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 Gnome’s Hidden Treasure

A mischievous gnome named Gideon learns the true treasure is kindness and spreads joy to all.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In a magic forest, there was a funny little gnome named Gideon. Gideon liked to play tricks on others. One day, he found a map and thought it would be fun to keep the treasure all to himself.

Gideon had to cross shaky bridges and get past scratchy bushes to find the treasure. A kind old wizard named Winston was watching Gideon. The wizard wanted to teach Gideon that sharing is important.

When Gideon found the spot, he dug and found a small box. Inside was a note about being kind. The wizard appeared and told Gideon that making others happy is the best treasure.

Gideon started to do nice things and make others laugh instead of playing tricks. The forest became a happier place because of Gideon’s good deeds. He learned that making friends happy is the best treasure of all.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1magicSpecial things that can’t really happen but are fun to imagine
2gnomeA very small person from stories who lives in the forest
3tricksFunny things you do to make people surprised
4treasureA box full of gold and special things that pirates like
5bridgesThings you walk over to get from one side to the other
6scratchySomething that feels rough, like a cat’s tongue
7wizardA person from stories who can do special magic things
8sharingLetting others use or have some of what you have
9appearedCame out of nowhere, like a bunny from a hat
10deedsThings you do, like helping and being nice

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was the funny little gnome in the magic forest?
2. What did Gideon find that he thought was fun to keep for himself?
3. What did Gideon have to cross and get past to find the treasure?
4. Who was the kind old wizard who was watching Gideon?
5. What did Gideon find inside the small box?
6. What did Gideon start doing after he found the note?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a magic forest, there was a funny little gnome named Gideon. Gideon liked to (1)______ tricks on others. One day, he found a map and (2)______ it would be fun to keep the treasure all to himself.

Gideon had to cross shaky bridges and get (3)______ scratchy bushes to find the treasure. A kind old wizard named Winston was watching Gideon. The wizard wanted to teach Gideon that sharing is (4)______.

When Gideon found the spot, he dug and found a small box. Inside was a note about being kind. The wizard appeared and told Gideon that making (5)______ (6)______ is the best treasure.

Gideon started to do nice things and make others (7)______ instead of playing tricks. The forest became a happier (8)______ because of Gideon’s good deeds. He learned that making friends happy is the best treasure of all.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a gnome?
2. How would you feel if you found a treasure map?
3. Do you like playing tricks on others? Why or why not?
4. How do you think Gideon felt when he found the small box?
5. What do you think the wizard wanted to teach Gideon?
6. Do you think making others happy is important? Why or why not?
7. How do you think Gideon felt when he started doing nice things for others?
8. Why do you think the forest became a happier place because of Gideon’s good deeds?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. magic
2. gnome
3. tricks
4. treasure
5. bridges
6. scratchy
7. wizard
8. sharing
9. appeared
10. deeds

Meanings:
(A) Special things that can’t really happen but are fun to imagine
(B) Letting others use or have some of what you have
(C) Came out of nowhere, like a bunny from a hat
(D) Things you walk over to get from one side to the other
(E) Things you do, like helping and being nice
(F) Funny things you do to make people surprised
(G) A person from stories who can do special magic things
(H) Something that feels rough, like a cat’s tongue
(I) A very small person from stories who lives in the forest
(J) A box full of gold and special things that pirates like
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the funny little gnome?
(a) Winston
(b) Sherlock
(c) Gideon
(d) Watson

2. What did Gideon find in the forest?
(a) A map
(b) A wizard
(c) A treasure
(d) A bridge

3. Who was watching Gideon in the forest?
(a) Sherlock
(b) Watson
(c) Robert
(d) Winston

4. What did the wizard want to teach Gideon?
(a) That playing tricks is fun
(b) That sharing is important
(c) That treasure is valuable
(d) That bridges are shaky

5. What did Gideon find inside the small box?
(a) A funny hat
(b) A magic wand
(c) A note about being kind
(d) A scratchy bush

6. What did the wizard tell Gideon about making others happy?
(a) It is the best treasure
(b) It is not important
(c) It is a waste of time
(d) It is a trick

