Lived two little elves who couldn’t be good.

Smudge was bright green with a blue spotty nose

And Titch, he was purple with blue curly toes.

***

They teased one another with spell after spell-

Titch tumbled down an invisible well,

Smudge fell from trees that transformed into sticks

Oh! They used earthly magic for all sorts of tricks!

***

But their games turned to squabbles, then one fateful day

Titch crossed a line with a joke meant for play.

He stirred up a potion of nettles and flowers,

Of hexes and herbs and a dash of dark powers.

***

“Smudge, here’s your soup. S’getting cold, eat it quick!”

Smudge ate it all, and he soon felt quite sick.

His green skin turned yellow, he couldn’t be woken,

Titch cast every spell but his eyes wouldn’t open.

***

Titch searched for cures, looked from midnight till noon,

He trailed every rainbow and flew to the moon.

He hugged Smudge so tightly and wept from his heart

And the magic of love awoke Smudge with a start!

***

Never again would they practice dark magic

For silly, old jokes can become rather tragic.

From then they built tree huts and dens in the wood

And they only played games that were happy and good.

© Phoebe Coghlan 2019

POEMS FOR KIDS WRITTEN BY PHOEBE COGHLAN

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Over-Confidence

1. Smudge and Titch play silly pranks on each other because they think they can manage the dark magic. Does thinking you can manage something mean you can do it? Why or why not?

2. Why do you think Smudge and Titch decided not to use magic for practical jokes anymore?

The post Two Naughty Wood Elves first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

POEMS FOR KIDS WRITTEN BY PHOEBE COGHLAN

© Phoebe Coghlan 2018

Illustration created with elements from Pixabay, The Hungry Jpeg and RawPixel, with thanks.

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Kindness

1. What do you think the poem means when it says that ‘a kind act repeated… can capture the world in a Christmas of smiles’?
2. How do you think kindness can make people happy?
3. Can you think of one kind thing you could do, that would make a child somewhere else in the world feel happy?

The post Christmas Elves first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

When what to my long anxious eyes should appear
But a horse and a sleigh, both old-fashioned and queer;
With a little old driver, so solemn and slow,
I knew at a glance it must be Dr Brough.
I drew in my head, and was turning around,
When up came the Doctor, with scarcely a sound,
He wore a thick overcoat, made long ago,
And the beard on his chin was white with the snow.
He spoke a few words, and went straight to his work;
He felt all the pulses,—then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
With a nod of his head to the chimney he goes:—
“A spoonful of oil, if you have it handy;
No nuts and no raisins, no pies and no candy.
These tender young stomachs cannot well digest
All the sweets that they get; toys and books are the best.
But I know my advice will not find many friends,
For the custom of Christmas the other way tends.
The fathers and mothers, and Santa Claus, too,
Are exceedingly blind. Well, a good-night to you!”
And I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight:
“These feastings and candies make Doctors’ bills right!“

Christmas poem for kids written by a vintage author.

Let’s Chat About The Poem ~ Ideas for Talking With Kids

Conversation

1. Why does the doctor come to visit the day after Christmas in this poem?
2. Have you ever eaten too much at Christmas? What happened?

The post Twas The Night AFTER Christmas! first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

I wish for….

Silver tinsel & glitter to sprinkle,
Colored lights that dance & twinkle!
Bright golden bells that go ring-a-ling,
Pretty choirs of angels that sing!

Cinnamon & peppermint swirls to dance in my nose,
A mug filled with piping hot cocoa & toasty marshmallows.
My cozy red & green slippers snug on my toes,
A crackling warm wooden fire that glows.

And oh how I wish,
The sky to bring a blanket of snow!
So I could feel Winter’s magical flakes,
Between my fingers and toes!

Then Mama reads ‘Twas the The Night Before Christmas’,
While visions of Santa & his reindeer dance in my head.
Oh, Christmas, come quickly! I wish –
As Mama & Papa tuck me to bed.

Christmas poem for kids written by Stacie Eirich

Let’s Chat About The Poem ~ Ideas for Talking With Kids

Conversation

1. What are all the things you would wish for on Christmas Eve? What do you love best about Christmas?

The post Christmas Wishes first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Upon this Christmas morn,

I like to check that Santa’s been

Before the rising dawn.

I sneak and peak around the tree

No, something’s not quite right.

My stocking’s vanished, where’s it gone?

I stuck it up last night…

With skill I scan the fireplace

And what do I detect?

Small finger prints amidst the dust

My brother, I suspect!

I softly creep into his room

He’s snoring with a smile.

I scan the scene for hidden clues

Search through his laundry pile –

Some oranges come rolling out

I scavenge like a fox.

And spy our stockings hidden in

His mound of smelly socks.

That naughty, greedy, cheeky thief!

I snatch my stocking back

And stuff his full with lumps of coal

My sweet- revenge attack!

POEMS FOR KIDS WRITTEN BY PHOEBE COGHLAN

© Phoebe Coghlan 2018

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Anger, Feelings

1. Why do you think people sometimes take revenge on others? Do you think it helps them to feel better? Why or why not?

The post The Missing Stocking first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

We march through frost and snow,

But care not for the weather

As on our way we go.

At every hall or cottage

That stands along our way,

We stop to give the people

Best wishes for the day.

We pray a merry Christmas,

Made bright by Christmas cheer,

With peace, and hope, and gladness

And all they may hold dear.

And for all those that happen

To pass us on our way

We have a smile, and wish them

A merry Christmas-day.

POEM FOR KIDS WRITTEN BY L.A. FRANCE

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Independent Thinking, Conversation

1. Why do you think the tradition of singing Christmas songs from door to door came about?

2. Have you ever sang Christmas carols? Can you sing one of the songs now?

The post Little Christmas Carollers first appeared on Bedtime Stories.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

CHRISTMAS POEMS FOR KIDS BY CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE

Vintage illustrations by Jessie Wilcox Smith 

LET’S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

Family

1. What is your home like on the night before Christmas? What traditions does your family have, that you like to do every year?

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The post Twas the Night Before Christmas first appeared on Bedtime Stories.