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Short Stories for Kids

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

The Crystal Cave

Lily and her animal friends explore a crystal cave, discovering magical powers and learning important lessons.

Try this story at a different level?

 

There was a girl named Lily who liked to explore. One day, she found a special cave full of shining crystals. The crystals let her talk to animals!

Lily had friends who were a smart owl, a fun squirrel, and a bunny who loved tricks. They found treasure and helped a bear find his crown. The bear was very happy and said he would be nice to everyone.

Once, Lily and her friends saw many bats in the cave. Lily dropped a shiny crystal, and rocks blocked the way out! They made the bats laugh and asked a mole to help them get out of the cave.

Lily learned it’s good to love and take care of nature. She said thank you to the cave for the fun and the lessons. Lily and her friends kept playing and having adventures together.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1crystalsShiny rocks that sparkle
2exploreTo go on a fun adventure and discover new things
3treasureSomething valuable that is hidden and can be found
4crownA special hat that a king or queen wears
5moleA small animal that lives underground and digs tunnels
6laughTo make a happy sound when something is funny
7natureThe plants, animals, and beautiful places in the world
8lessonsThings that you learn from an experience or a teacher
9adventuresExciting and fun experiences or journeys
10togetherWith other people as a group

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Lily find in the cave?
2. Who were Lily’s friends?
3. What did Lily and her friends do for the bear?
4. What happened when Lily dropped a shiny crystal?
5. Who helped Lily and her friends get out of the cave?
6. What did Lily learn about nature?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There was a girl named Lily who liked to explore. One day, she found a special (1)______ full of shining (2)______. The crystals let her talk to animals!

Lily had friends who were a smart owl, a fun squirrel, and a bunny who loved tricks. They found treasure and helped a (3)______ find his crown. The bear was very happy and said he would be (4)______ to everyone.

Once, Lily and her friends saw many bats in the cave. Lily dropped a shiny (5)______, and rocks blocked the way out! They made the bats (6)______ and asked a mole to help them get out of the cave.

Lily learned it’s good to (7)______ and take care of nature. She (8)______ thank you to the cave for the fun and the lessons. Lily and her friends kept playing and having adventures together.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a crystal?
2. How would you feel if you could talk to animals?
3. Do you like going on adventures like Lily? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important to be nice to everyone like the bear? Why or why not?
5. What would you do if you were stuck in a cave like Lily and her friends?
6. Do you think it’s important to take care of nature? Why or why not?
7. What is your favorite animal? Why do you like it?
8. If you could have a special power like Lily’s, what would it be? Why?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. crystals
2. explore
3. treasure
4. crown
5. mole
6. laugh
7. nature
8. lessons
9. adventures
10. together

Meanings:
(A) To make a happy sound when something is funny
(B) Shiny rocks that sparkle
(C) Something valuable that is hidden and can be found
(D) Exciting and fun experiences or journeys
(E) Things that you learn from an experience or a teacher
(F) To go on a fun adventure and discover new things
(G) A special hat that a king or queen wears
(H) The plants, animals, and beautiful places in the world
(I) A small animal that lives underground and digs tunnels
(J) With other people as a group
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Lily find in the cave?
(a) Shining crystals
(b) Colorful flowers
(c) Big rocks
(d) Funny toys

2. Who did Lily talk to with the help of the crystals?
(a) Her parents
(b) Other children
(c) Animals
(d) Superheroes

3. Who were Lily’s friends?
(a) A dog, a cat, and a bird
(b) A lion, a tiger, and a bear
(c) A fish, a turtle, and a frog
(d) An owl, a squirrel, and a bunny

4. What did Lily and her friends find in the cave?
(a) Books
(b) Food
(c) Clothes
(d) Treasure

5. Who lost their crown and needed help?
(a) A lion
(b) A bear
(c) A rabbit
(d) A monkey

6. How did Lily and her friends get trapped in the cave?
(a) The entrance disappeared
(b) Rocks blocked the way out
(c) They got lost
(d) The cave collapsed

7. How did Lily and her friends get help to escape?
(a) They called the police
(b) They flew out of the cave
(c) They asked a mole
(d) They dug a tunnel

8. What did Lily learn from her adventure in the cave?
(a) To love and take care of nature
(b) To be afraid of caves
(c) To never explore again
(d) To forget about her friends

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Lily found a special cave full of shiny crystals.
2. They made the bats cry and asked a mole to hinder them escape the cave.
3. Lily and her friends got liberated in the cave when rocks blocked the way out.
4. The crystals prohibited Lily to talk to animals.
5. The bear was happy and promised to be nice to everyone.
6. Lily and her enemies found treasure and hindered a bear find his crown.
7. There was a girl named Lily who loved to explore.
8. Lily had friends who were a smart owl, a fun squirrel, and a tricky bunny.
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. What did Lily find in the cave?
Lily found shining crystals in the cave.

