Funny bedtime stories work best when they get a few giggles early and then slow down into something soft and sleepy. Below are three original silly bedtime stories for kids that do exactly that, each about three minutes long when read aloud.
The trick is to let the silliness peak in the middle of the story, then fade, so your child is relaxed rather than bouncing when the lights go out.
After the stories, you will find practical tips for using humor at bedtime without overexciting your child.
Why funny bedtime stories can help at bedtime
Laughing together is a lovely way to reconnect after a long day. But a story that stays loud and wild to the very end can work against sleep, so each story below follows the same shape:
- A silly start. Something funny or backwards happens.
- A giggly middle. The silliness builds, with repetition your child can join in on.
- A slow, sleepy ending. Everything settles down, the sentences get shorter, and the story ends with rest.
Read the funny parts with a smile, then let your voice slow and soften as you go.
3 funny bedtime stories for kids
The Hippo Who Wanted a Tiny Bed
Henry the hippo was big. He had big feet, big ears and a very big yawn.
One night, Henry decided he was tired of his big bed. "Tonight," he announced, "I will sleep somewhere tiny."
First, he tried a teacup.
He put one foot in. Then another foot. Then he sat down. Squish. The teacup was now wearing Henry like a hat on his bottom.
"Hmm," said Henry. "A little snug."
Next, he tried a shoebox. He climbed in and pulled the lid on. The lid sat on top of his head like a tiny cardboard crown. His feet stuck out one end. His tail stuck out the other.
"Comfortable?" asked his friend Pia the parrot, who was trying very hard not to laugh.
"Very," said Henry, as the box went crunch. Then it went crumple. Then it went flat, and Henry was sitting on a cardboard rug.
Then he tried a bird's nest. Pia squawked. "That's MY bed!"
"Just for one minute," said Henry. He lay down. The nest flattened like a pancake. A single feather floated up, and landed right on Henry's nose.
"Ah... ah... AH-CHOO!"
The sneeze was so big that Pia did three somersaults in the air and landed on a branch, feathers all fluffed up.
"Sorry, Pia," said Henry, giggling.
Pia started giggling too. "Henry," she said, "maybe tiny beds are for tiny animals."
Henry looked at the squashed teacup, the crunched shoebox and the flattened nest. "Maybe you're right," he said.
So Henry helped Pia fluff her nest back up, feather by feather, until it was round and cozy again.
Then he walked slowly home to his own big bed. It was wide. It was soft. It was exactly Henry-sized.
He climbed in, and the bed went flump, the happiest sound a bed can make.
Henry pulled his big blanket up to his big chin. He wiggled his big toes. He let out one more very big yawn.
Outside, Pia tucked her head under her wing.
"Goodnight, Henry," she whispered.
"Goodnight, Pia," Henry whispered back.
And the biggest hippo in the whole river fell into the biggest, softest sleep.
Reading time: about 3 minutes. Best for ages 3–6.
Wiggles and the Upside-Down Bedtime
Wiggles was a small, spotty puppy who liked to do things his own way.
One evening, his mama said, "Wiggles, it's time to get ready for bed."
"Okay!" said Wiggles. And he did everything upside down.
First, he put his pajamas on. But he put the top on his legs and the bottoms on his ears. The pajama legs flopped down on either side of his head like two long, floppy bunny ears.
Mama laughed. "Wiggles, those go on the other way."
Next, it was time to brush his teeth. Wiggles grabbed his toothbrush and brushed... his tail. Swish, swish, swish. His tail was very clean and very minty.
"Your teeth, Wiggles," said Mama, giggling.
"Oh," said Wiggles. "That's why my tail tasted funny."
Then it was time to say goodnight. Wiggles ran around the house and shouted, "GOOD MORNING, lamp! GOOD MORNING, rug! GOOD MORNING, refrigerator!"
The cat opened one eye from the sofa. "It is not morning," she said.
"It isn't?" said Wiggles.
"Look outside," said the cat.
Wiggles pressed his nose to the window. The sky was dark blue. The streetlights glowed. The moon was round and quiet, and every house on the street had its curtains closed.
"Oh," said Wiggles softly. "It's nighttime."
So Wiggles started again, the right way around this time.
He took his pajamas off his ears and put them on properly, top on top, bottoms on bottom. They felt soft and warm.
He brushed his teeth, gently, up and down. Not his tail. His teeth.
Then he walked slowly around the house and said, in a quiet voice, "Goodnight, lamp. Goodnight, rug. Goodnight, refrigerator. Goodnight, cat."
"Goodnight, Wiggles," said the cat, and she closed her eye again.
Mama tucked Wiggles into his little round bed. She fluffed his pillow and kissed the top of his spotty head.
"You did bedtime upside down and right side up," said Mama.
"That's twice as much bedtime," said Wiggles, with a big yawn.
Mama smiled. "Then you must be twice as sleepy."
Wiggles was. He curled up in a little spotty ball, tucked his nose under his clean, minty tail, and fell fast asleep.
Reading time: about 3 minutes. Best for ages 3–6.
The Yawn That Went All Around Town
Once upon a time, on a quiet evening, a little yawn was born.
It started with a kitten named Pudding, curled up on a windowsill. Pudding opened her mouth wide, wider, widest, and went: Yaaaawn.
The yawn floated out the window, looking for someone new.
It found the baker, who was closing his shop. He was carrying a tray of bread rolls. The yawn tickled his nose, and the baker went: Yaaaawn. He yawned so wide that a bread roll rolled off the tray, down the street, and bumped into a mailbox.
