

This first site includes audio as well, so you can just listen and enjoy too!

East of the Web – Classic Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen & Brother’s Grimm

Kids Gen: Fairy Tale Stories

Hans Christian Andersen Original Fairy Tales

World of Tales: Fairy Tales from Around the World

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About the Author: Yvonne Wonder

As the founder and managing director of Destination Sitters, LLC, a national hotel and event babysitting service, and the mother of two children, I strongly believe that family comes first. I personally needed babysitting when I moved to San Diego 14 years ago. Like most parents, I assumed there were standards for temporary babysitting; in reality, there are no state standards or licensing requirements for temporary babysitting. The idea for Destination Sitters was born! I wanted to Give Parents Peace of Mind® when traveling with their children, so I created strict screening requirements for the sitters we refer. There is nothing like the peace of mind that comes from getting great professional help to care for your children, especially when traveling away from home. I and my partners, along with our office staff, have that one goal in mind with everything we do. Through the years of working with children, I have been inspired to write three books, and this blog for parents’ and children’s wellbeing. I believe the best way to teach a child is leading by example, with love, honesty, integrity, compassion, perseverance, and personal responsibility. Learning these values and teaching children that all women and men are equal will encourage them to dream big to be anything they want to be! An entrepreneur for over 35 years, I previously spent years running a construction and design company with two offices in California and built million-dollar estates and remodeled existing ones. For three and half years, I was one of the primary designers on HGTV’s Curb Appeal. I have also been published in books, magazines and newspapers, and have been a featured designer in multiple showcase houses.

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