Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

Complete lesson plans, including stories, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

The Wishing Well Mystery

Three children embark on a thrilling adventure to outsmart a mischievous genie and discover the true meaning of happiness.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In a small village, there was a special well that could make wishes come true if you tossed a coin in and made a wish. The people in the village loved to try it out and see their wishes happen. One day, three kids named Lily, Jack, and Ben wanted to know where the well came from. Feeling brave and excited, they went off on an adventure to find out.

During their walk in the forest, they found an old map that was ripped and worn. The map led them to a secret cave lit by spooky candles. In the cave, they found a very old book that told them a secret: the well had magic because of a genie that liked to play jokes on people. The kids got excited and made a plan to get their wishes from the genie without being tricked.

The kids found some tricky puzzles in the book, which they had to solve to learn how to control the genie. They worked as a team and used their cleverness to solve all the puzzles, and they finally got the answer to the last one after thinking hard for a long time.

When they called the genie, they were ready to be smarter than it. They said their wishes one by one. But the genie was not a normal genie and changed their wishes into funny ones. Lily’s cat wouldn’t stop talking after she wished it could talk. Jack was stuck under a huge pile of ice cream when he wished for ice cream that never ended.

Ben was careful with his wish. He asked for everyone in the village to be happy. The genie was moved by Ben’s kind wish and made it happen without playing any jokes. The whole village became filled with happiness and everyone forgot their problems. From that day on, the people in the village started to be happy with the little things in life and shared joy and kindness with each other.

In the end, the kids learned that wishes might not always turn out how you expect, but the adventure is what’s important. They went back home as heroes, with a new lesson to share: happiness can be found in surprising ways. The magical well showed them that being happy comes from helping others and enjoying all the surprising moments life gives us.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1tossedThrew something lightly or casually
2adventureAn exciting and risky journey or experience
3rippedTorn or damaged by being pulled apart forcefully
4spookyScary in a way that makes you think of ghosts
5genieA magical being that can grant wishes
6puzzlesProblems or games that test your knowledge or skill
7clevernessIntelligence and the ability to understand things quickly
8trickyDifficult to deal with or understand
9solvedFound an answer to a problem or question
10smarterHaving more intelligence or understanding than someone else
11pileA large amount of something stacked up
12carefulBeing cautious and thinking about the possible results before doing something
13movedTouched emotionally or felt sympathy
14joyA feeling of great happiness or pleasure
15heroesPeople who are admired for their courage or noble actions

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who were the three kids that went on an adventure to find out where the well came from?
2. What did the kids find in the secret cave?
3. How did the kids solve the tricky puzzles in the book?
4. What happened when the kids called the genie and made their wishes?
5. What happened to Lily’s cat after she made her wish?
6. What happened to Jack when he made his wish for ice cream?
7. What did Ben wish for and how did the genie respond?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a small village, there was a (1)______ well that could make wishes come true if you tossed a coin in and made a wish. The people in the village (2)______ to try it out and see their wishes happen. One day, three kids named Lily, Jack, and Ben wanted to know where the well came from. Feeling brave and excited, they went off on an (3)______ to find out.

During their walk in the forest, they found an old map that was (4)______ and worn. The map led them to a secret cave lit by spooky candles. In the cave, they found a very old book that told them a secret: the well had magic because of a genie that liked to play jokes on people. The kids got excited and made a plan to get their wishes from the genie without being tricked.

The kids found some tricky puzzles in the book, which they had to (5)______ to learn how to control the genie. They worked as a team and used their (6)______ to solve all the puzzles, and they finally got the answer to the last one after (7)______ hard for a long time.

When they called the genie, they were (8)______ to be smarter than it. They said their wishes one by one. But the (9)______ was not a normal genie and changed their wishes into funny ones. Lily’s cat wouldn’t stop talking after she (10)______ it could talk. Jack was (11)______ under a huge pile of ice cream when he wished for ice cream that never ended.

Ben was careful with his wish. He asked for everyone in the (12)______ to be happy. The genie was moved by Ben’s kind wish and made it happen without playing any jokes. The whole village became filled with happiness and everyone forgot their problems. From that day on, the people in the village started to be happy with the little (13)______ in life and shared joy and kindness with each other.

