Welcome to the Top 81 Stories for 6-year-olds, a fantastic collection specially curated for kids to read online! This incredible selection of stories is designed to cater to the interests of children and is available in various formats such as free PDF, online reading options, and printable material. Our library features a range of stories that will ensure bedtime never gets dull, from classic fairy tales, moral-rich narratives, and fun stories that are perfect for early years, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students.

As young children progress in their educational journey, learning through storytelling becomes an essential aspect of their growth. Our carefully planned collection accommodates the unique attention spans of 6-year-olds with short, interactive stories to keep them engaged, easy vocabulary so that reading becomes fun, and longer variations to strengthen their understanding. These stories have been designed to be more appealing to both girls and boys by including tales with pictures, audio, and famous titles that might pique their curiosity.

The importance of stories for 6-year-olds cannot be overstated as they are essential in shaping their English language skills, broadening their imagination and igniting a passion for reading. As toddlers graduate from EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) and move on to higher education, our collection aims to provide stories that can be read aloud during storytime and fall nights or supplement classroom exercises and learning activities. Most importantly, these stories can instill a strong sense of morality and ethical values in children, ensuring their all-around development. Dive into our brilliant collection of bedtime stories for a cozy and enchanting experience with your little ones!

Top 81 Stories For 6 year Olds for kids to read online:

1. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves: The story is about two brothers, Kassim and Ali Baba, who lived in Persia. Ali Baba discovers a cave full of treasures belonging to forty robbers after hearing a password used to enter the cave. After taking some gold, Ali Baba keeps the location of the cave a secret, but his wife tells Kassim’s wife, who tells Kassim. When Kassim tries to steal the treasure, he is killed by the robbers. The robbers plot to kill Ali Baba but Morgiana, the clever maid, saves the day by killing the robbers. In return, Ali Baba allows his son to marry Morgiana, and they all happily ever after.
2. The Fir Tree: This story is about a young fir tree who wants to grow up quickly, but when he is cut down and taken to a house for Christmas, he realizes that his youth and time in the forest were happier than he had thought. After being thrown away, he reflects on his memories and regrets not enjoying life more when he had the chance. The story ends with the tree being chopped and used for firewood, reminding us that everything must come to an end. The story is available for download as an ebook in PDF format.
3. Brother and Sister: In this story, Brother and Sister run away from their mean stepmother and become lost in a forest where all the water has been bewitched by the wicked stepmother. Brother drinks from a spring and turns into a little deer. Sister ties a golden ribbon around the deer’s neck and makes a cord of reeds to lead him. They find an empty house to live in and Brother enjoys running through the forest every day until he is wounded and discovered by the king. The king falls in love with Sister and takes her to his castle. Brother goes along too, and they live there happily until the evil stepmother attempts to kill Sister. The king discovers the plan and the stepmother is burned at the stake, making Brother human again. Finally, Brother and Sister live happily ever after.
4. Hans in Luck: In this story, a man called Hans trades a lump of gold for a horse, the horse for a cow, the cow for a pig, and the pig for a goose and later on a rock. Each time he thinks he has made a good trade, but later realizes he has been cheated. Finally, Hans loses the rock and is happy to be free of the burden, whistling cheerfully on his way home to see his mother.
5. Hansel and Gretel: In this story, a poor lumberjack and his wife plan to leave their children, Hansel and Gretel, in the forest because they cannot feed them. Hansel cleverly leaves a trail of pebbles to find their way back home, but when they are left in the forest a second time, Hansel and Gretel get lost and stumble upon a candy house with an evil witch who plans to eat them. The siblings outwit the witch and return home with a fortune in jewels.
6. King Trushbeard: In this fairy tale, a beautiful but arrogant princess ridicules all the men who come to marry her. Her father gets angry and makes her marry a beggar who comes to the castle. The princess regrets her past behavior and struggles to adapt to a life of poverty with her new husband. Eventually, she learns to work hard and be humble. At a ball, she is reunited with the beggar, who reveals that he was the musician she married and the drunkard who broke her pots. He punishes her for her arrogance by making her live in poverty, but ultimately forgives her and marries her again. They live happily ever after and the princess never makes fun of anyone again.
7. Little Red Riding Hood: The story is about Little Red Riding Hood, a sweet girl who goes to visit her sick grandmother with wine and biscuits but encounters a wolf on her way. The wolf tricks Little Red Riding Hood and eats her grandmother. Later, the hunter saves them and kills the wolf. The moral of the story is to listen to parents and stay on the path while avoiding danger. The story ends happily with the three figures eating, drinking, and celebrating in safety and happiness.
