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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

Guilt in the Pancakes

Submitted to Contest #293

Daddy was seven when we met on the streets.“How old are angels when they die?”I’d asked Daddy a lot of questions before. “Why is the sky blue?”He’d cleared his throat, readying that bass-low pitch. “The many seas of this flat world we live in be reflecting sunlight back, kiddo. So the blue of the seas mixed with sunlight makes the light blue that goes all over up above.”My jaw had hung open. Jaw open, I awaited that thick chunk of pancakes hanging on my fork. Daddy’s answers to my questions came long before the 7-am pancakes and the surreal ...

4 likes 1 comment 1
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The Train Conductor

Submitted to Contest #293

Alberto arrived at Leving Rum Station sometime after the rain had begun. His mother had dropped him off on the platform in front of the emerald green steam engine with the number 19 emblazoned on the side. He still bore the pink outline of his mother’s lips on his forehead and touched it affectionately. Alberto set down his trunk, causing the contents within to rattle and clack. He glanced down at the ticket in his hand, turning it over to reveal a drawing of a large, menacing octopus with eight winding tentacles placing a gold crown on its ...

5 likes 1 comment 1
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Backseat Diplomacy

Submitted to Contest #293

The invisible line ran straight down the middle of the backseat. Emily hadn't drawn it, and neither had her brother Mark, but they both knew exactly where it was. It had been there for as long as Emily could remember, a border as real to them as any on her father's dog-eared atlas."Your elbow is over," Mark said without looking up from his handheld game, thumbs working frantically as tinny music leaked from his headphones.Emily didn't move her arm. "No it's not." She could feel the rough fabric of the seat against her skin, the slight depres...

9 likes 6 comments 6
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Travelling with a Friend

Submitted to Contest #293

Travelling with a Friends. Simon the rat, and yes, it is really Simon. Like you and come to that, Simon knew all Rat names begin with the letter “R”, But Simons mother wanted to be different. That was different, Simon thought. Anyway, I digress. Simon, like all rats, was hunting for food one day when he smelt an enticing aroma coming from the station warehouse. Apples, carrots, fish, and his favourite meat. So, of course, he had to investigate. Skirting the building, he found an orange clay pipe through the wall; they were expecting me, ...

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Twenty-Two Stops to Good-bye

Submitted to Contest #293

The elderly man has folds in his coat and folds in his skin and tightens a scarf around his throat. He would smile but he’s German. His words are curt and brisk and hard. I stare at him. More words come out. Loud now; and curt and brisk and hard. I suppose he thinks volume and comprehension are the same. He expects I should understand. He doesn’t know that I don’t. He points to his throat. “He wants you to close the window Grandma. He doesn’t want a sore froat” Elijah is three. He likes yogurt and eggs that are cooked unt...

16 likes 8 comments 8
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I spy

Submitted to Contest #293

The child doesn’t speak. Just waves with a big laugh while watching their father grow smaller, swallowed by the growing distance. The train rattles over the tracks, a deep, rhythmic clatter beneath their feet. A muffled announcement crackles over the speakers, its words lost in the hum of movement.The father lifts a hand — just slightly, barely a wave. Hesitant, as if he wants to say something but can’t. His eyes are smiling, but sad. Tired. Disappointed. When the train pulls away from the platform and he’s no longer in sight, the child squi...

16 likes 1 comment 1
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Philosophy 101

Submitted to Contest #293

Philosophy 101"Are we there yet?"Bobby was bored. He had stared at SpongeBob all morning and there was nothing to see out the window. Just flat land, green grass, blue sky and cows. Big cows that mama said were buffaloes. But she was wrong. Buffaloes had wings. But she just laughed when he pointed that out to her.“Are we there yet?” He whined from the back seat for the umpteenth time. While swinging his legs he could reach the back of mama’s seat. She had asked him not to do it several times. But it felt so good. Thump, thump, thump.“Not yet...

33 likes 30 comments 30
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Modern Version of Goldilocks, the Girl with the Golden Locks

Submitted to Contest #292

At 18, Goldilocks thought she had the whole world at her fingertips. But unfortunately, she was not the brightest young woman in the world. She was a ravishing beauty, with her long, beautiful hair of gold, eyes as blue as the deep sea, and fair skin. Her looks were the only thing she had going for her, but they didn’t do her much good when it came to men. Other than that, she had a kind heart and a rather inquisitive nature. She wanted to find her place in the world, but sometimes, her curiosity got the best of her. This was one of those c...

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My Favourite Tree

Submitted to Contest #292

My favourite tree was in our front yard just to the side of our driveway. It was a Jacaranda. Jacarandas come from South America. My brother Jim and I nailed timber offcuts to its trunk for a ladder. We’d climb and swing from branches like monkeys. Jim loved to climb to the highest branches, however, just the first few were good enough for me. Jim had found some rope on a fishing trip, and he made a swing to play jungles. Rope was always a precious commodity due to its universal utility and scarcity. One morning, Patrick, my father, called u...

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Cobalt vs Cobat: why you shouldn't mess with the Blizzard King

Submitted to Contest #291

Cobalt, also known as the Blizzard King, has made a lot of people mad in the past. He has also made a lot of enemies. From Chad, the guy who tried to defeat him with a stale baguette, to Goku, the same one from the DragonBall series. But none compare to the fake version of him, Cobat.  Cobat had the desire to beat the Blizzard King in a one versus one, but had a lack of intelligence to do so. He had tried to copy Cobalt’s blue, grey and black armour, had plastic versions of Cobalt’s pitch black, heat absorbing katanas and had a snowball...

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Kaylee's Comeback

Submitted to Contest #291

“Kaylee, come down here, it’s time for volleyball practice!” my mom calls. I wish I didn’t have to go, but as my mom would say “You signed up for it, so it’s too late to quit now.” Sometimes I feel like 2 travel sports is too many, and don’t get me wrong, I love all of the sports I play. It‘s just sometimes, I feel like maybe it’s too much, and I get really tired after everything. I have no days off from sports, and I rarely get to hang out with my friends, because I’m already too busy. I just wish I could hang out with my best friends, Kyra...

5 likes 3 comments 3
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Anahí’s Dream: Park, Beach, and Ocean

Submitted to Contest #291

Chapter 1: Sleepy TimeAnahi’s tiny fingers tightly gripped her big fuzzy teddy bear as she lay curled up in her cozy small child’s bed. She was only two years old, but her father wanted her to be independent and have her own space for her toys, clothes, and most importantly...Anahí. She missed her mom and her dad. However, she mostly wanted to sleep with her mom. Her mother would change her wet and smelly diaper as well as hug her in the night. Anahí´s father slept like a rock and would not be disturbed by anything besides his wildly annoyin...

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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...

23 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...

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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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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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