About the Goldilocks and the three bears story
“Goldilocks and the three bears” is a delightful tale about a little girl named Goldilocks who stumbles upon a cottage in the forest. Inside, she finds three bowls of porridge, three chairs, and three beds—each belonging to a bear!
But what happens when the bears return home? You’ll have to read on to find out!
In this article, we offer two versions of the story: a classic retelling and a simplified graded reader, perfect for younger English learners. Along the way, your child will expand their vocabulary and sharpen their reading comprehension skills. Plus, there are fun questions at the end to help reinforce what they’ve learned.
If your child loves this story, they’ll love learning with Studycat! Check out the Studycat Learn English app for more stories, games, and interactive lessons that make language learning fun and engaging.
Let’s leap into the bears’ cozy cottage and discover what happens when Goldilocks gets a little too curious!
The story of “Goldilocks and the three bears” (for kids)
Once upon a time, in a cottage deep in the forest, there lived a family of three bears: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. They were a happy bear family, and they loved their cozy little home. Every morning, Mama Bear would make a big pot of delicious porridge for breakfast.
One morning, the porridge was too hot to eat right away, so the bear family decided to go for a walk in the woods while it cooled down.
Now, not far from the bears’ cottage, there was a curious little girl named Goldilocks. She had long, golden hair and liked to explore the forest. One day, while wandering through the trees, Goldilocks stumbled upon the bears’ cozy little cottage.
Goldilocks knocked on the door, but no one answered. “Hmm,” she thought, “I wonder if anyone’s home.” Of course, the polite thing to do would be to leave, but not Goldilocks! She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
What’s the first thing she noticed? The wonderful smell of porridge. Her tummy rumbled—she was hungry!
The porridge taste test
On the table, there were three bowls of porridge. One was Papa Bear’s big bowl, one was Mama Bear’s medium bowl, and the last was Baby Bear’s small bowl. Goldilocks didn’t think twice before grabbing a spoon and tasting the first bowl.
“Yuck! This porridge is too hot!” she said, wrinkling her nose. So, she moved on to Mama Bear’s bowl.
“Ugh! This porridge is too cold!” she groaned. Finally, she tried Baby Bear’s porridge.
“Mmm…this porridge is just right!” she said with a smile, and before she knew it, she had gobbled it all up.
The chair disaster
After finishing her meal, Goldilocks felt a bit tired. She looked around and saw three chairs by the fireplace. First, she climbed into Papa Bear’s big chair.
“This chair is too hard!” she said, hopping back down. Then, she tried Mama Bear’s medium chair.
“This chair is too soft!” she complained, sinking deep into the cushions. Finally, she sat down in Baby Bear’s small chair.
“Aah, this chair is just right,” she sighed happily. But suddenly—CRACK! The chair broke into pieces, and Goldilocks tumbled to the floor.
The bed inspection
Feeling even more tired after her chair-breaking incident, Goldilocks decided she needed a nap. She spotted three beds upstairs in the bedroom. First, she lay down on Papa Bear’s bed.
“This bed is too hard,” she said, rolling over. Then, she tried Mama Bear’s bed.
“This bed is too soft,” she whined. Finally, she snuggled into Baby Bear’s bed.
“Ahh…this bed is just right,” she murmured, drifting off to sleep.
The bear family returns
While Goldilocks snored away in Baby Bear’s bed, the bear family returned home from their walk. As soon as they stepped inside, they noticed something was very wrong.
“Someone’s been eating my porridge!” growled Papa Bear.
“Someone’s been eating my porridge, too!” said Mama Bear.
“Someone’s been eating my porridge—and they ate it all up!” cried Baby Bear, staring at his empty bowl.
The bears looked around their cozy cottage. Next, Papa Bear noticed something was wrong with his chair.
“Someone’s been sitting in my chair!” he roared.
“Someone’s been sitting in my chair, too!” said Mama Bear.
“Someone’s been sitting in my chair—and they broke it to pieces!” wailed Baby Bear, pointing to the pile of chair parts on the floor.
The bear family tiptoed up the stairs to check their beds. Papa Bear growled, “Someone’s been sleeping in my bed!”
Mama Bear frowned, “Someone’s been sleeping in my bed, too!”
But when they looked at Baby Bear’s bed, there was Goldilocks, fast asleep! “Someone’s been sleeping in my bed—and she’s still there!” cried Baby Bear.
Just then, Goldilocks woke up. When she saw the three bears staring at her, she screamed, jumped out of bed, and ran down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her! She dashed out of the cottage and into the woods, never to return again.
And as for the bears? Well, they fixed their chairs, made more porridge, and kept a closer eye on their front door from then on!
The moral of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”
Respect other people’s things and always ask for permission.
Goldilocks barged into someone else’s home, ate their food, broke their chair, and slept in their bed—without permission! It’s a good reminder to always be polite and respectful of other people’s belongings.
Questions about “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”
- What did Goldilocks do when she found the bears’ cottage?
- Whose porridge did Goldilocks think was “just right”?
- What happened to Baby Bear’s chair?
- Where did the bears find Goldilocks in their house?
- What lesson can we learn from Goldilocks’ adventure?
Answers
- She went inside the cottage, even though no one was home.
- She thought Baby Bear’s porridge was “just right.”
- Goldilocks sat in Baby Bear’s chair, and it broke into pieces.
- The bears found her sleeping in Baby Bear’s bed.
- We learn that we should respect other people’s things and always ask for permission before using them.
Words to learn
- Porridge: A warm, thick breakfast made from oats, kind of like oatmeal.
- Papa Bear: The father bear in the story.
- Mama Bear: The mother bear in the story.
- Baby Bear: The youngest bear in the family. His things are usually “just right.”
- Cottage: A small house, often found in the countryside or the woods.
Goldilocks for young English learners (ages 2-5, Pre-A1)
Once, there was a girl named Goldilocks. She found a house in the forest. She knocked, but no one was home. Goldilocks went inside!
First, she ate some porridge. She tried the big bowl—too hot! She tried the medium bowl—too cold! But the small bowl was just right, so she ate it all up.
Then, she tried three chairs. The big chair was too hard. The medium chair was too soft. But the small chair was just right, until it broke!
Finally, Goldilocks went upstairs to try three beds. The big bed was too hard. The medium bed was too soft. But the small bed was just right. Soon, Goldilocks fell asleep.
The bear family came home. “Someone has been eating my porridge!” said Baby Bear. They found Goldilocks sleeping in Baby Bear’s bed! Goldilocks woke up, screamed, and ran away!
Fun facts about Goldilocks!
Did you know? In earlier versions of the story, Goldilocks wasn’t a little girl—she was an old woman! Over time, the character of Goldilocks was changed into the curious girl we know today.
