A children's sleep story. Voice for about 13 minutes, then it fades out. No ending to reach. Music underneath, and it keeps going after the voice stops
A bedtime story for children. A lost pillow, a forest at night, and six animals who all know where it is and come along anyway.
About 13 minutes, for children at bedtime.
Daisy the deer, Sammy the squirrel, Benny the badger, Ruby the rabbit, Timmy the turtle and Walter the wise owl. Each one gives a small piece of advice and joins the search. The pillow was on the bed the whole time, and the bed turns out to be big enough for everybody.
Treat me to a coffee, keep the podcast free, and get my Weekly Calm every Sunday. It is all on stevenwebb.uk
Thank you for sitting with me.
Steven
Who this is for
A bedtime story for children rather than a meditation.
A lost pillow, a forest at night, and six animals who all know exactly where it is and come along on the search anyway.
Only play it somewhere it is safe to fall asleep.
What happens in this story
Wiggle the toes, stretch the arms, find the comfy spot. Then the edge of a magical forest, clear sky, stars out, and air at exactly the right temperature for sleeping.
Then the animals, one at a time. Daisy the deer, Sammy the squirrel, Benny the badger, Ruby the rabbit, Timmy the turtle and Walter the wise owl.
Each one is asked what they have been up to, gives one small piece of advice, points a bit further along, and is invited to join the search. Let your thoughts float off like leaves on a stream. Be kind. It is alright to feel sad sometimes. You are never too wise to learn.
The pillow was on the bed the whole time. And the bed turns out to be big enough for everybody, with Walter in the oak tree above, keeping watch.
How to get the most from it
The file runs about half an hour and I stop talking around thirteen minutes in, then it fades away, so nothing jolts anybody awake at the end.
The questions and answers are meant to be a bit slow. Let the pauses sit rather than rushing to the next animal.
Not making it to the oak tree is the point.
Questions people ask
What age is it for?
Small ones who like animals and a repeating pattern. Older children usually find it too gentle, which is rather the intention.
Why does it say half an hour when the notes say thirteen minutes?
Both are right. Thirteen minutes of story, then a long quiet fade instead of a hard stop.
Can adults use it?
Plenty do. It asks nothing of you and there is a lot to be said for being told a kind story at the end of a hard day.
Read along
The transcript
It follows the audio. Press any line to jump there.
sleep-story · kids · sleep
Read the transcript
Welcome to the awesome, peaceful bedtime meadow story.
So, let's get cozy. Wiggle your toes. Move your legs and stretch your arms a little bit.
And then just find your little comfy spot.
Take a couple of deep breaths and just slowly breathe out.
And just feel yourself getting more and more relaxed and ready for a bedtime adventure.
Imagine you are standing at the edge of a magical forest.
The night sky is clear.
The stars twinkle above.
The air is cool and fresh.
It's the perfect temperature for sleep. Just right.
So you start walking into the forest, looking for your comfortable pillow.
And as you walk, you see a gentle deer grazing in the meadow. Hello.
What's your name?
Daisy the Deer.
So, Daisy, what have you been up to today? I've been nibbling on sweetgrass and playing with my friends.
Daisy, do you have any tips for falling asleep?
When trying to sleep, let go of your thoughts. Imagine them floating away like leaves on a stream.
Have you seen my pillow?
Your pillow is near.
Walk towards those trees in the distance.
Okay, we will. Would you like to join me on the search for my pillow? Yes, I'd love to. Daisy
nods happily and joins you.
And as you continue to walk, you come across a playful squirrel gathering acorns. Hello.
Hello. What's your name?
I'm Sammy the Squirrel. So, Sammy, what have you been up to today?
I've been collecting acorns and playing in the trees.
Do you have any tips for falling asleep?
When you sleep, imagine a safe and happy place. A place where you feel calm and peaceful. Much
like this lovely forest.
Have you seen my pillow?
Your pillow is close. Keep going straight ahead. Thank you. That sounds like a good plan.
Would you like to join us in the search for my pillow?
Yes. Don't mind if I do. Thank you for asking. Sammy nods eagerly and joins you and Daisy. And
as you continue walking... You start talking amongst yourselves and you start looking around the forest.
Talking about how pleasant it is and how safe it feels. And how wonderful it is to feel safe and
relaxed.
And then you meet a kind badger. Hello? Hello. What's your name? I'm Benny the Badger.
