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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 10 of 10

Sixth Sense

Marley Ames

Weekly 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...

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The Wooden Tiara

Anthony Patrick

Weekly 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 ...

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The Party I Didn't Choose

Weekly 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...

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Prince Charming

Shiloh Lane

Weekly 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 ...

10 likes

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Elite Gymnastics

Weekly 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...

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Ocean Tsunami Surge Carries Away the Ship Destiny's Dreams

Kristi Gott

Weekly 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...

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Arlo and the Fallen Tree

Chelsey B

Weekly 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...

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Chief Tecumseh

Weekly 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 ...

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A Dozen Duck Eggs, Please

Jeannette Campbell

Weekly 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.” ...

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Wizard Owl's Perfect Day

Weekly 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! ...

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Ancient Creatures of the Black Ponds on the World Voyages of the Destiny's Dreams

Kristi Gott

Weekly 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 ...

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First Confession

John K Adams

Weekly Contest #300

Fuming, Sister Agatha slammed the desk with her hand. Everyone in the classroom sat up, bleary eyed, and stared. The subject, written on the blackboard, was ‘My First Confession.’ Sr. Agatha was well practiced at preparing first graders for this milestone. It was a big deal. She said, “Once again, thank you for your attention. Your first confession is tomorrow. If you’re not ready, I won’t be the one who suffers.” Her threat was not lost on anyone.One of the boys at the back of the classroom mumbled something and a wave of giggles spread thr...

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Grandma's House

Allison Barnett

Weekly Contest #300

When we get to grandma’s house, mom steps out of the still-running car to open my door. A wave of summer heat pushes against me, but I hop into it anyway and turn back to help Owen. He scoots along the back seat towards me, reaching out a small, clammy hand when he’s close enough. Using my arm for balance, he slides his body down the side of the seat until his toes touch the ground. Then, Owen releases me immediately to run into grandma’s arms, blue sandals slap-slapping the length of the concrete porch. She must have seen us from the bay wi...

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The Good News

Weekly Contest #300

He was only 6 when mom and dad called him up to tell him the good news, except to him the news would not be good until many years later. Right then and there the “ good news” was terrifying. He was told by his smiling parents that in just a few months he would be packing all of his cherished belongings and giving away everything else. He was told, too, that he would say goodbye to his meticulously decorated room, his cherished toys and worse than all, he would be saying see you later… maybe… to all of his friends and relatives, besides his p...

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Silent Upon Impact

Weekly Contest #300

When Vada King was 12 years old, she and her mother wrapped their Toyota Supra around a lamppost. Vada was caught in a particularly awful screaming match with her mother. As Vada aged, the cause of the fight morphed and twisted until she couldn’t remember it in the slightest. This argument caused Vada’s mother to throw her hands up in an action of anger and lose control of the Supra. However, it wasn’t necessarily just this lack of hands on the wheel that caused the car to spin out of control.Vada never admitted this to anyone, but she shove...

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