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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of kids short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

2360+ Kids Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Whether you plan to read them aloud or just indulge your own childlike imagination, look no further! The most magical tales live in this collection of free short stories for kids.

Kids Short Stories – Page 2 of 158

Timeless Castles and Dreams

Submitted to Contest #291

There is nothing more beautiful than a child’s dream, a dream of a place where love never dies, a place of sunshine and goodness. And kind Ms. Linville knew for certain, there are never dreams that cannot be. ***Sophie dashes up the street, dodges a flower vendor, jumps an open sewer ditch, and runs through a cluster of empty chairs spilling out over the sidewalk from a street café. She hears the street cries, a symphony of sing-song chants, a music box of sound, calling: cat meat, herring, second-hand clothing, kitchen utensils, pots t...

22 likes 11 comments 11
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Isis Ice Cream Island: The Rainbow Ripple Rescue

Submitted to Contest #291

The soft glow of the nightlight, usually a comforting sentinel, now felt like a hesitant whisper against the deepening shadows in the nursery. Baby Isis, her round cheeks flushed with slumber, lay nestled amidst a sea of blue blanket, her tiny breaths puffing out like miniature clouds. The lullaby, a tinkling melody from the carousel mobile, seemed to slow, each note stretching into an almost tangible thread of sound.Then, a ripple. Not a sound, but a subtle distortion of the air, like a heat haze shimmering on a summer day. The yellow light...

4 likes 0 comments 0
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The Snowstorm

Submitted to Contest #290

Staring out the window, I inspect the pristine blanket of pure, glistening snow covering my yard. The white of the snow matches my soft, fluffy underbelly. The rest of my body is multi-colored with varying shades of brown, black and tan. I am more suited to summer living as the darker fur absorbs the sun’s heat and warms my spirit. The sun is missing today. While some see the winter as peaceful, quiet, and cozy, I regard it as dreary, endless, and monotonous.  My petite pink nose feels chilly as it presses against the frosty ...

4 likes 1 comment 1
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Elvis: A Story of Love and Loss

Submitted to Contest #290

Della wished to die at home surrounded by her husband, family, and friends. In those days, Della and Tom gazed proudly on their five daughters. But every once in a while, they would remind each other of their one son, Elvis. And there would not have been Elvis if it wasn’t for Aspen, the youngest of the five. May was the picture perfect time of year in North Idaho. Purple lupines blanketed the high canyon walls. Grass, lemon green, sprouted lush from last year’s dead growth. The sun rode high in a bright, azure sky, and spring fever lod...

12 likes 12 comments 12
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William Wilkerson

Submitted to Contest #290

In the back of room 405, just below the bulletin board, Willy Wilkerson was sitting all by himself, doodling what was supposed to be a golden retriever but resembled a furry dinosaur. Of course. To anything I assigned, Little Willy had to add a twist; last week it had been the pair of horns on the poor eagle’s head and the week before, on Valentine’s Day, I had received a sketch of a heart bursting with metal spikes. “Very creative,” I would say, following the advice of Brenda, a head teacher with more than ten years of experience (as she ha...

7 likes 4 comments 4
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Hellos and Goodbyes

Submitted to Contest #290

Pools of sweat glued the snug yellow romper she hated to Joanna Wilson’s caramel skin, a small discomfort for the price of freedom. School began in less than three weeks, and she wanted to spend as much time doing what delighted her most-video games at night with her older brother (when he was willing), tarty Lemonsicles from the truck that stopped on their street in the afternoons, and plump, sweet strawberry halves with her waffles for breakfast. Joanna treasured time spent away from her mother, with her demands to “help out” while she mad...

