Use different voices for the characters. For example, if it's a story about a bear, use a deep, growly voice for the bear. Also, add some sound effects like making a whooshing sound when a character is running fast.
One way is to create suspense. Don't give away the ending right away. For instance, if it's a story about a lost puppy, keep the child guessing about whether the puppy will find its way home. Another is to use props. If the story has a magic wand, get a small stick to represent it. This makes the story more tangible and exciting for the kids. You can also change up the setting of the story. If it's a traditional fairy - tale setting, move it to a modern city or a space station for a unique twist.
Well, 'The Tortoise and the Hare' is a great quick bed time story. It teaches kids about the value of perseverance as the slow tortoise wins the race against the overconfident hare. 'Thumbelina' is also quite popular. Thumbelina, a tiny girl, has many adventures in the world of bugs and animals. Then there's 'The Ugly Duckling' which shows that being different can be a wonderful thing in the end.
One classic bedtime story is 'The Three Little Pigs'. The three little pigs each build a house, one out of straw, one out of sticks, and one out of bricks. A big bad wolf comes along and tries to blow their houses down. It teaches kids about the importance of hard work and planning.
The story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' is a good one. A young shepherd boy keeps lying about a wolf attacking the sheep just for fun. When a real wolf comes, no one believes him. The moral is that lying is bad and you will lose people's trust if you do it too often.
You can add some simple actions or movements while telling the story. Like when you say the little pig is building a house, use your hands to mimic the building action. Also, ask the kids questions during the story, like 'What do you think the princess should do next in 'Snow White'? This will make them more involved.
One way to make a quick kids bedtime story more interesting is to involve the child. Ask them questions like 'What do you think the character should do next?'. You can also change the ending of the story a bit, make it unexpected. For example, in 'The Three Little Pigs', instead of the wolf getting defeated in the usual way, make it so that the wolf becomes friends with the pigs after learning his lesson. And use lots of descriptive words to paint a vivid picture in the child's mind.
Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit. It was very tired after a day of hopping around. It found a soft patch of grass under a big tree. The moon was shining brightly overhead. The little rabbit curled up in the grass, closed its eyes and soon fell asleep. And that's the end of the bedtime story.
Use different voices for different characters. For example, if you're telling 'The Three Little Pigs', make a gruff voice for the wolf and squeaky voices for the pigs. This can engage the kids more.
Add some sound effects. If it's a story about a storm, make some whooshing and thundering sounds. In a story about a forest, you can make bird chirping and animal noises. Also, use gestures. When the character jumps, you jump a little too. This makes the bedtime story more engaging for kids.
Humorous dialogue or actions. In 'The Little Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly', the old lady keeps swallowing bigger and bigger things to catch the fly. The absurdity of her actions and the simple rhyming dialogue like 'I don't know why she swallowed the fly, perhaps she'll die' make it a very funny bedtime story.
Simple characters are important. For example, a single animal like a cat or a dog. Also, a calm setting like a warm, quiet room or a peaceful meadow. Just enough action to hold the listener's attention for a short while, like the cat chasing a little ball of yarn.