8. One Eye, Two Eyes and Three Eyes: This is a fairy tale about Three Eyes, a girl who is treated badly by her mother and sisters because she looks different from them. Two Eyes, her sister, is given a magic goat that provides her with food. However, her sisters catch her enjoying this treat and tell their mother, who kills the goat. But the goat’s burial place becomes a wondrous tree with golden apples. Two Eyes is the only one who can pick these apples, and she marries a knight who is impressed by her bravery. She forgives her sisters and gives them food and shelter.
9. The Pied Piper of Hamelin: This is the story of how a strange man, known as the Pied Piper, rid the town of Hamelin of its rat infestation. However, when he demanded payment for his services, the corrupt mayor refused to pay him, and the Pied Piper extracted his revenge by leading away all the town’s children, never to be seen again. The people of Hamelin believe that the missing children went to live in a place called Transylvania, where the locals still speak German.
10. Rumpelstiltskin: This is the story of a poor miller’s daughter who claims she can spin straw into gold, and the king who tests her by locking her in a room full of straw and threatening to kill her if she doesn’t turn it into gold. A strange little man appears and offers his help in exchange for her jewelry, ring, and eventually her firstborn child. When the child is born, the little man demands his payment. The queen can keep her child if she can guess the little man’s name, which she successfully does with the help of a messenger who hears the little man singing his name in the forest. The little man vanishes, never to be seen again.
11. Snow White: This is a retelling of the classic fairytale of Snow White, in which the Queen longs for a child who is white as snow, with blood-red lips and ebony black hair. Her wish is granted, but when the Queen’s mirror reveals Snow White to be the fairest of them all, the Queen orders her death. However, Snow White escapes, finds refuge with seven kindly dwarfs, and manages to live happily ever after with a handsome prince.
12. The Goose Girl at the Well: The story is about an old woman who asks a rich young man for help carrying her heavy load and tests his perseverance. She rewards him with an emerald and shares the story of a pearl that could reunite a lost princess with her father. The young man sets out on a quest to find the princess, helped by the old woman, who transforms into a beautiful young woman. They finally find the princess and return her to her parents, receiving a palace and treasure as a reward. It is unclear if the young man marries the princess, and the narrator speculates that the old woman may have been a mystical figure who gifted the princess with pearls of tears.
13. The Queen Bee: In this story, three brothers go on an adventure and end up at a castle. The castle’s owner tasks them with completing three challenging tasks to lift a spell. The youngest brother, who was previously teased for being stupid, successfully completes the tasks with the help of animals he showed kindness to earlier in the story. He ultimately marries the sweetest princess and becomes king, while his two older brothers marry the other princesses.
14. The Sleeping Beauty: A king and queen had a baby girl and invited twelve fairies to bless her. One angry fairy who wasn’t invited put a curse on the girl: she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die at fifteen. But a good fairy modified the curse to put her to sleep for 100 years instead. The king removed all the spinning wheels in the kingdom, but on her fifteenth birthday, the princess pricked her finger and slept. The whole kingdom slept too, and a prince from a neighboring kingdom came and woke her up with a kiss. They got married, and everyone lived happily ever after.
15. The Twelve Brothers: In “The Twelve Brothers,” a queen gives birth to a baby girl as her husband demands the death of their twelve sons in order to secure the kingdom for the new-born. The youngest son overhears the plan and escapes with his brothers to live in a secluded cottage in the forest. As the sister grows up, she discovers her twelve brothers’ existence and reunites with them. An old witch turns the brothers into ravens, and only the girl’s silence for seven years can undo the curse. The brothers return after seven years, and the girl’s marriage to a king is saved from the stake she was sentenced to.
16. The Wishing Table: The story is about three brothers who each learn a trade and receive a magical object as a gift. The oldest gets a table that can magically fill itself with food when commanded and the second receives a donkey that drops gold coins when commanded. The youngest receives a bag that contains a club that can give a good beating to anyone who deserves it. When the first two brothers are robbed of their magical objects, the youngest goes to retrieve them and gives the thief a beating. In the end, all the brothers return to their father with their magical objects, and they all live happily ever after.
17. The Town Musicians of Bremen: In this story, an old donkey, tired of his work, runs away and meets an old dog, an old cat, and an old rooster who each have their own troubles with their owners. Together, they decide to become town musicians in Bremen and start their journey. Along the way, they scare away some robbers and find a house to sleep in. However, they end up staying in that house and living together happily ever after.
18. Pinocchio: The story is about an old shoemaker named Gepetto who creates a wooden doll named Pinnochio, who becomes alive. Pinnochio wants to go to school to learn and eventually earn money to buy his father a new coat, but gets distracted and ends up in many adventures. He lies to a fairy and becomes a donkey due to skipping school. He’s mistreated, almost killed, and eventually swallows by a shark. His father rescues him, and they live happily ever after after Pinnochio is turned into a real boy. The story emphasizes the importance of education, honesty, and the value of family.