"Excuse me," said the baker to the mailbox.
The yawn floated on. It found a bus driver at the last stop of the day. Yaaaawn, went the bus driver. And all the passengers on the bus went yaaaawn too, one after another, like a row of dominoes. Even the bus went pssssh as its doors closed, which is the way a bus yawns.
The yawn was getting bigger now. It floated up to the clock tower. The big clock went bonnnng, which sounded exactly like a clock trying to yawn.
It floated past the pigeons on the rooftops. They fluffed up their feathers, tucked in their heads, and went coo... coo... coooo, which is a pigeon yawn, and also a pigeon goodnight.
Then the yawn floated very high, all the way up to the moon.
The moon was not sleepy at all. The moon's job was to stay awake all night. But the yawn tickled the moon anyway, and the moon opened up its big, round, silvery face and went: Yaaaaaaawn.
It was the biggest yawn the town had ever seen. It was so big that a little cloud drifted over to cover the moon's mouth, politely.
And then the yawn floated all the way back down, through the dark blue sky, over the sleeping rooftops, past the quiet clock tower and the parked bus and the closed bakery, until it found one last person.
It found you.
Maybe you can feel it now. It starts in your nose. It stretches in your cheeks. Your mouth opens wide, wider, widest...
Yaaaawn.
There it is. Now close your eyes, just like Pudding the kitten, who is fast asleep on her windowsill.
Goodnight.
Reading time: about 3 minutes. Best for ages 3–8.
How to use humor at bedtime without overexciting kids
Funny stories are a treat, but bedtime still has one goal: sleep. These tips help you keep the giggles without losing the calm.
Put the funny part in the middle, not the end
The best bedtime humor peaks halfway through and then fades. If your child is still laughing hard at the last line, the story ended too high. Choose or tell stories that finish with rest, a whisper or a goodnight.
Read the silly parts with a smile, not a shout
You do not need loud voices to make a story funny. A raised eyebrow or a small pause before the punchline often gets more giggles than a loud sound effect.
Slow down as the story winds down
Once the silliness is over, let your reading pace drop. Shorter sentences, longer pauses and a quieter voice signal to your child that the fun part has finished and it is time to settle.
Keep funny stories earlier in the routine if needed
If your child gets wound up easily, read the funny story first, then follow it with a calm one. Or read a silly story at bath time and keep the bedtime story gentle. Our post on calming bedtime stories has quieter options for that last story of the night.
Choose kind humor
The best bedtime jokes are about silly situations: a hippo in a teacup, a puppy brushing his tail. Avoid humor that relies on someone getting hurt, scared or laughed at. Gentle, kind humor leaves children feeling safe.
Use repetition your child can join in on
Repeated lines like "GOOD MORNING, lamp!" are part of the fun. When they turn into a quiet "Goodnight, lamp," your child often follows the shift in tone.
Stop at one story
Funny stories can lead to "one more!" more than any other kind. Agree on one before you start, and keep it kind and firm. If you need extra stories for another night, our collection of short bedtime stories for kids has five more original ones.
Silly bedtime story ideas to make up yourself
If your child wants a funny story you have not read before, try one of these simple starting points and tell it in your own words. Remember to end each one with everyone going to sleep.
- An elephant who tries to hide behind a lamppost
- A sock that wants to be a hat
- A cow who can only say "quack," until bedtime
- A bathtub that fills up with bubbles all the way to the ceiling
- A teddy bear who snores so loudly the curtains flap
- A family of ducks trying to fit into one umbrella
- A giraffe who cannot find a pillow tall enough
Funny stories made just for your child
Children often laugh hardest when they are part of the joke. That is one reason we made Tuck Tales, our bedtime story app. It writes a brand-new story every night with your child as the main character, using their name, age, look, favorite things, pet and favorite toy, so the hippo in the teacup could be sharing a picnic with your child and their own stuffed rabbit.
Every page is illustrated, and the story can be read aloud by a calm narrator voice with words highlighted as they go, or you can read it yourself. Stories come in 3, 7 or 12 minute lengths. A keep-out list lets you leave out themes that scare your child, and when the story ends, sleep mode plays a lullaby or rain sound while the screen dims.
The first story is free, and Tuck Tales is on Google Play for Android now, with the iPhone app coming soon. You can download Tuck Tales whenever you are ready.
Frequently asked questions
Are funny bedtime stories bad for sleep?
Not if they wind down at the end. A story that makes your child laugh in the middle and then slows into a quiet, sleepy ending can be a warm way to finish the day. If your child tends to get overexcited, read the funny story earlier and follow it with a calm one.
What makes a good silly bedtime story for kids?
A good silly bedtime story has a funny situation, some repetition children can join in on, and a gentle ending. Kind humor about everyday things, like pajamas on the wrong way or an animal in a too-small bed, works well. Avoid jokes where someone is hurt or frightened.
What age are these funny bedtime stories for?
These stories suit children aged about 3 to 8. Preschoolers tend to love the physical silliness in the hippo and puppy stories, while slightly older children often enjoy the yawn story, which ends by speaking directly to them.
How do I calm my child down after a funny story?
Lower your voice, dim the lights and slow your pace for the last part of the story. A few quiet breaths together or a simple goodnight to the things in the room can help too. If bedtime is regularly a struggle and you are worried, talk to your pediatrician.