2. Who were Lily’s friends?
Lily’s friends were a smart owl, a fun squirrel, and a bunny who loved tricks.

3. What did Lily and her friends do for the bear?
Lily and her friends helped the bear find his crown.

4. What happened when Lily dropped a shiny crystal?
When Lily dropped a shiny crystal, rocks blocked the way out of the cave.

5. Who helped Lily and her friends get out of the cave?
A mole helped Lily and her friends get out of the cave.

6. What did Lily learn about nature?
Lily learned that it’s good to love and take care of nature.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) cave
(2) crystals
(3) bear
(4) nice
(5) crystal
(6) laugh
(7) love
(8) said
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. crystals
Answer: (B) Shiny rocks that sparkle

2. explore
Answer: (F) To go on a fun adventure and discover new things

3. treasure
Answer: (C) Something valuable that is hidden and can be found

4. crown
Answer: (G) A special hat that a king or queen wears

5. mole
Answer: (I) A small animal that lives underground and digs tunnels

6. laugh
Answer: (A) To make a happy sound when something is funny

7. nature
Answer: (H) The plants, animals, and beautiful places in the world

8. lessons
Answer: (E) Things that you learn from an experience or a teacher

9. adventures
Answer: (D) Exciting and fun experiences or journeys

10. together
Answer: (J) With other people as a group
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Lily find in the cave?
Answer: (a) Shining crystals

2. Who did Lily talk to with the help of the crystals?
Answer: (c) Animals

3. Who were Lily’s friends?
Answer: (d) An owl, a squirrel, and a bunny

4. What did Lily and her friends find in the cave?
Answer: (d) Treasure

5. Who lost their crown and needed help?
Answer: (b) A bear

6. How did Lily and her friends get trapped in the cave?
Answer: (b) Rocks blocked the way out

7. How did Lily and her friends get help to escape?
Answer: (c) They asked a mole

8. What did Lily learn from her adventure in the cave?
Answer: (a) To love and take care of nature
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Lily found a special cave full of shiny crystals. (Answer: True)
2. They made the bats cry and asked a mole to hinder them escape the cave. (Answer: False)
3. Lily and her friends got liberated in the cave when rocks blocked the way out. (Answer: False)
4. The crystals prohibited Lily to talk to animals. (Answer: False)
5. The bear was happy and promised to be nice to everyone. (Answer: True)
6. Lily and her enemies found treasure and hindered a bear find his crown. (Answer: False)
7. There was a girl named Lily who loved to explore. (Answer: True)
8. Lily had friends who were a smart owl, a fun squirrel, and a tricky bunny. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

A princess falls in love with a humble peasant who brings her a plain potato.

The Princess and the Potato

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Penelope who loved potatoes more than anything. She said she would marry whoever gave her the best potato. Even though a fancy man brought a big potato, Penelope chose a boy named Peter with a small potato made with love. They got married and became happy together.

A little girl named Lily discovers a jar of magical marmalade that brings everything to life.

The Magical Marmalade

Lily and Bubbles had a magical day in the garden, making things dance and telling jokes, but grumpy Grumblebore learned to smile and have fun too.

A little girl named Lily saves her town from darkness by convincing mischievous squirrels to return stolen sunflowers.

The Day the Sun Forgot to Rise

Once upon a time, there was a town that got scared when the sun didn’t come up. A brave girl named Lily found squirrels taking sunflowers, and she told them to put them back. The people in the town planted the flowers again and sang to make the sun come back. They learned that being hopeful is important, and the sun always came up after that day.

A magical swan named Saffron and a brave boy named Milo embark on a journey to defeat an evil sorcerer and teach a lesson about friendship.

The Saffron Swan

A shiny swan named Saffron and a brave boy named Milo became friends and stopped a bad man together.

In a small village nestled deep in a magical forest, a little girl named Lily discovers a talking teapot with the power to grant wishes.

The Talking Teapot

Lily found a talking teapot that could make wishes come true, and together they helped the village have lots of food and defeated a bad witch.

The Rainbow Ribbons work together to fix a chaotic rainbow and teach us about unity.

Rainbow Ribbons in the Sky

Once upon a time, there were colorful Ribbons in the sky who made pretty rainbows. One day, a naughty cloud messed up their rainbow, but they worked together to fix it and make it even better!

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