19. Riquet with the Tuft: In this story, a queen gives birth to an ugly baby who is blessed by a fairy with a gift of intelligence and charm. In a neighboring kingdom, another queen gives birth to twins, one beautiful and the other dumb. The fairy gives the dumb child a gift to make the one she loves smarter and the beautiful one a gift to make her loved one attractive. The ugly prince Riquet with the Tuft falls in love with the beautiful yet dumb princess and offers to exchange his intelligence for beauty if she agrees to marry him. However, after meeting a prince who is rich, smart, and handsome, the princess forgets about Riquet until their wedding preparations are underway, at which point she remembers and chooses him, finally realizing that she loves him for his inner qualities.
20. Cinderella: The story is about Cinderella, a kind and beautiful girl who lives with her mean stepmother and stepsisters after her mother’s death. She is mistreated by them and called Cinderella because she is always covered in ashes. Cinderella wishes to go to the ball thrown by the king to find a bride for his son, but her stepfamily forbids her from going. With the help of a magical hazel tree that grants her wishes, Cinderella attends the ball in a beautiful dress and meets the prince, who falls in love with her. She must flee the ball but leaves her glass slipper behind, which the prince later uses to find her and marry her. A free ebook download of the story is available.
21. Little Thumbling: The story is about Little Thumbling, the youngest son of a poor family of woodcutters. During a difficult time, when there was little food to eat and the family had no money, the parents decide to leave the children in the forest. Little Thumbling hears the plan and secretly leaves a trail of pebbles to find his way back home. The next day, the parents take the children into the forest and leave them there. But Little Thumbling’s pebble trail helps them find their way back home. However, when there is still no food at home, the parents try to leave the children in the forest again. This time, Little Thumbling is unable to leave a trail of pebbles because the door is locked. But the children eventually stumble upon the home of a giant’s wife and are given shelter. However, the giant comes home, and the children must hide. The giant decides to eat the children for breakfast but mistakes his own daughters for the boys and eats them instead. The children escape and take the giant’s seven-mile boots to steal all his money and save their family from poverty. The giant is left regretting his actions and decides never to eat children again.
22. Rapunzel: This story is about a pregnant woman who craves Rapunzels, which grow in the garden of the wicked witch next door. Her husband picks some for her, but the witch catches him and agrees to let him take as many as he wants only if he promises to give her their firstborn child. When the child is born, the witch takes her away and keeps her locked up in a tower. A prince hears the girl singing and falls in love with her, visiting her every day until the witch finds out about their meetings. She cuts off the girl’s hair and banishes her. The prince is blinded by the witch but manages to find the girl and their two twins with her. The prince’s eyes are healed when Rapunzel’s tears fall into them, and they live happily ever after.
23. The Emperor’s New Clothes: The story is about an Emperor who loves new clothes and is tricked by two swindlers into believing that they are weaving a special invisible fabric. The Emperor and his courtiers pretend that they can see the cloth to avoid appearing stupid, until a small child points out that the Emperor is actually naked. Ultimately, the Emperor continues to pretend that he is wearing clothes and goes on a procession. The story teaches a moral lesson about the dangers of being too obsessed with appearances and the importance of speaking the truth.
24. The Flying Trunk: The story is about a wealthy but thoughtless son of a merchant who receives a magic flying trunk from a kind-hearted old man. He flies to the land of the Turks and falls in love with the princess, impresses the royal family with his storytelling, and wins the princess’s hand in marriage. However, after the party, he finds that his trunk has been burnt by the fireworks, and he can never return to the princess again.
25. The Naughty Boy: In the story, a good-mannered old poet invites a poor, wet and naked little boy named Amor into his home to help him. Amor’s initial gratitude soon turns into mischief, as he proudly shoots the poet with his bow and arrows before disappearing. From then on, the fame of naughty Amor grows, notorious for shooting everyone he meets in the heart with his arrows. The story ends with a warning to the readers to watch out for the mischievous child. The website also offers a downloadable PDF version of the story for reading offline.
26. The Nightingale: In this story, a Chinese emperor discovers a nightingale in his garden with a beautiful singing voice after reading about it in a book. The highest servant finds the bird and brings it to sing to the emperor, who becomes obsessed with it and keeps it in captivity. Later, a gift of a golden bird replaces the nightingale and pleases the emperor more, until the mechanical bird stops singing. The emperor becomes ill and faces a visit from Death, but the nightingale’s singing saves him. The nightingale promises to sing for the emperor every day and tell him stories about the country, keeping their relationship a secret.
