I loved storytime as a kid! Post dinner, whenever my father would tuck me in, he would follow it up with a beautifully fascinating short story that usually had a profound moral lesson in the end.
Stories shape us into the kind of people we become as adults! Not only did the simple ritual enhance my imagination, it also strengthened the bond between me and my parents, made me appreciate them more. Bedtime stories for kids are instrumental in shaping their personalities as well, and since these sessions are highly interactive, they play a vital role in bettering the child’s communication skills!
That said, it’s only natural for my boys to fall in love with every book, every novel they come across! At 4 and 8 years, both of them have displayed a pleasantly shocking amount of affection towards picking up a book and reading it, as compared to their gadget-obsessed friends!
My 4-year-old still loves a good bedtime story, so I thought I would list out his favourite ones.
Here we go…
The Elephants and Hares
Raunak absolutely adores this story for his sheer obsession with elephants! It revolves around the lives of a couple of hares living in the jungle who, very intelligently, protect their ancestral home near the lake from a bunch of rowdy elephants. The story focuses on a very important aspect of life – you must utilise whatever resources available to you to make the best out of any situation! A must-read for kids!
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
A very interesting story with one of the best moral lessons that fables can offer! The wolf, being a figment of the boy’s mischievous mind at first, actually appears one day in real life to slaughter his sheep. The villagers, annoyed at having been deceived multiple times by the boy, decide to not help him on that eventful day. What the story teaches is so fervent and deep-seated that it stays with you all the way through to adulthood – that you should never lie!
The Golden Goose
Another one of my little one’s all-time favourite bedtimes stories! It is about a cloth merchant who owns a goose that lays a single golden egg every day. In his moment of greed and false pride, he cuts open the goose’s body, hoping to obtain all the golden eggs in one go. As much as the story teaches us to not be greedy and to be satisfied with what we have, it also focuses on the fact that we aren’t entitled in life, we work to earn the things we deserve. A very important lesson to impart to kids!
The Midas Touch
A story with a beautiful, yet sad ending! There once lived a king named Midas who wished for gold, as much as the universe could offer. He was granted a wish by a stranger that anything he touched from that day onward would turn into gold. Excited at the prospect at first, the king soon realises his misfortune when his daughter lovingly hugs him and turns into a gold statue! The story tells us that distorted values can often lead to the greatest tragedies. You may not get a second chance to rectify your wrongdoings. My son loves this story!
Embark on a magical journey with these fascinating bedtime stories for kids and notice a massive shift in your child’s demeanour that will make you swell with pride!
Do let me know which ones your child loved the most!
