Introducing the Top 15 New Year’s Stories for kids to read online! A fantastic collection of tales to enjoy during this special time of the year, perfect for children looking for delightful bedtime stories. These stories are available in various formats, such as pdf, free online reading, downloadable and printable, so you’ll find the perfect way for your young ones to read and learn. Immerse your children in these educational, short stories that are designed to be easy and fun for kids to tell – with pictures that captivate their imagination. Some of the best audio options, in English, are also available to make story time even more engaging.

New Year’s Stories are an essential part of the celebration, teaching children about new beginnings and the importance of setting goals and making resolutions. These fun and engaging tales also help children in their early years, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students develop their reading and comprehension skills, preparing them for the upcoming year. Featuring a diverse mix of classic and modern stories, this collection offers a wide range of bedtime tales that cater to both boys and girls, making story time a magical experience they won’t soon forget. Reading these stories together promotes bonding and helps toddlers and EYFS learners to fall asleep while encouraging positive moral values and life lessons. So, let’s embark on this enchanting journey through the Top 15 New Year Stories and set the stage for a year filled with fun, learning, and adventure!

Top 15 New Year Stories for kids to read online:

1. The Little Match Girl: A young girl, who was cold and hungry and didn’t want to face a beating at home, used matches to warm her hands and saw visions of comfort and happiness – a roasted goose, a warm stove, a Christmas tree and her grandmother. She lit all her matches hoping her grandmother would stay with her, but ended up frozen to death. The next morning, people found her with a smile on her face and believed she had tried to warm up. However, no one knew about the wonderful things she had seen, and that she and her grandmother had started the new year together in the heavens. An ebook version of the story is available for download.
2. The bad little goblin’s New Year: This is a story about a nasty little goblin named Midnight who played mean pranks on the woodland creatures. They eventually chase him away and he ends up in the cellar of a house where he makes friends with the children and becomes their helpful goblin friend. He turns into a golden flame and brings happiness wherever he goes, even to the cold, miserable wild animals in winter. The children love him and say that it feels like a happy new year every day when he’s around.
3. Uncle Wiggily’s New Year’s Horn: Uncle Wiggily, a bunny gentleman, overhears some boys talking about blowing out the Old Year and in the New Year with their horns. He worries that the Old Year might be blown so far away that the New Year won’t come. He comes to the rescue by taking the goat’s old horns and turning them into tooters. He leaves them on the doorstep of a poor boy and girl who didn’t have horns, and they welcome the New Year like everyone else with loud tooters, bells, and horns.
4. Old Mother Bear’s Happy New Year: In this story, Old Mother Bear is worried about how to have a Happy New Year with her naughty four bears who don’t listen to her. Lady Wind, Old Mother Moon, Snowflake Fairy, and Fairy See-It-All come to her aid and take the four bears to a wee little house in the woods, where they teach Boxer to be on time, Drowsy-Head to like going to bed, Bruin to pick up after himself and Bright Eyes to say “Thank you” and “If you please.” After staying in the wee little house for a year, the four little bears learn their lessons and return home as happy bears who now listen to their mother and Old Mother Bear is happy too. The story teaches children the importance of being on time, saying “thank you” and “if you please,” and being responsible.
5. The new New Year’s Eve traditions: A family faced difficulties throughout the year but wanted to celebrate the New Year together and create a new tradition. The son, Adam, saw a program about New Year’s Eve traditions in other countries and came up with five affordable and easy-to-do options for his family, including eating grapes, hanging onions, leaping off chairs, jumping over waves, and making oliebollen. The family enjoyed embracing these traditions as a way to bring positivity and good luck for the new year. An eBook is available for download.
6. The Forgiveness Walk: This story is about a special tradition called the “Forgiveness Walk” that villagers in a small village in Nigeria follow on New Year’s Eve. On this night, they visit anyone they hurt or offended during the year and ask for forgiveness. The protagonist, Musa, had a hard time apologizing to his best friend Aisha for their arguments. However, after having a dream that made him realize he needed his friends and family, Musa decided to go on the Forgiveness Walk. He went to apologize to Aisha, and they reconciled, strengthening their friendship as they walked around the village, playing drums and singing songs of hope and happiness together.
7. The Tasty Oliebollen Revolution: A group of children in the town of Nijmegen prepare for the annual Oliebollen contest, where they can show off their baking skills and make the tastiest Oliebollen. The organizers are strict with their regulations, but some of the children become creative with their batter, adding extra flavors and colors. On the day of the contest, the judges are initially put off by the unconventional Oliebollen, but one of the judges, with a sweet tooth, decides to try them and declares them delicious. Although the children do not win the contest, they change it for the better with their creativity and imagination.
