Robot Bedtime Stories
A robot bedtime story has a bedtime built in: robots need to recharge. A robot powering down, one part at a time, is a gentle way to walk a child through their own winding down, and kids who love robots tend to love the beeping and the countdown.
Here is a complete robot story to read aloud tonight, free. To make one with your child as the inventor, by name, it takes about thirty seconds.
Sol and Little Bolt
A free story to read aloud tonight
Sol had built a robot out of a cardboard box, two bottle tops and a flashlight. His name was Little Bolt. And in the story Sol told every night, Little Bolt was real.
All day long, Little Bolt was busy. He sorted the socks. He counted the stars, even in the daytime, when you can’t see them. He beeped when he was happy, which was most of the time.
But at bedtime, his battery light turned orange. “Battery low,” said Little Bolt, in his robot voice. “Time to recharge.”
So Sol helped him power down, one part at a time. “Arms, off.” Little Bolt’s arms went still. “Legs, off.” His legs went still. “Beeper, quiet mode.” Beep, went Little Bolt, very softly.
“Eyes, dimming.” Little Bolt’s flashlight eyes went from bright, to soft, to the faintest glow. “Recharging,” he whispered. “See you in the morning, Sol.”
Then Sol powered himself down too. Arms, off. Legs, off. Voice, quiet mode. Eyes, dimming, dimming, off. And in the morning, they would both be fully charged.
How can a robot story help my child wind down?
Powering down one part at a time works like a simple relaxation game. Many children like doing it along with the robot: arms still, legs still, voice quiet, eyes closed.
Can my child design their own robot for the story?
Yes. Starting from this page, a robot is already typed in. Change it to describe your child’s own robot, like “a silver robot who loves trucks”, and the story is ready in about thirty seconds.