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Bedtime Stories for 4-Year-Olds

A four-year-old can follow a real plot now, wants to shout the line that comes back, and will tell you flatly if the ending is scary. The tales on this page are written for exactly that: one small problem, a repeated line to join in on, and a last paragraph that is the quietest one.

Each of these takes a few minutes to read. The app writes a new one with your four-year-old as the hero in 15 seconds.

Parent and child in pyjamas nose to nose with their eyes closed, three tiny sunny yellow hearts floating between them

Ava's Three Goodnight Kisses

Every night Ava gets three kisses, one for the nose, one for the toes, one for the top of the head, and tonight she has to give them back.

  • about 4 min
  • ages 3–4
Toddler in pyjamas patting the roof of a chunky sunny yellow toy digger whose raised scoop holds one small white star

Big Yellow Digger's Last Scoop

Big Yellow Digger has dug all day, and now there is just one more scoop to do before the engine can rest. Join in: scoop, lift, tip!

  • about 5 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas and a tiny plush mouse holding up a round biscuit with one bite taken out of it next to a matching sunny yellow crescent moon

Bo and the Biscuit Moon

The moon tonight has a bite out of it, and Bo the mouse is quite sure he knows who did it. Join in: one more crumb!

  • about 5 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas with a finger to their lips beside a plump plush frog, one big flat sky-blue drop shape hanging in the air above the frog's head

Dara and the Drippy Tap

The bathroom tap will not stop dripping, and Dara decides the only way to get it to sleep is to tuck it in. Join in: drip, drop, stop!

  • about 4 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas sitting cross-legged with a plump plush badger in their lap, five tiny sunny yellow dots floating in a loose arc above them

Fenn and the Five Fireflies

Five fireflies are dancing round Fenn's tent, and one by one they go out for the night. Count them down together: five, four, three, two, one.

  • about 5 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas with eyes closed and a small smile, a plump plush bumblebee with sunny yellow stripes resting on their shoulder

Hugo's Hum

Hugo hums three notes while he waits for sleep, and one by one the whole house starts humming with him. Join in: hmm, hmm, hmmm.

  • about 4 min
  • ages 3–4
Toddler kneeling on a rug beside a wooden toy train with a yellow engine, three small carriages lined up behind it and a plush rabbit riding in the last one

Juno and the Yawning Train

Juno's wooden train has to get all its passengers home before bed, but the little yellow engine keeps yawning at every station.

  • about 4 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas and a plump plush kangaroo lying flat on their backs side by side with their feet in the air, a small yellow leaf on the kangaroo's tummy

Lulu the Joey and the Lost Hop

Lulu has lost her hop somewhere between the creek and the big gum tree, and everyone helps her look. Join in: hop, hop, flop!

  • about 5 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas leading a small plush cat and a small plush mouse in a line, both animals wearing striped pyjamas with buttons

Poppy and the Pyjama Parade

Nobody in the farmyard will go to bed until they are in pyjamas, so Poppy dresses them one by one. Join in: pyjamas on, lights low!

  • about 4 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas and a round plush rhino both up on tiptoe with arms out for balance, a tiny sunny yellow flower on the rhino's horn

Ruby the Rhino Tiptoes

Ruby the rhino has to get past the sleeping hippos without waking them, and rhinos were not built for tiptoe. Join in: tip, toe, tip, toe!

  • about 4 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas and a yellow mitten holding one hand up flat, a plump plush polar bear beside them, one big white snowflake drifting down towards the mitten

Suki and the Slow Snowflake

One snowflake will not land. It drifts and dithers all the way down while Suki waits with her mitten out. Join in: down, down, nearly!

  • about 5 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas holding a small yellow torch that throws one flat round beam, a plump plush raccoon blinking in the circle of light

Tom's Tiny Torch

Tom's little torch has one job tonight: to find out who is making the small noise under the bed. Join in: click on, click off!

  • about 5 min
  • ages 3–5
Child in pyjamas on hands and knees lifting the corner of a round lavender rug, a plump plush koala peeking under it beside them

Where Did the Day Go?

Mum says the day has gone, so Kofi goes to find it, in his pockets, under the rug, inside the biscuit tin. Join in: not here, not there!

  • about 5 min
  • ages 3–5

Questions parents ask

All of them are original, written by the My Baby is Hero team, and the minutes on each card are worked out from the word count.

How long should a bedtime story for a 4-year-old be?
Three to five minutes read aloud suits most four-year-olds, and that is the length of the tales here. Two or three in a row make a full story time; agree on the number before you start.
What do four-year-olds like in a story?
A line they can say with you, an animal or a toy with a small problem, a funny bit in the middle, and nothing frightening at the end.
Where are the stories for other ages?
The short stories page has tales for three to six, and the blog has a set written for five-year-olds. Short stories · Stories for 5-year-olds

These are stories, not sleep advice. If bedtime is a nightly struggle, your pediatrician is the right person to ask.

Make your child the hero of tonight's story

My Baby is Hero writes personalized, illustrated stories starring your little one. Free to try, three stories included.

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