8. Chasing the Fireworks: Bauro and Blaze, a boy and his dragon, were excited to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks on their small island, but fell asleep before they began. The next day, Bauro had an idea: they could fly across the International Date Line and watch fireworks elsewhere. They chased the sunset and arrived just in time for the fireworks show on the Hawaiian coast, marveling at the colors and lights in the sky. They returned home, still feeling the excitement of chasing the fireworks, and looked forward to doing it again next year.
9. The polar bear plunge day: In a snowy land in Canada, a polar bear named Puddles heard about the tradition of Polar Bear Plunge Day, where humans jump into icy water to celebrate New Year’s Day. Though his polar bear friends refused to join him, Puddles ventured to the beach on his own. He scared away the people when he appeared, but Puddles still decided to take the plunge and have fun. A group of brave friends eventually jumped in with him, and soon everyone had a great time. Puddles went home and shared his experience, and his polar bear friends decided to join in the following year, starting a new tradition.
10. The misbehaving monkey’s New Year resolutions: A mischievous monkey named Moki lived on the island of Bali and enjoyed playing tricks on tourists, but he began to feel bad when he upset them. Overhearing tourists’ New Year’s resolutions, Moki felt inspired to become a helpful monkey and made his own resolutions, which he wrote down as small, measurable goals. Moki aimed to show tourists the best places on the island, help keep them safe, and give them fruit. He achieved his goals and became known as the kindest and most helpful monkey on Bali, showing that with determination, any resolution can be achieved.
11. The importance of Soup Joumou on New Year’s Day: This is a story about Junior and Roseline, two siblings from Haitian heritage who live in the United States. Every New Year’s Day, they would prepare squash soup with their family for their favourite tradition. One year, their parents told them the story of the Haitian New Year’s tradition of eating soup joumou, a symbol of hope, resilience, and pride in their heritage. From then on, every time they ate soup joumou on New Year’s Day, they remembered their ancestors’ story and the importance of the tradition. They continued to prepare the soup every year as a family to pass on the tradition to the new generation.
12. Johanna’s New Year’s Eve dream of sunny Sydney: The story is about a little girl named Johanna who lives in a cold area of Finland. She becomes fascinated with the warm weather and festive celebration of New Year’s Eve in Sydney, Australia, after reading a book about it. She dreams of going there but knows it’s unlikely due to her family’s financial situation. She saves up money over the years, and eventually, her parents surprise her with a trip to Sydney for New Year’s Eve. She is grateful and overjoyed, knowing it’s a dream come true.
13. The Fairy’s New Year Gift: Two little boys receive a New Year’s gift from a fairy – a beautiful book with white pages. A year later, the fairy returns to take back the books and give them new ones, but the boys ask to keep the old ones a little longer. The fairy allows this and gives them each a lamp to look through the pages. They find that the pages are filled with blots and scratches when they were naughty and beautiful pictures when they were good. The fairy explains this, takes back the books, and gives them new ones.
14. The Little New Year: In the story, a boy named Maurice is visited by the Little New Year, who asks for his help to distribute blessings to people in need. Despite the cold, Maurice agrees and helps the New Year deliver warm clothing, wood, a new year’s dinner, and flowers to a sick girl. The New Year explains that love and kindness never run out and encourages Maurice to continue helping throughout the year. When Maurice wakes up, he finds that the New Year has brought him a baby brother, and he remembers his dream and continues to spread kindness to those around him.
15. The Mail-Coach Passengers: On New Year’s Eve, a mail coach arrives in town carrying twelve passengers who represent the twelve months of the year. Each passenger introduces themselves and their unique characteristics, such as January being a wealthy merchant and February being Prince Carnival. The captain on duty keeps their passports and will write about their behavior after a month has passed. The story ends with the narrator stating they will find out what each passenger brings to the town after a year has passed.

In conclusion, the Top 15 New Year Stories for kids is a diverse and enchanting collection of tales that introduces young readers to unique cultural traditions and valuable life lessons associated with the celebration of the New Year. These stories, which include a delightful blend of magic, adventure, humor, and warmth, are sure to captivate children’s imaginations and foster a deeper understanding of the importance of new beginnings, self-improvement, and togetherness. By engaging with this carefully curated selection, kids will not only enjoy themselves but also be inspired to embrace the positive spirit of the upcoming year, and create cherished memories that will last a lifetime.