Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a classic tale, retold here in calm, simple words for children to enjoy with a grown-up. A girl named Goldilocks goes into the bears’ house, tries their porridge, chairs and beds, and then says sorry.
Before you start: Has a ‘crack’ when the chair breaks and voices that go big, middle and little — you can keep all the voices soft.
Listen together Read aloud by Genevieve · 2 min 50 s
Read the story: Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Once there were three bears. They lived in a little house in the woods.
There was a big Daddy Bear. There was a middle-sized Mummy Bear. And there was a little Baby Bear.
One morning, the bears made porridge. The porridge was too hot to eat. “Let us go for a walk while it cools,” said Mummy Bear. So the bears went for a walk.
Near the woods lived a girl called Goldilocks. She had yellow curly hair. She was out walking too.
Goldilocks saw the little house. The door was open. She did not knock. She went inside.
On the table were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks tasted the big bowl. “Too hot!” she said. She tasted the middle bowl. “Too cold!” she said. She tasted the little bowl. “Just right!” She ate it all up.
Then Goldilocks saw three chairs. She sat in the big chair. “Too hard!” She sat in the middle chair. “Too soft!” She sat in the little chair. “Just right!” But then — crack! The little chair broke.
Goldilocks felt tired. She went upstairs. There were three beds.
She lay on the big bed. “Too high!” She lay on the middle bed. “Too low!” She lay on the little bed. “Just right!” Goldilocks fell asleep.
Soon the three bears came home.
Daddy Bear looked at his bowl. “Someone has been eating my porridge,” he said in a big voice.
Mummy Bear looked at her bowl. “Someone has been eating my porridge,” she said in a middle voice.
Baby Bear looked at his bowl. “Someone has been eating my porridge,” he said in a little voice, “and it is all gone!” Baby Bear felt sad.
Then Baby Bear saw his chair. “Someone has been sitting in my chair, and it is broken!” Baby Bear felt sad again.
The bears went upstairs. Baby Bear looked at his bed. “Someone is sleeping in my bed,” he said. “Here she is!”
Goldilocks woke up. She saw three bears looking at her. She felt surprised. She felt worried.
Then Goldilocks felt sorry. “I am sorry,” she said. “I came into your house without asking. I ate your porridge. I broke your chair.”
Mummy Bear said, “Thank you for saying sorry. Next time, please knock and ask first.”
Goldilocks went home. The next day, she came back with her dad. They knocked on the door. Knock, knock.
Goldilocks’s dad fixed Baby Bear’s chair. Goldilocks brought a pot of honey. “Just right!” said Baby Bear. And they all had a snack together. The end.
On this page
Picture cards to talk about
- Three bears go for a walk
- Goldilocks tastes the porridge
- The little chair breaks
- Goldilocks sleeps in the little bed
- Goldilocks says sorry
- Everyone shares honey
Talk about Goldilocks and the Three Bears together
- What was too hot? What was just right?
- How did Baby Bear feel when his chair broke?
- What did Goldilocks say to the bears?
- What should we do before we go into someone’s house?
Feelings in this story
Tired, Sad, Surprised, Worried, Sorry.
What the story teaches: Knock and ask before you go into someone’s home, and say sorry when you make a mistake.
This version is our own gentle retelling of a public-domain tale. You can read about the history of the original story on Wikipedia.
Find more calm stories on our Stories page, or play together in the Playground.