27. The Princess and the Pea: The story tells of a prince who is searching for a real princess to marry. After much traveling, a girl arrives at the castle during a storm claiming to be a princess. The old queen puts a pea under twenty mattresses and twenty down blankets, and the next morning the girl complains of a terrible night’s sleep due to something hard in the bed. This confirms to the king and queen that she is a real princess, and the prince marries her. The pea is put in the Royal Museum, and an ebook download link is provided.
28. The Red Shoes: This is a story about a poor girl named Karen who received a pair of red shoes after her mother’s funeral. She was later adopted by an old, rich lady and taken away from her past life. Karen then saw a princess wearing beautiful red shoes and later found similar ones, defying the old lady’s wishes and causing chaos when she puts them on. She becomes addicted to dancing and is unable to stop until an executioner helps remove the shoes, leaving her regretful and with wooden feet.
29. The Steadfast Tin Soldier: In this story, a boy receives a box of 25 tin soldiers for his birthday, one of which is missing a leg. The soldier falls in love with a dancer in a castle on the same table, but is too shy to approach her. After falling out of the window and going through many challenges including being swallowed by a fish, the soldier is reunited with the dancer and they are happily together. The story has a bittersweet ending, but the boy finds a lovely tin heart with a golden bow in his stove. A PDF download is available.
30. The Swineherd: In this story, a handsome prince wants to marry the emperor’s daughter, but she is unimpressed with his gifts of a rose and a nightingale. The prince disguises himself as a swineherd and creates magical musical instruments that the princess desperately wants. He demands kisses from her in exchange for the instruments, but when they are caught, the emperor throws them out. The prince reveals himself, but the princess realizes too late that she has misjudged him, and he rejects her.
31. The Ugly Duckling: The story is about an Ugly Duckling who was rejected and bullied by other animals. He left his home and wandered around until he found a group of swans. The duckling realized that he was no longer a duckling, but had transformed into a beautiful swan. In the end, he was accepted and loved by others.
32. The Wild Swans: The story is about a king with his twelve children and how his wicked second wife casts a spell on the eleven princes, turning them into swans. The brothers are forced to fly out of the castle window, and little Elize, their sister, is sent to live on a farm. When she returns to the castle, disguised by the evil queen, Elize is sent away after the queen sees how beautiful she has become. During her search for her brothers, Elize discovers they are the eleven swans swimming with golden crowns on their heads. She is told by a woman that if she makes eleven jumpers from nettles and throws them over the swans, they will regain their human form. Elize spent day and night making the jumpers, and finally throws them over her brothers, successfully breaking the curse.
33. Thumbelina: The story is about a woman who asks an old witch for help to have a child. The witch gives her a barley grain which grows into a beautiful tulip with a tiny girl no bigger than a thumb inside, whom they name Thumbelina. She gets taken by a toad and almost married off to her son, but she escapes with the help of fish and a butterfly, ultimately finding happiness with a swallow and a flower fairy prince named Maja. The story ends with the swallow singing a wedding song and flying away, and the flower fairy giving Thumbelina her new name.
34. Jack and the Beanstalk: The story is about a curious boy named Jack who exchanged his cow for magic beans. Despite his mother’s disappointment, Jack planted the beans and a beanstalk grew overnight, leading him to a castle in the clouds. He learned that the castle once belonged to his father and was taken over by a giant who killed the brave knight. Jack bravely ventured into the castle to retrieve a chicken that laid golden eggs and a talking harp. He outsmarted the giant’s wife and escaped with the treasures, but the giant chased after him. Jack cut down the beanstalk, and the giant fell to his death. Jack reclaimed his castle with the help of a fairy, and the people in the village celebrated him as their hero. The story highlights the power of believing in magic.
35. Bart The Bear Hibernates: The story is about Bart the brown bear who is getting ready for hibernation in the winter. He eats his favorite food, salmon, and plenty of berries to store energy. He takes a bath in the river and says goodbye to his forest friends before getting into his cozy den for the winter. Bart enjoys a nice, peaceful sleep and dreams about exploring the forest with his friends while he waits for spring to arrive.
36. The Three Little Bears: The story is about three bears – eeny meeny, tiny little bear, middle-sized bear, and a gigantic, huge bear – who ate homemade porridge every morning and slept in their own beds and chairs. One day, while they were out walking, a little old woman came to their house and tasted their porridge, sat in their chairs, and slept in their beds. When the bears returned, they questioned who touched their porridge, sat in their chairs, and lay in their beds until they found the old woman who fled. The bears never saw her again.
37. Dick Whittington And His Cat: The story is about a poor orphan boy named Dick Whittington who wanted to go to London and eventually became the Lord and Mayor of the city. Along the way, he worked in the kitchen of a wealthy merchant and was helped by a kind lackey, Alice (the merchant’s daughter), and a cat he eventually bought to chase away rats. When a ship captain brought the cat to a foreign land to chase away their rats, Dick became very wealthy from trading goods and eventually wed Alice and gave generously to the city.