In the end, the kids learned that wishes might not always turn out how you expect, but the adventure is what’s important. They went back home as heroes, with a new lesson to share: happiness can be found in (14)______ ways. The magical well (15)______ them that being happy comes from helping others and (16)______ all the surprising moments life gives us.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a genie? Have you ever heard of genies before?
2. How would you feel if you found a magical well that could grant your wishes? What would you wish for?
3. Do you like solving puzzles and riddles? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever had a wish that didn’t turn out the way you expected? Can you tell us about it?
5. How do you think the kids felt when the genie played jokes on them? Would you be upset or would you find it funny?
6. Do you think it’s important to help others and make them happy? Why or why not?
7. How do you think the village changed after everyone became happy? Can you think of ways that kindness and joy can spread?
8. Have you ever been on an adventure or a treasure hunt? What was it like?
9. If you could go on an adventure like Lily, Jack, and Ben, where would you go and what would you hope to find?
10. Why do you think the kids learned that the adventure was more important than their wishes? Do you agree with this lesson? Why or why not?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. tossed
2. adventure
3. ripped
4. spooky
5. genie
6. puzzles
7. cleverness
8. tricky
9. solved
10. smarter
11. pile
12. careful
13. moved
14. joy
15. heroes

Meanings:
(A) Intelligence and the ability to understand things quickly
(B) Being cautious and thinking about the possible results before doing something
(C) Found an answer to a problem or question
(D) Threw something lightly or casually
(E) A large amount of something stacked up
(F) Problems or games that test your knowledge or skill
(G) Having more intelligence or understanding than someone else
(H) People who are admired for their courage or noble actions
(I) Scary in a way that makes you think of ghosts
(J) Touched emotionally or felt sympathy
(K) Torn or damaged by being pulled apart forcefully
(L) Difficult to deal with or understand
(M) An exciting and risky journey or experience
(N) A feeling of great happiness or pleasure
(O) A magical being that can grant wishes
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the well in the village do?
(a) Provide clean water
(b) Make wishes come true
(c) Grant superpowers
(d) Predict the future

2. What did the kids find in the forest?
(a) An old map
(b) A treasure chest
(c) A magic wand
(d) A talking animal

3. How did the kids control the genie?
(a) By making funny faces
(b) By solving puzzles
(c) By singing a special song
(d) By telling jokes

4. What happened when Lily wished for her cat to talk?
(a) The cat disappeared
(b) The cat turned into a dog
(c) The cat started dancing
(d) The cat started talking

5. What happened when Jack wished for endless ice cream?
(a) He got buried under a pile of ice cream
(b) He became a giant ice cream cone
(c) He turned into an ice cream flavor
(d) He got a never-ending supply of ice cream

6. What did Ben wish for?
(a) A million dollars
(b) Superpowers
(c) Everyone in the village to be happy
(d) A trip around the world

7. How did the genie respond to Ben’s wish?
(a) The genie turned everyone into clowns
(b) The genie made everyone sad instead
(c) The genie disappeared
(d) The genie granted it without playing any jokes

8. What lesson did the kids learn from their adventure?
(a) Wishes always turn out exactly as expected
(b) Genies are always tricksters
(c) Happiness can be found in surprising ways
(d) Adventures are scary and should be avoided

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Inside the cave, they found a modern book that revealed the well’s magic was due to a helpful genie.
2. In a small village, there was a well that could grant wishes if you threw a coin in and made a wish.
3. The village became filled with happiness, and the kids learned that true happiness comes from helping others and appreciating life’s surprises.
4. Despite their cleverness, the genie failed to twist their wishes into funny outcomes.
5. They found an old map in the forest that led them to a secret cave with a spooky atmosphere.
6. Three kids named Lily, Jack, and Ben went on an adventure to find out the origin of the magical well.
7. Ben’s wish for everyone in the village to be happy irked the genie, who denied it and played tricks.
8. The kids struggled with easy puzzles in the book to learn how to control the genie and avoid being fooled.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this story in two sentences. Here are some hints:
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the story?

Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. Who were the three kids that went on an adventure to find out where the well came from?
The three kids that went on an adventure to find out where the well came from were Lily, Jack, and Ben.

2. What did the kids find in the secret cave?
In the secret cave, the kids found a very old book that revealed the secret about the well and the genie.

3. How did the kids solve the tricky puzzles in the book?
The kids solved the tricky puzzles in the book by working together as a team and using their cleverness. They thought hard and came up with the answers to each puzzle.