So, Benny, what have you been up to today? I've been digging tunnels and resting in my cozy burrow.
Ah. Do you have any wisdom for me? Remember to always be kind. And also, good things
come to those who wait patiently. Thank you. I think that's some pretty good advice. Have you seen my pillow?
Your pillow is just ahead. Follow the stream on the left. Awesome. Okay, we will. Would you like to join
us in the search for my pillow? Yes, please. Benny nods and joins you and Daisy and Sammy.
As you continue to walk down the paths looking for your pillow everywhere, you notice the tall trees all around.
You notice the sounds of the birds. And you notice the whole forest is helping you now to find your
pillow. And then you come across a little cute rabbit just hopping nearby. Hello.
Hello. What's your name? I'm Ruby the Rabbit.
Ah, Ruby.
What have you been up to today, Ruby? I've been hopping around. Oh, and looking for yummy carrots and playing
with my friends.
So, Ruby, do you have any tips on how I can live a more peaceful and happier life? Remember when
you feel sad? It's okay, because I feel sad sometimes too, but But now I feel sleepy and looking forward
to going to sleep.
I think that's some wise advice.
But, have you seen my pillow? Your pillow is so close. Follow the flowers in the clearing. Thank you.
Okay.
Would you like to join me and Daisy and Sammy and Benny? You really want me to join you. I'd
love to. And off you all continue down the paths. Looking around the forest looking for your lovely cozy pillow
And as you continue you start to get more sleepy.
With your eyes closed, you're getting more comfortable in the bed.
And your body's all falling asleep and nice and relaxed.
And then you notice a little turtle near a small pond. Hello.
Hello. What's your name? I'm Timmy the Turtle. What have you been up to today, Timmy? I've been swimming. In
the pond. And also enjoying the sun. That sounds like fun. Okay. Do you have any tips for me in
life? Remember you are brave and strong. And that also means looking out for your friends. Thank you. All you
animals are so wise. I'm going to have to come back here often.
But, do you know where my pillow is? Your pillow is right over there. Follow the trail of the glowing
fireflies.
Okay, that sounds like a plan. Would you like to join us on my search for the pillow? Okay, but
I would like you to know this is me being brave. Timmy nods his head and joins you, Daisy, Sammy,
Benny and Ruby.
And as you continue to walk, you get more and more sleepy.
And you're starting to relax more.
You may want to yawn and just allow your body to fall asleep.
You feel safe and you feel nice and secure. You feel nice and comfortable.
Hello. I didn't see you up there. Hello. What's your name? I'm Walter the Wise
Owl. So, Walter, what have you been up to today? I've been reading lots of really intelligent
books. I'm always learning intelligent stuff. I'm always learning wise stuff. You know, from wise books.
Go on, ask me anything.
So, being so wise, you must have lots of tips on me and my life, and what I should be
doing.
Remember, you are never too wise to learn, and you can never know everything.
That all sounds pretty cool, but do you know where my pillow is? It is right over there,
under the grand oak tree. That sounds great, so it's just over there. Would you like to join us?
Happy to. I will bring a book.
So when we stop, we can all learn something. Walter nods his head. And he just swoops down from the
tree and starts flying around above Daisy, Sammy, Benny, Ruby and Timmy. As you all walk off down the
path towards the big grand oak tree.
And as you approach the big oak tree, you start to feel really, really tired.
And you notice just over there, there's a huge bed. Right at the bottom of the oak tree. And as
you're feeling so tired, you're completely exhausted from the search everywhere all over the forest
and meeting many new friends that you just want your pillow and you want to go to sleep on that
lovely comfortable bed.
And just that moment you notice your pillow.
It's already on the bed. All you have to do is walk over to the bed.
And when you get over to the bed, the bed becomes really big. And you notice there's enough room for
you and all your new friends.
So you turn to all your new friends. Walter, Daisy, Sammy, Benny, Ruby and Timmy.
And you invite them all to join you on the bed.
As you get on the bed yourself and you put yourself underneath the covers. You rest your head on the
big pillow. And
you close your eyes and you just drift off to sleep.
All your friends just falling asleep around you.
Underneath the amazing oak tree. With
Walter the Wise Owl at the top, just keeping an eye out for you.
And you've never felt so sleepy as this.
You're just generally drifting you're just generally drifting off to sleep.
You're feeling really sleepy.
Your new friends are now fast asleep.
It's really peaceful.
And you don't have to do anything but just lie there in your comfortable bed.