38. Father Frost: This is a story about a girl named Natasha whose stepmother plots to have her marry Father Frost. Her father reluctantly agrees and leaves her by a pine tree, where Father Frost finds her and rewards her kindness and warmth with beautiful clothes and gems. Natasha’s stepsisters are also left by the tree, but they are mean to Father Frost and are punished by being left to freeze. In the end, Natasha meets a kind man and they live happily ever after.
39. The Origin of Rubies: In this story, a spoiled prince and his mother go on an adventure in an abandoned ship and come across rubies floating in the ocean. The prince takes one and later sells it to a king for a thousand rupees. The king’s daughter then asks for more rubies, and the prince goes on a daring mission to find the source. He discovers a beautiful woman whose head has been separated from her body, and he accidentally reunites them, falling in love with her. They elope together and return with a ship full of rubies, which they use to make everyone happy and live happily ever after.
40. The Yellow Dragon: A boy named Woe invites a yellow dragon and his four wind servants to stay at his house, where they enjoy a meal and pleasant conversation. After they leave, Woe and his father notice some strange things about their guests. When they consult with their wise grandmother, they learn that a great storm is coming. The family’s farm and belongings remain untouched by the storm, while everything else is ruined. The yellow dragon later returns, giving Woe a scale that brings him great luck. The emperor hears of Woe’s story and invites him to work for him as a magician, which leads to a happy ending. The story teaches the importance of being kind and hospitable to strangers.
41. The Pack of Ragamuffins: In this story, a rooster and hen go on a trip to Nutmountain to find nuts, but a duck accuses them of stealing. The rooster and hen defend themselves and make the duck pull their cart. Along the way, they pick up a needle and pin who join them on their journey to stay in an inn for the night in exchange for their eggs. The next morning, the rooster and hen play a trick on the innkeeper and flee, causing the innkeeper to suspect that he was deceived by the guests. The story ends with the innkeeper deciding to never let strangers stay in his inn again based on promises.
42. The Big Sausage: In a small town suffering from a severe famine, the wise elders decide to cheer up the citizens by making a big sausage and give a piece to everyone. But there’s no food to be found in the town, so they have to bring pigs, pepper, salt, and other spices from a boat that sails to sea. All the butchers in town receive the order to make a big sausage, which they accomplish with pleasure, and the sausage is carried through the town to a big party terrain where everyone can get a piece. The children are especially happy because they get to eat as much as they want for the first time in so long. Finally, the citizens have hope again, and the next year the harvest is successful and the famine ends.
43. Till Eulenspiegel: The story is about Till Eulenspiegel who is a mischievous and lazy person. His mother wants him to learn something useful, but Till prefers to have fun and perform tricks, such as dancing on a cord above a river and pranking thieves. He also has a philosophical side, explaining to his friends that going downhill reminds him of the uphill climb he must take later on. Despite his misbehavior, Till is portrayed as happy-go-lucky and carefree, making the story humorous overall.
44. Mother Holle: This story is about a hardworking but unfairly treated girl who accidentally enters Mother Holle’s world. She is instructed to do tasks such as shaking an apple tree and shaking up a bed. The girl performs her tasks well, and as a result, she receives shimmering gold. The lazy and selfish sister tries to follow her example but fails, and instead of gold, she is covered in tar.
45. Battle of Frogs and Mice: The story begins with King Puff-jaw of the Frogs organizing a party which the Prince of Mice attends. However, after a mishap, the Prince of Mice drowns, causing his father to declare war on the Frogs. The two sides battle with the help of allies, but the Lobster King offers to help Frog King Puff-jaw on the condition that he returns the land taken from him years ago. The Frogs and Lobsters fight the Mice back, and peace is restored, with the mice regaining their land and the Frogs reigning over the water. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
46. The Frog Prince: In this fairy tale, a king’s daughter loses her golden ball in a pond and a frog offers to retrieve it for her in exchange for becoming her friend and accompanying her to the palace. The princess agrees, but after receiving the ball, she does not keep her promise. Later, the frog arrives at the palace and the princess is forced to fulfill her promise, including letting the frog eat and sleep with her. Eventually, the frog transforms into a prince, revealing that he had been enchanted. They ride away in a luxurious carriage, with the prince’s loyal servant accompanying them.
47. The Ungrateful Son: In this story, a man and his wife were about to eat a roasted chicken when the man’s old father walked towards them. The man hid the chicken and did not want to share it with his father. The father drank a glass of beer and went home. However, when the man tried to put the chicken back on the table, it changed into a big duck that viciously clung on to the ungrateful son, forcing him to feed her daily. The son realised his mistake and apologised to his father, who forgave him. The duck turned back into a roasted chicken, and they enjoyed the meal together.
