Welcome to our fantastic collection of the Top 19 Stories About Not Listening, specially curated for kids! Designed for children to enjoy during bedtime or any time they need a good story, these tales are available in various formats to make it attractive and convenient. You can read them online, listen to audio versions in English, or even download the tales as printable PDFs for free. Each story is accompanied by fun pictures that will surely keep kids entertained.

In our increasingly fast-paced world, it’s essential to slow down and truly listen to the stories and lessons being shared. Stories About Not Listening not only provide a fun and captivating bedtime experience for kids but also serve as valuable learning tools for children in their early years, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary stages. These stories, suitable for both girls and boys, contain important moral lessons that teach children the significance of paying attention, respecting others, and understanding the consequences of not listening.

Our carefully selected collection features some of the best classic and modern fairy tales, ranging from short and easy-to-read stories to longer, more intricate tales. You can read them aloud or simply let the audio versions accompany children as they fall asleep or during story time. This treasure trove of stories caters to toddlers, EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage), and older kids alike, making it a perfect addition to your educational resources. So let the fun and learning begin with these Stories About Not Listening!

Top 19 Stories About Not Listening for kids to read online:

1. The Magical Ski Lift: The story is about a little boy named Tom who loves skiing. When his parents take him to a ski resort, he cannot wait to hit the slopes and hops onto a ski lift alone. However, the ski lift takes him to a magical land where he gets stuck and cannot find his way back. A little snowman appears and asks him what he has learned. Tom realises the importance of listening to his parents and promises to do so before finding himself back at the ski resort with his parents. He learns his lesson and patiently waits for everyone, enjoying the rest of the vacation.
2. The Twelve Dancing Princesses: A king with twelve daughters promises to give the heir to his throne and one of his daughters as a bride to anyone who can solve the mystery of why their shoes are worn out every morning, despite the locked door. Several princes attempt but fail and face death after three nights. An old soldier encounters an old woman who provides him with a magical cloak and instructs him to avoid drinking the wine offered by the princesses. The soldier, invisible with the cloak, follows the princesses through an underground forest to a castle where they dance with twelve princes until their shoes are worn out. The soldier succeeds in gathering evidence and revealing the truth to the king. He marries the oldest princess and becomes the heir to the throne.
3. An interrupted nap: The story is about a fawn named Nimble who crept into the forest while his mother was sleeping, trying not to disturb her. However, when Nimble’s mother wakes up, she cannot see her son anywhere and feels terribly afraid. Eventually, Nimble jumps over a stone wall and reveals himself, admitting that he had seen a fox and hurried there. His mother consoles him, but then clarifies that it was actually a raccoon he saw rather than a fox. Nimble learns that foxes are red and do not climb trees. The story ends with Nimble glad that his mother did not ask him why he had secretly walked into the woods alone.
4. When Jack Frost was young: The story is about Jack Frost, a young man who did not want to listen to his mother, Mrs. Old North Wind. He woke up early to start his work as a frost artist, despite his mother’s warning that it was too early. Jack thought he knew better and spread frost everywhere, but it turned out he ruined his paintings for the year and deceived people who were looking forward to them. His mother scolded him and told him to go home. Jack learned his lesson and did not wake up until his mother called him the next year. The story teaches the importance of listening to elders and the consequences of not following their advice.
5. The index finger of Sallie Hicks: The story is about a little girl named Sallie Hicks who has a habit of getting her finger into things it shouldn’t. One day, she burns her finger while touching hot jam, and her mother punishes her to sit alone and think about her naughty finger. While sitting, Sallie talks to the picture of her great-grandmother and wonders if grandmothers were always well-behaved and if her mother would forget about her misbehavior as she grows. Later, Sallie tells her mother about her conversation with great-grandmother, but her mother reveals to her that she was only half awake and had dreamed. However, Sallie still remembers her promise not to do anything naughty, and whenever she sees the picture of her great-grandmother, she wonders if she is really smiling at her.
6. The Frogs and the Fairies: A group of young curious frogs decides to venture into the valley, against the warning of their grandfather. They stumble upon a fairy party and plan to feast on the fireflies, but get caught by the fairies. As punishment, the fairies enchant their toes, so that they have four toes on their front paws instead of five. It’s said that they would still have their toes if they had listened to their grandfather’s warning.
7. The History of the Five Little Pigs: The story follows the adventures of five little pigs: one who goes to the market with his cart, one who stays home and causes mischief, one who is a good helper, one who is stubborn and lazy, and one who goes fishing where he shouldn’t. Each pig faces their own challenges and consequences. At the end of the story, a downloadable ebook is offered for offline reading.
8. The Child of Maria: In this story, a poor woodcutter and his wife give their child to Maria, the mother of baby Jesus, to take care of her in heaven. When the girl turns fourteen, Maria gives her the keys to thirteen doors in heaven but warns her not to open the thirteenth. The girl eventually gives in to her curiosity and opens it, only to turn her finger golden after touching the Heavenly fire. She is banished to live alone in the wilderness and eventually rescued by a king who falls in love with her. Maria returns to offer her a chance to confess and regain her children, but she denies having opened the door. Her children are taken from her, and she is wrongly accused of eating them until she is finally able to confess. Maria returns her children and gives her happiness again.
