What makes a good bedtime story to listen to
A bedtime story has a different job from a daytime one: it should wind down, not rev up. The best ones are predictable in a comforting way, with a familiar hero, a small problem that gets solved, and a last few minutes where nothing new happens.
When you pick the Bedtime mood, Keoma writes the whole story as a slow descent toward rest. In the final third the stakes drop, the sentences get softer and slower, the world falls asleep around the hero, and the music and sounds thin out. There is no cliffhanger and no new problem at the end.
- A sleep timer fades the story out gently, at the end of the story, of a chapter, or after 5 to 30 minutes.
- In the evening the player turns deep blue, and one tap darkens the screen while the story keeps playing.
- In kids mode you choose how many stories, then a goodnight screen ends the evening.
Bedtime stories by age
A story that delights a 6 year old can be too much for a 2 year old, and too simple for a 9 year old. Keoma adjusts the pace, the length of the sentences, the number of characters, the humour and how much suspense is allowed to the age you give. Each page below explains what works at that age, and why.
- Bedtime stories for 2 and 3 year oldsShort, slow, predictable stories with a refrain and a cuddly ending.
- Bedtime stories for 4 and 5 year oldsA little journey, the rule of three, lots of silliness, and fears kept small.
- Bedtime stories for 6 and 7 year oldsA real three-act plot, clues that pay off, puns, and suspense solved before sleep.
- Bedtime stories for 8 to 10 year oldsReal dilemmas, fair mysteries and dry humour, performed like a radio drama.
Dragons, space, unicorns and pirates
Children ask for the same few things at bedtime, and Keoma’s cast covers most of them: Pip, a shy little dragon, and Dragon Mountain; Milo the Robot and Starry Space; Stella the Unicorn; Captain Finn aboard the Pirate Ship; Fairy Lily in the Fairy Meadow. You can mix up to three heroes in one story.
A dragon or a pirate can still make a calm bedtime story. Choose the Bedtime or Calm mood and the adventure settles down before the end. For the youngest listeners, Keoma keeps every sound soft whatever the theme: no roars, no thunder, no bangs.
What to know before you start
- Keoma is not a free library: you can listen to sample stories without an account, and making new stories needs a plan (from €6.90 a month, counted in story minutes).
- Stories don’t say your child’s name. They live in the family library and are replayed by brothers and sisters, so real children’s names are kept out of the recordings.
- It runs on a phone, tablet or computer, in the browser. The screen can stay dark while the story plays.
- Stories are written with AI and voiced with AI voices, and we say so. Every script gets a safety review for the listener’s age before it is recorded.
Questions parents ask
How long should a bedtime story be?
There is no single right length. Many families find 5 to 10 minutes about right at lights out, with shorter stories for toddlers and longer ones earlier in the evening. With Keoma you choose the length each time, up to your plan’s limit.
Can my child listen with the screen off?
Yes. One tap darkens the screen while the story keeps playing, and the sleep timer fades the story out at the end of the story, of a chapter, or after 5 to 30 minutes.
Will the story use my child’s name?
No. Stories are written for your child’s age and with the hero, world and mood you choose, but they never name a real child, because the whole family may replay them.
Are the stories in English or French?
Both. Each story is written directly in English or in French, not translated, with names and narration to match.
Can I listen before paying?
Yes. Real Keoma stories are free to hear, without an account, on the sample stories page. Making new stories needs a plan.