Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Featured stories
Activity feed

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.

150+ 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 10

Ears-A-Plenty

Submitted to Contest #313

Once upon a time in the village of Wishyouwell there lived a crabby old woman called Ears-A-Plenty. She was called Ears-A-Plenty because it was true, she did have more ears than the average two or three that we might have nowadays. Yes, she even wore the extra ears, sprouting from the top of her head, gathered up with a velvet ribbon like a bouquet of posies. Ears-A-Plenty was a shopkeeper, the best shopkeeper for miles around. Each morning, smells of coffee and buttered toast wafted on the breeze, gathering customers to her. Once inside the...

15 likes 13 comments 13
Read story

They Think I’m the Bad Guy

Submitted to Contest #313

"The family will be there at 10:30." Helen continues brushing Emily's hair with rhythmic efficiency. Emily’s whimpers of pain steadily grow less subtle with each clinical brush stroke. "Emily has her appointment with the agency today and I'm not going to take Sofia. So, you'll need to take her too.""No, I know. It'll be fine. The Jacksons will have Travis. Sofia will be fine with me. I have my call with John, but that is all I am waiting for today.""TRAVIS! STOP!" I turn just in time to watch the flower-dressed Sofia dash past the rails of t...

3 likes 1 comment 1
Read story

Not in front of the boy

Submitted to Contest #313

Mom steps into the house, arms stretched long with grocery bags pulling her down.Dad stands right away. No words. Just gets up and walks over.He takes the bags from her, one at a time, and places them gently on the counter—like always.They don’t see me.I’m right here on the floor, next to the kitchen door, legs folded, my Lego plane resting in my lap.It’s an F-16.Dad got it for me a long time ago—Back when we used to build planes together.We’d sit cross-legged on the rug, pebble pieces scattered all around,slowly snapping them into wings, a ...

29 likes 46 comments 46
Read story

Champion

Submitted to Contest #313

Contains implied racial epithets. On my first day of first grade, I was too excited to eat breakfast. I bounced around my room until Mama made me sit down and drink some chocolate milk. I couldn’t wait to put on my new Keds sneakers. I wished they were Air Jordans but she told me those cost too much.After breakfast, we walked up to the bus stop. Mama said the driver wouldn't go down to our house. The air was warm and Mama was soon out of breath. She was on the heavy side, but people said nice things about her shiny black curls. Even then, th...

1 like 0 comments 0
Read story

GriefBot

Submitted to Contest #312

Two weeks after she died, Clarisse arrived at our doorstep in a cardboard box. My dad was the one who brought her into the living room, while my mother reached into her curly hair and pulled out a bobby pin to rip the tape open, since getting scissors would require too much time, apparently. And before I could ask what they’d ordered, and why the box was so big, the flaps had been opened and there she was. It looked nothing like my sister. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, at first. An assorted bundle of delicate-looking metal pieces was ...

17 likes 10 comments 10
Read story

Mine Forever

Submitted to Contest #311

No touching.No grabbing.Behave. Again and again. Those were the words, but they wouldn’t stick. Of course they wouldn’t. Words like that never do—not when she was already halfway to exploding.Body wiggling. Hands waving frantically. Feet hopping like they couldn’t decide whether to run or stay still. Squeezing every muscle, holding it, releasing it—over and over.This was her knowing tell. The signal that she’d break the rules the instant she stepped inside. The brass glass doors slid open with a swoosh. She was here!At the place.The land of ...

2 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Here Comes The Judge

Submitted to Contest #311

Here Comes The Judge The judge banged his gavel repeatedly. “Order! Order in the court, I say!”The unruly din continued for another minute or two until the command took root. A woman shrieked loudly and ran across the courtroom. Giggles were heard in the gallery as peanuts get passed around. Playful hand clapping rhythms drummed out. Someone sang 'Baa, Baa, black sheep. Have you any wool?' The prosecutor adjusted his ill fitting suit and emitted a low growl.The gavel pounded again. A kind of hush fell all over the room.The owly judge pronoun...

21 likes 29 comments 29
Read story

Where You Belong

Submitted to Contest #311

Ring ring ring! Audrey groaned and turned over in her bed, unwilling to move. Unfortunately, her body betrayed her mind, and Audrey slowly slid out of the sheets. Making her best effort not to trip and fall first thing in the morning, she tip-toed to her bathroom. She moved to peek out of her bathroom window. She expected to be met with complete darkness, so Audrey was surprised when she saw the faintest sliver of sun slipping over the horizon. She took this as her cue to hurry up and urgently grabbed the ironed shirt and skirt that hung on ...