9 likes 3 comments 3
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The Princess Monster

Submitted to Contest #290

Her long brown hair is in a mess, tangled with leaves and twigs. Her pink dress, once pristine, is now streaked with mud and grass stains, and her voice carries across the playground in a ferocious battle cry. This is how six-year-old Sabre first meets her—Balance Dalmania Greggio, the birthday girl. He watches in awe as she parades her chaotic energy, commanding attention from anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path. His heart rate increases, and butterflies emerge in his stomach. At that moment, the boy knew, with unshakable certa...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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Friends on Ice

Submitted to Contest #290

“Friends on Ice”“It’s a great day for hockey.”-Bob “The Hawk” Johnson, former University of Wisconsin hockey coachA visitor couldn’t tell the color of the walls in little Lincoln’s bedroom. They were covered floor-to-ceiling with posters of the all-time hockey greats- Howe guiding the puck down the ice, Gretzky dropping one in coming around the side of the net, Lemieux hoisting the Stanley Cup, and Hashek with a spectacular skate save.Lincoln’s Grandfather was once the stick boy for Chicago’s hockey team, so the Blackhawks were well-rep...

24 likes 9 comments 9
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Memories of Stories Past

Submitted to Contest #290

Some summer nights, when the stars were just blinking their hellos to the sleepy world below, when it was so still it seemed the world had stopped its turning, when the cicadas and crickets harmonized their strings with the periodic bass of the bullfrog, my grandfather would give me a wink at dinner. Our secret signal would soon find me hugging the rolled navy blanket to my chest, taking deep breaths of the musty, earthy smell that never left its faded threads, and trotting behind my grandfather next to the lilac hedge that fenced our backya...

21 likes 8 comments 8
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To Take Us Lands Away

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here. Then I spot my friend, Dora. “Hey, Dora! What’s going on? Weren’t you just sitting by me in Ms. Linville’s geography class?”“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is true. I-I think we are really here!” “It’s like she said, if you really learn about stuff, it can be like you’re actually there!” Nine-o-five and the torrent poured through the door: the gangly, good, the garrulous, the stout, the strong, the shy, the overdressed and underdressed. Backpack bearers all, jostling, pushing, and prod...

11 likes 8 comments 8
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My room was familiar

Submitted to Contest #289

The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.”A morning with humming birds and a night with stars, a place was full of happiness with beautiful moments to enjoy. People woke up to begin their lives. Some for the work, many walked their kids to schools, and some consuming food with sips of tea. There was a place called home with voices of life, where prayers were being called, laughter was echoing, and a smell of delicious food was roaming around the street. There was a girl named Fatima. Fatima, a pure soul of love and innocence, who ...

6 likes 0 comments 0
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The Little Fish

Submitted to Contest #288

April, May and June are the months of the rainy season here. Everything grows luxuriously because of the warm rain. The farmers are happy. However, my little sister Joelle is the happiest person because of her love of water. She loves rain and water so very much that she sings in the rain. Not the romantic singing that will impress people , no, she sings loud and out of tune. Each rainy season my sister gets into some kind of trouble. I know that this year something will happen just as in the years gone by.Let me tell you what happened last ...

6 likes 0 comments 0
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The Storm

Submitted to Contest #288

Note: sensitive content; loss of parents to 3 children. The rain was coming down so fast I was drenched in seconds. Yet I stood there, just staring at the road. I was shivering from the cold, yet I still stood there. I knew they weren’t coming, yet I still stood there in the pouring rain. I felt like I couldn’t move, and it hurt to even breathe. So I stood there, in the pouring rain, transfixed. A clap of thunder caused me to jump, and then I finally moved. I slowly turned away from the road and with heavy,...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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Raina

Submitted to Contest #288

Raina That afternoon a fog set in. I stepped out warily down the front steps and felt the light drizzle on my face and arms, steady, silent, and soft. The air was heavy with moisture—like me, I thought, heavy with child. I was home these days, feeling the calmness and quiet of waiting. It was only two days after due date when I realized labor had started. With excitement, I added the last things to a suitcase I had prepared weeks before. Girl or boy? We had wanted to be surprised. Not knowing, I had packed two perfect sets of baby cloth...

12 likes 2 comments 2
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Reading tea Leaves

Submitted to Contest #287

Ms. Anne poured hot water over her tea bag from the electric kettle, and then sat down with the students who came early in the morning for before school program. Alex was very early, and Sal just came in with a hot chocolate and muffin. “Oh that looks yummy,” Ms. Anne said. “Alex are you having school breakfast, I also have snacks in the fridge.” “It is pancake day, I will wait for school breakfast.” Alex said. “So can I start on my Maker Monday project early?” “Sure thing, just uncover the cart. We can save it for afternoon to finish. What ...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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