Screen-free bedtime stories: print, listen or tell.
Three ways to share a story at bedtime without your child looking at a screen: print a complete free story, play a narrated one with the screen put away, or tell one from a five-line outline. Each way below says what you need and how to get it ready.
3 waysfree stories to print or playages 3 to 8no signup
Choose tonight's way
Print, listen or tell.
Printed and told stories need no screen at all. A narrated story still needs a phone, tablet or computer to start it, but you can set it up before lights out and keep the screen out of sight while your child listens.
Print a story
- You need
- A printer, earlier in the day, and a lamp to read by
- Getting ready
- A few minutes to choose and print
- Good for
- Children who like pictures and a page to hold
Listen to a story
- You need
- A phone, tablet or computer to start the narration
- Getting ready
- A minute to open the story and check the volume
- Good for
- Nights when you want to rest your voice
Tell a story
- You need
- Nothing at all
- Getting ready
- None, or a minute to pick a character
- Good for
- Nights away from home, or a child who wants to help choose
Way one
Print a story.
Print in the afternoon, while the printer is in reach, and keep the page by the bed with a reading lamp. Each free story pack gives every story its own page after the cover, so you can print just the one you need. Three to start with:
The Sleepy Cement Mixer
about 2 minutes to read aloud · from bedtime stories about trucks
A short, rhythmic read: the drum turns round and round, slower and slower, until it stops.
Download the trucks pack (PDF, 503 KB)
Myrtle and the Warm Stone
about 3 minutes to read aloud · from bedtime stories about turtles
A slow animal story with a pond, a warm stone and nothing to hurry for.
Download the turtles pack (PDF, 379 KB)
The Little Rocket Who Waited for the Moon
about 2 minutes to read aloud · from bedtime stories about space
A small journey to the moon and back, for a child who likes the night sky.
Download the space pack (PDF, 268 KB)
Way two
Listen to a story.
The three nights of Pimlo and Sprocket are free to listen to, each with a narrator, soft bedtime sounds underneath and the full text on the page. They're longer than a printed story, and each one ends calmly on its own.
- Night 1: The Lantern and the Little Fox
About 20 minutes to listen. Start here. Pimlo meets Sprocket for the first time, so there is nothing to remember yet.
- Night 2: The Stone That Found Its Sound
About 18 minutes to listen. For a child who likes small creatures and quiet sounds: a tiny cricket finds the courage to sing.
- Night 3: The Lantern's New Promise
About 18 minutes to listen. To finish the set: almost everything from the first two nights comes back, and the friends make a new promise.
Getting it ready
- Open the night you want before bedtime, press play once to check it starts, and set a gentle volume.
- Start it as the lights go down, then put the phone or tablet face down or out of reach.
- Whether the narration keeps playing when the screen locks depends on your device and browser. Try it once in the daytime, so you know what yours does.
Way three
Tell a story.
A told story needs nothing but your voice, and it can be as short as five lines. Here is one to say tonight, in the dark if you like. Each line follows a step from how to make up a bedtime story.
- Someone smallDewdrop is a tiny gray rabbit with one ear that always flops over.
- A cozy placeShe lives under the hedge at the bottom of the garden, where the porch light shines.
- A small wishTonight she wants a leaf big enough to be her blanket.
- Three triesThe first leaf is too small. The second is too crunchy. The third, a soft, wide leaf from the big plant by the gate, is just right.
- Home to sleepShe pulls it up over her floppy ear, the porch light clicks off, and the whole garden goes still.
To make your own, change one thing at a time: a different animal, a different wish, the same calm ending. For more ideas, print the story idea cards or play one of the quiet storytelling games.
Questions parents ask.
What are screen-free bedtime stories?
Stories your child hears or reads without looking at a screen: a printed story, a story you tell from memory, or a narrated story playing while the screen stays out of sight.
Do audio stories count as screen-free?
Only partly. A grown-up still needs a phone, tablet or computer to start the narration. Your child listens rather than watches, but whether the audio keeps playing once the screen locks depends on your device and browser, so try it once before bedtime.
Can I print just one story?
Yes. Every free story pack gives each story its own page after the cover, so you can print only the one you want for tonight.
How long are these screen-free options?
The printed stories here take two or three minutes to read aloud. Each narrated night of Pimlo and Sprocket lasts about 18 to 20 minutes, including a short introduction and goodnight. A told story can be as short as the five lines on this page.
Tomorrow, the story continues
A story can be written anywhere. Pimlo remembers the world.
However you share a story tonight, the characters can come back tomorrow. In Pimlo, your child's own story world remembers them from one night to the next.
Parents set the age band and what to avoid, and stories are checked before playback.
For parents and caregivers. No child information needed.