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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.

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

Two Cats In the Yard

Submitted to Contest #304

Pets were the furthest things from her mind as Vera conducted her seasonal ritual, the change-up of the items stored in the hall closet. Out with winter, in with summer. A bellow from the basement jolted her, a bellow that was born deep down inside the diaphragm of a ten-year-old old boy. “Aaaarghhh! Mom!” Vera jumped at the murderous yell. What in God’s name are those kids up to now? She was startled rather than alarmed. Not out of any lack of concern for the welfare of her darling children, mind you, but because her motherly intuition t...

6 likes 2 comments 2
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Respectable

Submitted to Contest #303

Content warning: This story deals with sensitive topics including child poverty, pregnancy termination and drug dealing. The high-pitched barcode scanner sound at the self-checkout always elevated her stress level. Her body heat was spreading under her old winter coat. She was sure to be the main focus on the radar of the security guard in the corner of the grocery store. Her oversized red coat looked shabby; she was wearing jeans that had lost their rich black colour. Someone could say she was a natural beauty with no trace of mak...

6 likes 1 comment 1
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A Dish Best Served Cold

Submitted to Contest #303

The sun was high. It hit the kindergarten playground. It was a golden light on Sarah’s sandcastle, Castle Sparklehoof. She saw it as a fortress. It had seashell turrets. A moat, dug with care, held water from the dripping fountain. A popsicle stick made a drawbridge. Sarah, five years old, knelt before it. A queen, watching her kingdom.Her subjects were plastic dinosaurs. A one-eyed teddy, Bartholomew. They stood guard."Here," she told Bartholomew, adjusting his ear, "is where the dragon will fall. Princess Sarah will vanquish it. Her steed,...

7 likes 3 comments 3
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Deep Diver of Arctic Seas - Voyages of the Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #302

Deep Diver, the 4,000 elephant seal, swam through the twilight zone of the sea near the Arctic, where sunlight disappears in the water's depths.The Ice Age melt raised the seas where Deep Diver swam.He had a magnificent nose like the beginning of an elephant's trunk.It flopped up and down when he tossed his head. Deep Diver liked to inflate it with air to make it even larger. Then he could look more threatening when he faced rivals in battles on beaches.He and his kind were sensitive to patterns, currents, and flows in the ocean system.Each...

39 likes 12 comments 12
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Sixth Sense

Submitted to Contest #302

Sunlight filters across the veranda and a light airy breeze rustles the leaves of the great oak tree. Thor squints his amber eyes open briefly and quivers his nose, picking up the sweet grass breeze tainted with a hint of sheep. He heaves a sigh and continues to bask his white fluffy coat in the warm afternoon sunlight. Thor enjoyed stretching out his achy limbs after making his morning rounds along the border of Meadow Ridge Farm. He was a good livestock guard dog for the past ten years and pleasingly served his Upwalkers. They rewarded him...

11 likes 2 comments 2
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The Wooden Tiara

Submitted to Contest #302

There was once a young girl named Rella. She lived in a small village amid the Scattered Wildwoods, and there was nothing more that she wanted in life than to be a princess. Now, of course, that would never happen. Rella was a human—a mortal—and only a demigoddess born of the royal family can be a princess. But Rella did not care about this fact. No matter how many times her parents told her that such a fantasy was impossible, Rella would claim that they were lying to her. Often, she would plug her ears with her fingertips and make faces at ...

10 likes 5 comments 5
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The Party I Didn't Choose

Submitted to Contest #303

The Party I Didn’t Chooseby Candy Tedford I didn’t have a choice.It was happening with or without me.Turning ten, I mean.People kept saying, “Double digits! That’s so exciting!” and “You’re practically a pre-teen now!” as if I’d just won some sparkly award. But I didn’t feel excited. I felt…nine. Perfectly, completely nine.Nine-year-olds don’t have to do fractions.Nine-year-olds can still eat dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.Nine-year-olds don’t get blamed for stuff like cake disasters.Ten? Ten sounded suspiciously like trouble.Mom had this v...

8 likes 16 comments 16
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Prince Charming

Submitted to Contest #302

I am, most assuredly, not a prince. If you kiss me, I will continue to be exactly what I am, which is not a prince. Although I have not been alive for very long, I know this to be true. Some other things I know to be true are as follows:1. I was born in a small creek which winds serenely through a patch of untamed woods until lazily spilling out into a river some five miles or so away.2. I have no idea what “miles” are or how far they might be.3. I am very good at making myself sound knowledgeable.4. I am also very good at making lists.5. I ...