4. What happened when the kids called the genie and made their wishes?
When the kids called the genie and made their wishes, the genie played jokes on them and changed their wishes into funny ones.

5. What happened to Lily’s cat after she made her wish?
After Lily made her wish for her cat to talk, her cat wouldn’t stop talking. The wish came true, but it turned into a funny situation.

6. What happened to Jack when he made his wish for ice cream?
When Jack made his wish for ice cream that never ended, he got stuck under a huge pile of ice cream. The wish didn’t turn out as he expected.

7. What did Ben wish for and how did the genie respond?
Ben wished for everyone in the village to be happy. The genie, moved by Ben’s kind wish, made it happen without playing any jokes. The whole village became filled with happiness.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) special
(2) loved
(3) adventure
(4) ripped
(5) solve
(6) cleverness
(7) thinking
(8) ready
(9) genie
(10) wished
(11) stuck
(12) village
(13) things
(14) surprising
(15) showed
(16) enjoying
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. tossed
Answer: (D) Threw something lightly or casually

2. adventure
Answer: (M) An exciting and risky journey or experience

3. ripped
Answer: (K) Torn or damaged by being pulled apart forcefully

4. spooky
Answer: (I) Scary in a way that makes you think of ghosts

5. genie
Answer: (O) A magical being that can grant wishes

6. puzzles
Answer: (F) Problems or games that test your knowledge or skill

7. cleverness
Answer: (A) Intelligence and the ability to understand things quickly

8. tricky
Answer: (L) Difficult to deal with or understand

9. solved
Answer: (C) Found an answer to a problem or question

10. smarter
Answer: (G) Having more intelligence or understanding than someone else

11. pile
Answer: (E) A large amount of something stacked up

12. careful
Answer: (B) Being cautious and thinking about the possible results before doing something

13. moved
Answer: (J) Touched emotionally or felt sympathy

14. joy
Answer: (N) A feeling of great happiness or pleasure

15. heroes
Answer: (H) People who are admired for their courage or noble actions
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the well in the village do?
Answer: (b) Make wishes come true

2. What did the kids find in the forest?
Answer: (a) An old map

3. How did the kids control the genie?
Answer: (b) By solving puzzles

4. What happened when Lily wished for her cat to talk?
Answer: (d) The cat started talking

5. What happened when Jack wished for endless ice cream?
Answer: (a) He got buried under a pile of ice cream

6. What did Ben wish for?
Answer: (c) Everyone in the village to be happy

7. How did the genie respond to Ben’s wish?
Answer: (d) The genie granted it without playing any jokes

8. What lesson did the kids learn from their adventure?
Answer: (c) Happiness can be found in surprising ways
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Inside the cave, they found a modern book that revealed the well’s magic was due to a helpful genie. (Answer: False)
2. In a small village, there was a well that could grant wishes if you threw a coin in and made a wish. (Answer: True)
3. The village became filled with happiness, and the kids learned that true happiness comes from helping others and appreciating life’s surprises. (Answer: True)
4. Despite their cleverness, the genie failed to twist their wishes into funny outcomes. (Answer: False)
5. They found an old map in the forest that led them to a secret cave with a spooky atmosphere. (Answer: True)
6. Three kids named Lily, Jack, and Ben went on an adventure to find out the origin of the magical well. (Answer: True)
7. Ben’s wish for everyone in the village to be happy irked the genie, who denied it and played tricks. (Answer: False)
8. The kids struggled with easy puzzles in the book to learn how to control the genie and avoid being fooled. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 3 stories?

A snail named Sam learns that true happiness comes from following your own path.

How the Snail Found His Shell

Sam, a shell-less snail, embarks on a quest to find the perfect shell but discovers that true happiness comes from being yourself.

The Golden Egg Hunt in Fantasia turns into a heartwarming display of unity and selflessness.

The Golden Egg Hunt

In the magical land of Fantasia, everyone is excited for the Golden Egg Hunt, where they can make any wish they want if they find a golden egg, but this year, they learn that working together and being kind is even better than winning.

The Ice Cream Island

Johnny’s adventure to Ice Cream Island taught everyone the importance of sharing and kindness.

A small village is transformed by a baker's magical pies, teaching the importance of sharing.

The Peculiar Purple Pie

Mr. Higgins accidentally makes a magical pie that turns people into floating, singing, rhyming, and funny beings, bringing joy to the village, but greed threatens their happiness until they learn the importance of sharing.

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