48. How The Birds Got A King: This story tells of how the birds once had the ability to communicate with humans, but lost it due to taking their freedom for granted. When the cuckoo suggests that birds need a king, all agree except for the peewit, who values his freedom. The birds set a competition to see who can fly the highest, with the eagle winning. However, an unnamed bird hidden on the eagle’s back flies higher and declares himself the king. The other birds change the rules to see who can dig the deepest, and the unnamed bird is eventually trapped and left to starve. However, the bird tricks the owl guarding him and escapes, and is now called the ‘Winter King.’
49. The Golden Goose: In this story, a family sends their three sons to chop wood in the forest, but only the youngest, Simpleton, shares his food and drink with a gnome and is rewarded with a golden goose. Simpleton leaves with the goose and meets various people who get stuck to the goose’s golden feathers. He eventually reaches a city where he wins the hand of the princess by completing tasks set by the king with the help of the gnome. The king tries to prevent the marriage by asking for an impossible ship, which the gnome provides, leading to Simpleton marrying the princess and becoming king.
50. The Three Sillies: The story is about a farmer’s daughter that doesn’t want to marry her boyfriend because she noticed a hammer hanging in the basement and she believed it could be dangerous for their future son. Her mother and father also cried. Her boyfriend laughed at them and left to travel. He found many other sillies on his journey and decided to marry the farmer’s daughter.
51. The Old Woman and Her Pig: An old woman finds a coin and buys a little pig at the market, but on the way home, the pig refuses to go over a steep hill. She meets several animals and objects who refuse to help her until she eventually meets a cat who agrees to kill a rat if she brings it some milk. The woman goes to a cow to get milk, which leads to a chain of events that ends in the pig jumping over the hill and the woman returning home. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
52. The Gnome: This story is about a rich king with three daughters. In the garden, there was a tree the king loved; whoever took an apple would disappear underground. The youngest daughter took an apple, and the sisters disappeared. The king would let anyone who brought back his daughters marry one of them. Three brothers searched for the princesses and found them in a well guarded by dragons. The youngest brother defeated the dragons but, thinking his brothers would abandon him, put a heavy stone in their basket, and his brothers cut the rope. He got rescued by gnomes and saved the princesses. The king rewarded him by letting him marry the youngest princess.
53. The Christmas Masquerade: In this story, the mayor invites children from the city to a Christmas masquerade and promises to cover the costs for the poor children. A small, professional shopkeeper with great costumes opens up and becomes popular with all the children. After the masquerade, the costumes don’t come off and the children seem to have taken on the personalities of their costume characters. The wise woman advises the kids to take castor oil and then the mayor’s daughter seeks help from the cherry man. He finds the shopkeeper in a cherry tree who agrees to release the kids from their costumes on two conditions: a law must be passed to provide Christmas stockings for poor children, and the cherry man must marry the mayor’s eldest daughter. All conditions are met, the costumes come off, and the cherry man and Violetta marry.
54. Toinette and the elves: Toinette is a grumpy girl who wishes to be beautiful, rich, and kind. She encounters an elf named Thistle who needs her help. After helping the elf, Thistle gives Toinette fern seeds that can allow her to be invisible. However, Toinette does not like being invisible and decides to return the seeds the next day. Despite not using the seeds, Toinette learns the importance of being kind and loving to her family. The following Christmas, she decides to use the fern seeds again and helps the elves make broth. Toinette lives happily ever after and remembers the elf’s words to always be kind and happy.
55. The Visit to Santa Claus Land: In this story, two children cannot sleep on Christmas Eve and they see a chocolate sitting by their window. The chocolate says that he is one of Santa’s chocolates and can take them to Santa Claus land. The chocolate blindfolds the children and they fly to Santa Claus land. In the land, they see rows of Christmas trees and toys instead of flowers. They try to find ripe dolls, select drum sets, horns, and wind-up toys. They also walk towards Santa’s house, but they have to cross a plank over a deep abyss. They are warned not to look down, but they fall down and suddenly wake up in their own beds at home. The next morning, they tell their mother about their adventure, and she smiles.
56. The Lost Years: This story is about a king who takes care of his subjects, but when trolls start abducting people, he becomes fearful and passes strict restrictions. An evil wizard tricks him into buying potions, which only work temporarily, and gradually the King becomes more and more controlling, banishing those who don’t follow his rules and blaming them for their capture. Years later, on his deathbed, the King regrets missing out on enjoying life’s simple pleasures. A fairy convinces him to release his restrictions and to tell his subjects to enjoy life again. The King dies peacefully, and his people return to living happily, despite the occasional troll attack.