9. The Story of Echo: This is a story about a mischievous wood-nymph named Echo who loved to play practical jokes on her companions. Her companions eventually grew tired of her pranks, causing Echo to be alone. The queen of the gods, Juno, punished Echo by taking away her ability to initiate conversation; instead, she could only repeat what others said. Echo resided alone in the forest, her voice only heard if someone called out to her.
10. Peewee’s Lesson: The story is about a little chicken named Peewee who lives with his mother in a farmyard. Peewee meets some friendly ducks, but nearly drowns when he tries to join them in the water. His mother comes to his rescue and reminds him that everyone has their own strengths and abilities. Peewee learns a valuable lesson and goes to bed feeling safe and loved, ready to explore the world and embrace his uniqueness. The story is available for download as an ebook (PDF) for offline reading.
11. A Narrow Escape: The story is about two young bees named Buz and Hum who are allowed to fly for the first time. An older bee gives them advice to stay within the garden and meet Experience, who will teach them a lot. But Buz decides to go beyond the garden walls to collect honey, and she ends up falling into a pond. She manages to save herself and reach the sunlight to recover, but she finds the return journey to the hive difficult. Buz learns that she should have followed the advice and stayed within the garden.
12. How Night Came: In the beginning of time, there was no night and the daughter of the Great Sea Serpent married a human. She grew tired of the bright sunlight and her eyes began to ache. Her husband sent his most faithful servants to her father’s kingdom to ask for some of the darkness of night to help his wife. On their journey back, they opened the bag and released the dark creatures of the night, which frightened them and escaped. When the daughter of the Great Sea Serpent saw the darkness approaching, she closed her eyes and went to sleep. When she woke up, she was refreshed and happy, and thus the night was born. Her husband punished the disobedient servants by turning them into monkeys, and to this day one can still see the mark of the sealing wax on their lips.
13. The Little Thief in the Pantry: A little mouse named Greywhiskers disobeys his mother’s orders not to eat the food in the pantry and gets caught in a trap set by the cook who caught him stealing a piece of cheese and Ethel’s birthday cake. The cook wants to drown him, but Ethel, feeling sorry for him, frees him from the trap when the cook’s back is turned. He runs home to his mother who reassures and comforts him, and he promises never to disobey her again.
14. Naughty Jocko: The story follows the mischief caused by a naughty monkey named Jocko who is owned by a cruel man. After Jocko falls sick, a kind family takes him in and looks after him. However, Jocko continues his mischievous ways and causes chaos everywhere he goes. Despite his amusing behavior, the family realizes that Jocko needs to go. In the end, Jocko dies and is buried, and the family learns a lesson about the consequences of misbehavior. The story ends with the family using Jocko’s collar and chain as a reminder for their mischievous son.
15. The Skipping Shoes: The story is about a little girl named Kitty who never wanted to do anything she was asked to do. Her mother gave her a pair of new shoes which turned out to be magical, making her do things she never did before. She went on errands, danced gracefully, and even visited Fairyland. However, she soon realized that the magic would end at sundown. Kitty learned to be obedient, kind, and appreciative of the little creatures in the woods and fields. The story ends with Kitty keeping the lessons she had learned and wanting to play with the creatures in the woods and fields again.
16. Cockyloo: The story is about a hen who has ten chicks, including two cockerels named Cockyloo and Peck. Peck is the bad fowl, always selfish, cross, and lazy. He makes trouble for Cockyloo and is jealous of him. Later, Peck makes friends with a fox that plans to eat him. Peck and the fox come up with a plan to steal food and become kings of the farm. However, Cockyloo saves the day by crowing loudly and waking the boys, who catch the robbers. Cockyloo becomes a hero, and a picture of him is made into a weather vane and placed on the courthouse. In the end, Cockyloo dies but is remembered as a brave and wise rooster.
17. Ozma and the little wizard: In this story, Princess Ozma and the Wizard of Oz set out on a journey to make sure all the inhabitants of the Land of Oz are happy and content. They come across a man who complains about three mischievous Imps that live in a nearby valley. The Princess and the Wizard go to find the Imps and end up transforming them into various things before finally turning them into buttons and keeping them, in the hope that they will learn their lesson and become good citizens. The story ends on a positive note with the Princess pleased with the Wizard’s clever magic.
18. The Gossiping Spring Flowers: The story tells of how the spring flowers come out to embrace the warm sunshine, disregarding the warnings of the tall pine and the pussy-willows that winter is not yet over. They gossip about the trees’ unfashionable winter attire and continue to bask in the sun. However, when winter returns suddenly, the flowers wilt and die. Only a few spring flowers bloom afterward, having learned to respect the wisdom of the pussy-willows and waiting for the singing pines to signal the arrival of spring.
19. Robin Redbreast’s Cherry Pie: In this story, Robin Redbreast becomes upset when his wife won’t make him cherry pie because cherries aren’t ripe yet. He accuses her of not wanting to please him and being afraid the pie won’t be as good as his mother’s. His wife seeks advice from an older bird who suggests making the pie out of unripe cherries to teach Robin a lesson. Though Robin tries to hide his disappointment while eating the pie, he wakes up in the middle of the night with a severe stomach ache. The doctor is called, and Robin learns his lesson never to ask for cherry pie before its time.

In conclusion, these Top 19 Stories About Not Listening offer valuable lessons for kids about the importance of paying attention and respecting others. By exploring the consequences and various situations where not listening can lead to misunderstandings and problems, children can learn to actively listen and engage with their family, friends, and teachers. Through these entertaining and morally-driven stories, kids can relate to the characters, develop empathy, and understand the significance of effective communication, ultimately becoming better listeners in their daily lives.