There are numerous Children Short Stories available in bookstores and on-line, and these are available in a huge assortment of topics. From traditional fairy tales, fables, and stories with moral values to scary stories, funny tales, stories about sports, and astronauts, and adventurers, and undersea stories, as well as stories about animals, travel, and people in other cultures and countries; there are plenty of selections to keep children occupied for many hours.
Tips for Finding Great Stories
Since there are so many stories available for children, it can be overwhelming for parents. The greatest tip is to know the child. Do they scare easily? Are they bold or timid? Are they homebodies or adventurous? How much have they advanced when compared to children the same age – are they at the same level, ahead, or somewhat behind? What holds the child’s interest (besides their favorite blanket or stuffed animal)? When all these questions can be answered, the most important tip is to find Children Short Stories that are appropriate for the individual child. What interested one child at that exact age may not be interesting to the next child. But do not allow them to get stuck in a rut of only wanting a specific type of book read every time; remember that part of the job of being a great parent is to help them expand their interests and to find out the wide range of topics they can learn to enjoy.
Another great tip to fining great Children Short Stories is to look at the content of the story – yes, parents have to read the story first if it is not one the parents have ever seen before. Know what is being read to child. Determine if it tells a good story that presents a life lesson or a moral value. Find out if it is just a good story that is fun and enjoyable, such as any of the Dr. Seuss books – just be prepared to read these with the different voices and rhythms, and have as much fun with them as the kids. Put in some short stories in which they can help stretch their imagination or even figure out how to solve a mystery.
Look at the length of the story. Most short stories for very young children range upwards to around 200 words for very young children with upwards of 10 to 20 words per page. These quantities increase that by a couple hundred words for each age group and several pages. By the time they get to the stories that are around 5000 words long with around 150 words per page they are getting to books that are good short story size of about 30 to 35 pages. Just be sure they are not too long that the child loses interest in the story, or too short that it’s only read in three minutes.
Look for Children Short Stories with excellent illustrations and even some of the newer ones come with appropriate music in the background. The illustrations should follow along well with the plot of the story and easy for the child to follow. For very young children, stories with animals, colors, shapes, letters, and numbers are excellent. These help them learn and keep their attention.
Quick Tips for “Age Appropriate” Books
When looking for Children Short Stories, there are some tips that can help parents figure this out – if it’s not identified with the story:
- Newborn to three – Books with lots of pictures and very simple words. “Goodnight Moon”, “The Little Engine That Could”, and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” are some great starter books.
- Ages three to six – Books with more of an actual story that have messages to them, like “The Giving Tree”, “The Cat in the Hat”, “Green Eggs and Ham”.
- Ages six to ten – Books that kids are somewhat able to read on their own, with maybe a little help. “Little House on the Prairie”, “Peter Pan”, “Winnie the Pooh”, “My Friend Flicka”, and the “Hardy Boys Mysteries” are great stories
- Ages ten and up – These are books the children can fully read on their own such as “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “Star Wars”, “The Hobbit”, and “Harry Potter” books are all great choices.
Choices Abound
Whether it’s books on the internet or from the bookstore, there are so many Children Short Stories available that kids will enjoy reading with mom and dad or by themselves when they get a bit older. Encourage them to read and enter which opens up whole new worlds of exploration for them.