57. The Young Crab and His Mother: In this story, a mother crab advises her son to walk straight forward with toes turned out instead of sideways. However, when the son asks her to show him how to walk, the mother crab realizes that she too can only walk sideways. The story highlights the importance of leading by example and self-reflection.
58. Belling the Cat: In this story, the Mice are trying to figure out a way to know when the Cat is coming so they can run away. A young Mouse suggests they hang a bell around the Cat’s neck, but an older Mouse questions who will do it. The story ends leaving readers to ponder how the Mice will accomplish their plan. The story also has a downloadable ebook in PDF format.
59. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: On Christmas Eve, Maria receives a Nutcracker from her godfather, Dr. Drosselmeyer. Later that night, she falls asleep with the Nutcracker in her doll’s bed and awakes to find herself in a war between the toy soldiers and the mice army, led by the menacing Mouse King. After defeating the Mouse King with the help of the Nutcracker, he takes Maria to the magical world of Candy Meadow to thank her for her help. Nobody believed Maria’s adventure, but years later, the Nutcracker’s magic brings her to the Candy Kingdom, where she lives happily ever after with Dr. Drosselmeyer’s nephew.
60. Where the sparks go: In this short story, a cat and a dog sit by the fireside watching the sparks fly and settle into coals. The cat finds the sparks silly and questions why they fly up the chimney when they could stay warm inside. A spark tells them they turn into celestial bodies and live forever in the sky if they get out at the top. The cat, however, thinks the idea is ridiculous and calls the stars in the sky ‘stars.’ Eventually, the spark flies out of sight. The dog and cat go out to look for it, acknowledging that the idea of sparks turning into stars might be true.
61. Mr. Fox cuts the Cottontails: In this story, Mr. Fox invites all the wood animals to a dinner but Susie and Jimmie Cottontail arrive late and are chased by Mr. Dog. They run into Mr. Fox’s house and spoil the dinner. The next day, Mr. Fox blames the Cottontails for the fiasco and decides to cut them off his visiting list since their trails are easily followed by Mr. Dog. The story highlights animals’ distinguishing features and behaviors, leading to Mr. Fox’s bias towards the Cottontails.
62. Uncle Wiggily’s Halloween Fun: The story is about Uncle Wiggily and his animal friends who are preparing for Halloween. They all dress up in costumes and go for a ride in Uncle Wiggily’s car. They have fun until they encounter a real bear who tries to attack Uncle Wiggily. Luckily, they manage to scare the bear away and return home safely. The story is available for download as a PDF to read offline.
63. The Boy And The Filberts: In this story, a boy puts his hand in a pitcher to get some filberts but takes such a big handful that he cannot draw his hand out again. His mother advises him to be satisfied with half the nuts, so he can easily get his hand out and maybe have more filberts later. The story teaches the lesson of moderation and the consequences of being greedy.
64. The Shepherd Boy And The Wolf: The story is about a shepherd boy who gets bored while tending to his sheep and cries out “wolf” just for amusement. The villagers come to his aid only to be tricked and laughed at. When a real wolf attacks the flock and the boy cries out for help, no one believes him and the wolf kills many of the sheep. In the end, the boy learns that lying has consequences. An ebook download link is provided.
65. Hercules And The Wagoner: In this story, a farmer driving a wagon gets stuck in a rut and calls on Hercules for help. Hercules appears and tells the farmer to put in effort instead of just looking at the wagon and complaining. When the farmer puts effort into pushing the wagon, the wagon moves easily. The story teaches the lesson that one should put in effort when faced with a problem instead of just complaining.
66. The Town Mouse And The Country Mouse: In this story, a town mouse visits her country cousin and is served simple food. The town mouse is unimpressed and invites the country mouse to visit her in the city where she offers a lavish feast. Just as the country mouse is about to indulge, they are interrupted by a cat and a dog, causing them to flee back to the countryside. The country mouse chooses to stay there, preferring their simple life and security over the city’s luxuries and dangers.
67. The Fox And The Grapes: A fox desperately tries to jump and reach a bunch of grapes hanging from a high branch, but fails repeatedly. Exhausted and annoyed, the fox decides to give up and scornfully walks away, concluding that the grapes are probably sour and not worth the effort. A downloadable PDF of the story is available for offline reading.
68. The Oxen And The Wheels: The story tells of a pair of oxen pulling a heavily loaded wagon along a muddy country road. While the oxen worked hard without complaining, the wheels of the wagon constantly creaked and groaned. Eventually, the oxen grew frustrated and asked why the wheels were complaining when they were the ones doing all the heavy lifting. The story highlights the importance of hard work and not complaining, even when faced with difficult tasks.