9 likes 7 comments 7
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Elite Gymnastics

Submitted to Contest #301

Fred was just a normal boy who did gymnastics at his average gym, and rarely got scores higher than an eight out of ten, which is average, too. Across the street from the gym at which he practiced there was an unmarked building, except for a sign on the door that said “Elite Gymnastics Training Facility.” There was one of those neon signs that said “OPEN” but he had never seen it lit. When Fred passed the building at seven-thirty in the morning, on his way to school, the sign wasn’t lit. It wasn’t lit when he walked home f...

5 likes 2 comments 2
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Ocean Tsunami Surge Carries Away the Ship Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #301

White sails glided through the marine layer and into the bay.The promise of a peaceful anchorage beckoned. The 1800s wooden ship under square canvas sails waltzed over the waves like a sleek, beautiful woman.She was the mythical vessel known as the Destiny's Dreams on her world voyages.The sea reflected the sun's sparkle. The air caressed the skin with a light, warm touch. The ship settled at anchor with sounds of happy ripples on the water.But unseen rhythms of the sea were bringing changes.Soon the day turned into chaos.Earlier that mornin...

41 likes 20 comments 20
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Arlo and the Fallen Tree

Submitted to Contest #301

As soon as Arlo’s feet hit the wood chipped trail, he took off running. He couldn’t wait to get to the Exploration Area. He was planning to make a cake in the mud kitchen, same as he did every Wednesday afternoon. He would mix dirt and water from the pond to create the perfect batter. His mom even let him bring a stick of chalk with, so he could add sprinkles to his cake.Arlo ran as fast as he could, never slowing down, not even once. When he turned left toward the clearing, he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. Arlo ran back to h...

16 likes 4 comments 4
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Chief Tecumseh

Submitted to Contest #301

Chief Tecumseh.Larry and me got our go-kart lined up on the sidewalk so that when the motor kicked on and the centrifugal clutch kicked-in and the V-belt from my dad’s ’57 Studebaker tightened-up on the drive shaft pulley, one of us would go flying down the sidewalk screaming our crazy heads off so fast we’d only be a blur in front of the DeWall’s house where Amaryllis and Belinda, who were twin sisters, were pretending to not notice what me and Larry were doing because they were so busy playing jacks or dress-up dolls or something with the ...

5 likes 3 comments 3
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A Dozen Duck Eggs, Please

Submitted to Contest #301

A Dozen Duck Eggs, PleaseBy Jeannette CampbellWord Count 1471 “Moesha,” said Mom, “can you stop at the farmers’ market after school today? Here is the list and some money.” I glanced at the list and groaned. “Mom, you want 5 pounds of potatoes, and a couple of pounds of different fruits, eggs, a loaf of bread and some red sauce from Crazy Dan’s.” “I won’t be able to carry all this by myself,” I declared. “Why can’t Thomas help? He keeps telling us how strong he is. “ “Well, Thomas that is a good idea. You will have to go with her today.” ...

7 likes 2 comments 2
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Wizard Owl's Perfect Day

Submitted to Contest #301

Wizard Owl controlled the weather. He had for many centuries and would for many centuries to come. He was as wise as the old trees in the forest and as silent as the wind that shook their leaves. His big brown eyes missed little, and his speckled white feathers reflected his age as well as his wisdom. Many forest creatures would come to Wizard Owl for advice or for guidance.Please, old wise Mr. Owl, make it rain. Please, old wise Mr. Owl, we haven’t seen the sun in days! Make the rain stop!Please, old wise Mr. Owl, the river is overflowing! ...

17 likes 9 comments 9
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Ancient Creatures of the Black Ponds on the World Voyages of the Destiny's Dreams

Submitted to Contest #300

A gigantic bone stuck up from the black goo like something beckoning from beneath the surface.It was the 1800s. Anya, the Storyteller of the Blue Lantern, stopped breathing and her heart pounded.Her thoughts raced. “The legends are true. It is them. Underneath. How many are there? What are they like?”The stories carrying ancient wisdom awakened deep inside of Anya. They bubbled up from somewhere beyond time.She could almost hear sounds coming from beneath the shiny dark surface of the seepage. It was neither liquid nor solid. The dark slime ...

38 likes 35 comments 35
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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