Mexican Bedtime Stories for Kids: A 7-Night Plan
Looking for a Mexican bedtime story that actually helps your child wind down? Here is a simple plan: one calm story a night for a week, each from a different part of Mexican life, each about five minutes long, and each free to listen to.
Short on time? Start tonight with a free story →
Your 7-night plan
Night 1: Patience
Abuela's Tamales Take Time
Every December Abuela calls the whole family into her kitchen to make tamales, and a child learns that the best things are slow, careful and made by hands that other hands taught. Listen free →
Night 2: Gratitude
The Ofrenda on the Kitchen Table
On the first of November, Mamá clears the kitchen table and builds an ofrenda with a photograph, marigolds and a candle, and a child learns to say thank you to everyone who shaped them. Listen free →
Night 3: Honesty
The Piñata That Told the Truth
A piñata maker in Oaxaca whispers to every piñata he builds, and one of them speaks up about honesty. Listen free →
Try tonight's story free
Each story is about five minutes. Press play and dim the lights.
Listen freeNight 4: Courage
Quetzalcoatl and the Gift of the Sun
After four suns have fallen the world is dark, and the story asks who will step forward when everyone else steps back. Listen free →
Night 5: Everyday honesty
The Extra Coin at the Mercado
Elena walks to the mercado with her grandmother every Saturday, and a small coin tests what kind of person she chooses to be. Listen free →
Night 6: Kindness to those who hurt
The Girl Who Sang to La Llorona
The older boys say La Llorona is a ghost, but one child sits down by the river and sings, and finds that the things that scare us are often just things that are hurting. Listen free →
Night 7: Faith and humility
Juan Diego and the Roses on the Hill
On a cold December morning in 1531, a humble man finds roses blooming on the hill of Tepeyac. Listen free →
Where in Mexico do these come from?
The tamale story is about la tamalada, the December tradition where the whole family makes tamales together. The ofrenda story is set on the first of November, Día de los Muertos. The piñata story takes place in Oaxaca, and the monarch butterflies in our butterfly story arrive in Michoacán. Quetzalcoatl comes from Aztec (Mexica) mythology.
Tips for reading Mexican stories at bedtime
- Say the Spanish words out loud. Abuela, mamá, mercado, ofrenda. Let your child repeat them.
- Ask one question at the end. "What would you have done with the extra coin?"
- Keep it calm. If a story feels exciting, lower your voice for the last paragraph.
More from our Latino stories series:
- Hispanic & Mexican Bedtime Stories for Kids: 25 Free Latino Tales
- Mexican Folktales for Kids: Legends and Myths for Bedtime
- Bedtime Stories in Spanish for Kids: A Bilingual Bedtime Guide
- Day of the Dead Stories for Kids: Gentle Tales for Día de los Muertos
- Abuela Stories for Kids: Tamales, Dichos and Three Kings Day
Frequently asked questions
Are these Mexican bedtime stories free?
Yes. Every story in this plan is free to listen to on My Sleepy Tale.
Are the stories in English or Spanish?
English, with Spanish words woven in. See our guide to bedtime stories in Spanish for ways to make bedtime bilingual.
What age are they for?
They work well for roughly ages 3 to 9. Younger children enjoy the sound and the pictures in their heads; older children enjoy the questions.
Make bedtime your family's own
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