7. What did Gideon start doing instead of playing tricks?
(a) Digging for treasure
(b) Making others laugh
(c) Crossing shaky bridges
(d) Finding scratchy bushes

8. What happened to the forest because of Gideon’s good deeds?
(a) It became a scary place
(b) It disappeared
(c) It became a treasure
(d) It became a happier place

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. There is a kind old wizard named Winston who was watching Gideon.
2. Gideon had to cross shaky bridges and get past scratchy bushes to find the treasure.
3. Gideon did not learn that making friends happy is the best treasure of all.
4. Gideon likes to play tricks on others.
5. There is no gnome named Gideon who lives in a magic forest.
6. One day, Gideon lost a map and decided to give the treasure to someone else.
7. Gideon found a small box when he dug at the treasure spot.
8. The wizard did not want to teach Gideon that sharing is important.
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 was the funny little gnome in the magic forest?
Gideon was the funny little gnome in the magic forest.

2. What did Gideon find that he thought was fun to keep for himself?
Gideon found a map that he thought was fun to keep for himself.

3. What did Gideon have to cross and get past to find the treasure?
Gideon had to cross shaky bridges and get past scratchy bushes to find the treasure.

4. Who was the kind old wizard who was watching Gideon?
The kind old wizard who was watching Gideon was named Winston.

5. What did Gideon find inside the small box?
Inside the small box, Gideon found a note about being kind.

6. What did Gideon start doing after he found the note?
After he found the note, Gideon started doing nice things and making others laugh instead of playing tricks.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) play
(2) thought
(3) past
(4) important
(5) others
(6) happy
(7) laugh
(8) place
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. magic
Answer: (A) Special things that can’t really happen but are fun to imagine

2. gnome
Answer: (I) A very small person from stories who lives in the forest

3. tricks
Answer: (F) Funny things you do to make people surprised

4. treasure
Answer: (J) A box full of gold and special things that pirates like

5. bridges
Answer: (D) Things you walk over to get from one side to the other

6. scratchy
Answer: (H) Something that feels rough, like a cat’s tongue

7. wizard
Answer: (G) A person from stories who can do special magic things

8. sharing
Answer: (B) Letting others use or have some of what you have

9. appeared
Answer: (C) Came out of nowhere, like a bunny from a hat

10. deeds
Answer: (E) Things you do, like helping and being nice
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the funny little gnome?
Answer: (c) Gideon

2. What did Gideon find in the forest?
Answer: (a) A map

3. Who was watching Gideon in the forest?
Answer: (d) Winston

4. What did the wizard want to teach Gideon?
Answer: (b) That sharing is important

5. What did Gideon find inside the small box?
Answer: (c) A note about being kind

6. What did the wizard tell Gideon about making others happy?
Answer: (a) It is the best treasure

7. What did Gideon start doing instead of playing tricks?
Answer: (b) Making others laugh

8. What happened to the forest because of Gideon’s good deeds?
Answer: (d) It became a happier place
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. There is a kind old wizard named Winston who was watching Gideon. (Answer: True)
2. Gideon had to cross shaky bridges and get past scratchy bushes to find the treasure. (Answer: True)
3. Gideon did not learn that making friends happy is the best treasure of all. (Answer: False)
4. Gideon likes to play tricks on others. (Answer: True)
5. There is no gnome named Gideon who lives in a magic forest. (Answer: False)
6. One day, Gideon lost a map and decided to give the treasure to someone else. (Answer: False)
7. Gideon found a small box when he dug at the treasure spot. (Answer: True)
8. The wizard did not want to teach Gideon that sharing is important. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

A young girl named Emily discovers a tree that produces rainbow-colored raspberries, bringing joy to her village.

The Remarkable Raspberry Rain

Emily found a magical tree with colorful raspberries that made it rain fruit, but the colors started to fade until she discovered that laughter could bring the magic back.

The Giant’s Garden

Greg and Whiskers had a pretty garden, but mean Goblins took the seeds. Whiskers helped and they made it pretty again.