69. The Lion And The Mouse: In this story, a lion spares the life of a small mouse who promises to repay him someday. Later, when the lion is caught in a hunter’s net, the mouse comes to his rescue by gnawing on the rope until he manages to break free. The lion learns that even a small act of kindness can lead to a great reward in the end.
70. The Gnat And The Bull: A gnat landed on a bull’s horn and begged for pardon before flying away. The bull didn’t even know the gnat was there and didn’t care if it stayed or left. The story is available for download as a PDF to read offline on a device or print.
71. The Plane Tree: Two travelers seek shade under the leaves of a Plane tree on a hot day, but one of them insults the tree as useless. The tree responds by calling them ungrateful and reminds them that it is providing them with much-needed shelter. The story is available as a downloadable PDF.
72. The Travellers And The Purse: Two men were walking when one of them found a full purse and insisted on keeping it for himself. When a mob appeared, the man who found the purse panicked and the other reminded him that he should have said “we” earlier. The story ends with the man who found the purse being caught by the mob.
73. The Fox And The Stork: A cunning fox invites a stork for dinner and serves soup in a shallow dish that he can easily drink from, while the stork can’t. Later, when the stork invites the fox for dinner, he serves fish in a tall jar with a narrow neck that the stork can easily access with its long beak, but the fox can’t. The stork calmly reminds the fox not to play tricks on others unless he is willing to experience the same treatment.
74. The Eagle And The Kite: In this fable, an Eagle is looking for a mate who can provide for her. A Kite offers to be her mate, claiming to be stronger than the Eagle and capable of carrying away an Ostrich. The Eagle accepts, but when the Kite returns with only a small mouse, the Eagle realizes she has been deceived. The Kite admits he would have said anything to win her over.
75. The Crow And The Pitcher: The story is about a thirsty crow who found a pitcher with a little water in it. The pitcher was too narrow and high for the crow to reach the water. The crow used its intelligence and picked up small pebbles, dropped them into the pitcher one by one, and raised the water level until he was able to drink and quench his thirst. The story has an ebook PDF download link available to read offline or print.
76. The Lion and the Donkey: In the story, a lion and an ass go hunting together and plan to catch some wild goats. The ass goes into the cave and scares the goats out while the lion waits outside to attack them. The plan works and the ass boastfully comes out of the cave, but the lion mocks him for his foolishness and cowardice. The story teaches a lesson about overconfidence and the danger of not knowing one’s own limitations.
77. The Dog And His Master’s Dinner: The story is about a faithful dog that carries his master’s dinner every day, but the smell of the food tempts the dogs in the neighborhood to try and steal it. The dog always guards the basket faithfully until one day, all the dogs in the neighborhood together try to take the basket from him. The dog stops to argue with them, which is a mistake because they make him feel ridiculous. The faithful dog drops the basket and lets the other dogs take it, giving them the food and accepting a piece of roast meat for himself.
78. The Bees And Wasps, And The Hornet: In the story, the Wasps and Bees argue over who owns a store of honey found in a tree. They take the case to the Hornet, who adjourns court for six weeks but still can’t decide. A wise old Bee suggests they build a honeycomb to determine ownership, and the Wasps refuse because they know they can’t. Therefore, the honey belongs to the Bees. Downloads of the PDF version of the story are available.
79. The Bear And The Bees: The story is about a bear searching for berries in the woods. It finds a fallen tree filled with honeybees and attempts to take their honey but ends up being stung by a bee. The bear’s anger causes it to attack the hive, bringing out the swarm of bees. The bear is forced to flee and only manages to save itself by diving into a pool of water. A downloadable ebook of the story is available.
80. The Heron: In the story, a Heron is searching for breakfast by a stream. Despite there being plenty of fish, the Heron refuses to eat the small ones and remains hungry until the larger fish swim away. Eventually, the Heron settles for a tiny Snail. An ebook version of the story is available to download.
81. The North Wind And The Sun: The North Wind and the Sun argue about who is stronger, and they agree to see who can strip a traveler of his cloak. The North Wind fails to remove the cloak, but the Sun warms the traveler until he removes it himself. The story highlights the power of persuasion over force.

In conclusion, the Top 81 Stories for 6-Year-Olds have been carefully curated to provide a wonderful and engaging reading experience for young readers. These tales not only deliver messages of friendship, love, and adventure, but also teach valuable life lessons that instill morals and positive values. By reading these stories online, children can delve into the captivating world of imagination, nurture their reading skills, and cultivate a lifelong love for literature. As they embark on these enchanting journeys with memorable characters, 6-year-olds will find every story brimming with charm, entertainment, and learning opportunities, creating cherished memories for years to come.