# Bedtime Chinese: 10 Goodnight Stories to Read Aloud (Ages 3–6) Ten short, calm bedtime stories to read aloud in Mandarin, with pinyin and English for the grown-up and gentle audio Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/bedtime-chinese-stories ## At a glance - Level: Kids 3–6 - Format: Kids workbook · PDF · 23 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Nov 4, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/bedtime-chinese-stories. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 晚安，宝贝。 (Wǎn'ān, bǎobèi.) — Good night, sweetheart. ## By the end you can - Read ten calm bedtime stories aloud in Mandarin. Each story is five to eight short lines with pinyin above and the English below, for you to read while your child looks at the picture: a sleepy moon, a little boat, a snail going home. 月亮也困了。 (Yuèliang yě kùn le.): The moon is sleepy too. - Say good night, and hear it back. 晚安 closes almost every story, so your child hears it night after night and starts saying it back at lights-out. 晚安，大家！ (Wǎn'ān, dàjiā!): Good night, everyone! - Ask if your child is sleepy and say who is asleep. The words page after Story 1 shows how 了 marks a change: the kitten was awake and now it's asleep. Use it for each toy you lay down. 你困了吗？ (Nǐ kùn le ma?): Are you sleepy? - Tuck in, count stars and switch off the lamp. Short lines for each step of bedtime: pull up the blanket, count three stars with 颗, then say 关灯了 as the light goes off. 盖好被子。 (Gàihǎo bèizi.): Let's tuck the blanket in. - Say where everyone sleeps. Put 在 and the place before 睡觉, the way the little boat story does, then add 都 when everyone is asleep. 我在床上睡觉。 (Wǒ zài chuáng shang shuìjiào.): I sleep in my bed. - Wish sweet dreams and ask about them in the morning. In Chinese you "do" a dream with 做梦. Say 做个好梦 at the door, then ask 你做梦了吗？ at breakfast. 做个好梦。 (Zuò ge hǎo mèng.): Sweet dreams. - Use the same goodnight lines every night. The last page puts six goodnight lines in bedtime order, from 该睡觉了 to 做个好梦, and ends with 我爱你，晚安。 我爱你，晚安。 (Wǒ ài nǐ, wǎn'ān.): I love you. Good night. ## What's inside - Story 1: Read: The Sleepy Moon · Words: Sleepy Moon Words - Story 2: Read: Bao's Blanket · Words: Blanket Words - Story 3: Read: Counting Stars · Words: Star Counting Words - Story 4: Read: The Little Boat · Words: Little Boat Words - Story 5: Read: Goodnight, Farm · Words: Goodnight Farm Words - Story 6: Read: The Quiet Rain · Words: Quiet Rain Words - Story 7: Read: Duoduo's Lamp · Words: Lamp Words - Story 8: Read: The Snail Goes Home · Words: Snail Words - Story 9: Read: Lele's Dream · Words: Dream Words - Story 10: Read: Everyone Sleeps · Words: Everyone Sleeps Words - Goodnight words: Goodnight Words for Every Night ## How to use this book One story a night is plenty, and the same story all week is better. The book's routine takes about 10 minutes: 2 minutes of audio, 5 minutes reading together and pointing at the picture, then 3 minutes of goodnight words with the light off. - Before you start: Listen first. Play a story's free audio once on your own, so the sounds are in your ear before you read it to your child. - Each night: Read and point. Play the audio, then read the story aloud from the pinyin while your child points to the moon, the stars or the lamp when you name them. - In bed: Goodnight words. Use the story's words page: tuck in, switch off the light, and say its line. Praise every try with 很好！ - Each week: One story, then the next. Keep the same story for a week, then move on. Ten stories cover about ten weeks of bedtimes. - Every night: The goodnight lines. Once the lines on page 23 feel easy, say them in order at every bedtime, ending with 我爱你，晚安。 ## Who it's for Parents and carers of children aged 3 to 6 who want to bring Mandarin into bedtime. The child listens and looks at the pictures; the grown-up reads aloud. Before you start: Nothing, for you or your child. You don't need to speak Chinese: the pinyin shows every sound, the English is under each story, and the audio reads every story in a calm voice first. ## Should I correct my child's tones at bedtime? No. The book suggests leaving tone corrections for the daytime. Bedtime is for cosy sounds, so smile and say 很好！ when your child says 晚安 back. ## Is there audio? Yes, free on this book's page on saymei.app, and the code in the book opens it. Every story is read straight through in a calm voice, so you can hear it before you read it or play it in bed. ## My child wants the same story every night. Is that all right? Yes, and the book recommends it: read the same story for a whole week. Little ones love repeats, and hearing the same lines again is how they learn the sounds. ## Is this workbook free? Yes. The whole 23-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. ## Can I print copies for my class or my children? Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy. Version 2026-11, updated Nov 4, 2026.