3 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Busted

Submitted to Contest #311

“Grammy! Come on… It’s this way…” Cindy waved to her grandmother, Mabel, from far down the aisle of the department store. Mabel held up her index finger, signaling a pause. She pushed the stroller, occupied by her grandson, Josh, into the cosmetics department. Never missing a chance to find her favorite lipstick, she needed a moment. Can never find them… Why don’t they stock more?Josh rode quietly. Cindy, his older sister by five years was a hot mess. Betraying her impatience, she peered around a display like a spy.“Don’t run off, Cindy, I’m...

15 likes 11 comments 11
Read story

Raccoon crimes

Submitted to Contest #311

Have you ever wondered if the animal world is like the human world? Do you think certain animals, like raccoons, are in the mafia? Well, in my mother’s strange world, it does. Hi, my name is Linkin. My family and I love animals. We own 3 dogs, 30 chickens, 2 roosters, a cockatoo, and a chameleon. I know what you’re thinking, but we don’t live on a farm. We own a lot of land with that many animals. I live with my mom, Moni Walker, Grandma, Georgia, Grandpa Ralph, and my two sisters, Rain and Jade. I’m the oldest of my siblings. My sister Rain...

1 like 0 comments 0
Read story

What Do Glue-Eaters Dream Of?

Submitted to Contest #311

Paris, sixth district : welcome to the most exclusive daycare you’ve never heard of. Just 300 square feet of cozy plush — all little nooks, play forts, cushions on bright tatami mats. Here’s a temple of pretend kitchens and toy stoves. Here, the future ruling class learns, before your amazed eyes, how to sit on the potty — one joyful, communal squat at a time. Amen. Eleven toddlers, just two years old, sit with their teacher around a soft-edged table beneath a miniature climbing wall. Today’s activity: Splashy Play — aka hands in water, make...

8 likes 3 comments 3
Read story

How Forgiveness Was Found In A Book Store

Submitted to Contest #310

How Forgiveness Was Found In A Bookstore Once upon a time in a huge metropolis called Danville, Va., there was a bookstore called Books A Million. It was run by a young lady named Suzan Ellaneous. Since she wasn't married, most of the customers called her, "Miss Ellaneous." Her 14 year-old niece helped her when school was out. Her name was Caroline Steak, but people called her, "Miss-Stake." That was a fitting name for her since it seamed that was what she made a lot of. Suzy's friends called her Suzy Q, although nobody knew what ...

12 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Saving Ancestors' Stories Forever on Voyages of the Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #310

Even the stories, themselves, were afraid of being forgotten. They needed to be remembered forever, whether by oral telling or by written word. The stories carried the uniqueness that made Mariposa's people distinctive. The wisdom in the stories inspired, uplifted, and guided their lives. The beliefs gave their lives meaning, purpose, and sacred connections. For thousands of years, the stories and wisdom of Mariposa's ancient ancestors flowed through the spirals of time and space, passed along by the spoken word. Then Mariposa's generation p...

29 likes 18 comments 18
Read story

The Ghillie Dhu

Submitted to Contest #309

(Trigger Warnings Include: Violence, Fire.) The Ghillie Dhu Over the wind comes a faint melody, and the neighbors know who is singing. It’s the same song they hear every day, weaving her baskets in the meadows as her parents work in Gairloch.Jessie Macrae lives near the birch tree woods with her kind and loving parents. She is a young girl, and she loves to play.She knows they love her, and that’s why they work so hard during the day, so they can come home at night. Jessie sings her mother’s lullabies as she weaves the grasses into fantastic...

2 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Millennial Summer

Submitted to Contest #308

The summer time blues had set in. Guilt, this was supposed to be a time to relax, reset, and connect. School let out two weeks ago, and there were still two long months to go. She fretted about school constantly. Her oldest had just finished the first grade, and he hated it. Sometimes he would start crying before he had even gotten out of bed. She was proud that her seven-year-old could read almost anything, but questioned at what cost? The academics were intense and started almost immediately in kindergarten. It wasn’t the elementary experi...

3 likes 2 comments 2
Read story
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. All for free.