Cinderella is one of the oldest and most popular fairy tales ever written. Starting in Ancient Greece, the Cinderella story has evolved and changed over the centuries. Current versions of the story have two primary influences: the 17th-century story by Charles Perrault and the 1950s Disney animated movie.
Our version of Cinderella is largely based on the Disney version of the story. We have shortened and simplified it so that it is easy for children to read. We have tried to keep our story in the present simple tense, but there are a couple of instances of present continuous, simple future, and simple past as well.
Overall, parents and teachers should find this version easy enough for young English learners to use to practice their reading skills. If you have any questions about our story, feel free to comment on this post or click on the question image below.
Cinderella
Cinderella has one stepmother and two stepsisters.
They are all very mean to her.
One day, Cinderella hears that there will be a ball for the Prince.
The Prince wants to find a wife.
Cinderella is excited.
She wants to go to the ball.
Her stepsisters laugh at Cinderella.
They say, “You can’t be a Princess.”
Her stepmom tells Cinderella, “You can not go to the ball.”
“You can clean the house instead.”
Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother leave for the ball.
Cinderella stays and cleans the house.
She feels very sad.
Cinderella hears a knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Who is that?” thinks Cinderella.
Cinderella opens the door and sees a beautiful woman.
“Who are you?” asks Cinderella.
“I’m your fairy godmother,” says the woman.
“I am here to help you go to the ball,” says her fairy godmother.
“But how?” asks Cinderella.
“With magic,” she says.
Her fairy godmother waves her wand and sings,”
Bippidy, Boppity, Boo!”
Suddenly, Cinderella’s clothes turn into a beautiful dress.
Cinderella looks down and sees that her shoes are now glass slippers.
Cinderella looks so different. No one will recognize her at the ball.
“But how will I go to the ball?” asks Cinderella.
“With your own carriage,” says her fairy godmother.
Her godmother waves her wand again.
Outside, a pumpkin turns into a carriage, and two mice turn into white horses.
“Now, be quick Cinderella.”
“The magic will end at midnight,” warns her fairy godmother.
Cinderella gets into her carriage.
The horses carry her to the ball.
Cinderella enters the ball.
She sees the Prince and the Prince sees her.
The Prince is very handsome.
They begin to dance together.
The other girls are jealous.
Cinderella and the Prince dance all night.
Cinderella is so happy.
While Cinderella is dancing, she sees the clock.
It is almost midnight!
Cinderella tells the Prince, “I must go. Goodbye, my Prince.”
The Prince runs after her.
He sees her in her carriage driving away,
On the steps, the Prince sees a glass slipper.
It must be hers!
The next day, Cinderella thinks about the ball.
She misses the Prince.
She hears a knock at the door.
It’s the Prince!
He has her glass slipper.
He wants to try the slipper on every girl until he finds the girl that he danced with.
First, the stepmother tries the slipper. It is too big.
Second, her stepsisters try the slipper, and it’s too small.
Finally, Cinderella tries the slipper, and it is just right.
The Prince brings Cinderella to his castle, and they live happily ever after.
The End
Vocabulary
Stepmother – father’s new wife
Stepsister – your stepmother or stepfather’s daughter
Prince – the son of the King
Ball – a dance
Fairy – a magical creature
Godmother – a largely ceremonial role now, godparents are chosen by parents, usually a close family friend or relative
Magic – supernatural powers
Wand – a wood instrument for using magic
Pumpkin – an orange squash grown in the fall
Carriage – an engine-less vehicle pulled by horses
Kingdom – a country run by a King or Queen
Jealous – a feeling of wishing you had what others had
Midnight – 12 AM, the end of the day
Slipper – usually a comfortable shoe that is worn inside, in this story it is referring to a fancy kind of dress shoe
Glass – a clear material commonly used in windows
Castle – a large defensive structure where kings and queens live
Verb List
To Have
I have an apple.
To Be (Is/Am/Are)
He is happy.
To Hear
I hear a baby crying on the street.
To Want
I want ice cream.
To Laugh
He laughs at all of my jokes.
To Say
He says that they never said that.
To Tell
I can tell him the story tomorrow.
Can
He can climb that tree,
To Go
We go to China every year.
To Clean
Please clean the kitchen.
To Leave (left)
He leaves the city on the weekends.
Yesterday, I left India on a plane.
To Stay
Can I stay at your house?
To Feel
After the movie, he feels sad.
To Think
I think about cars often.
To Open
Please open the door.
To See
I see my dad near the boat.
To Wave
Wave at your grandpa.
To Sing
She sings very well.
To Turn into
With markers, paper can turn into art.
To Look
Look at his new shirt.
Will
I will go there tomorrow.
To End
The game will end in 5 minutes.
To Warn
Mom often warns me about him.
To Carry
I carry my pencil everywhere.
To Enter
Please enter quietly.
To Dance (dancing)
I dance every weekend.
He is dancing with her.
To Wait
I wait for him at school.
To Run
He runs quickly.
To Drive (driving)
I drive my car every day.
He is driving to the mall.
To Miss
I miss my family.
To Want
I want to buy a new car.
To Try
I try to run every morning.
To Bring
Bring me a coffee, please.
To Live
I live in Canada.
What Can You Study with this Story?
With any story, there are many topics that you can review with your child. Here are a couple of ideas that stood out to us with Cinderella.
Family
Cinderella is a story that involves her stepfamily a lot. For some students, a stepfamily may be something that they don’t understand. Help them learn about family members with our family flashcards and lists.
Fairy Tale Vocabulary
Cinderella has a lot of classic fairy tale elements. Things you may not see every day, but are commonplace in stories for children. Teach your child words like magic, fairy, castle, prince, princess, king, and queen.
The Simple Present Tense
Our story is mostly kept to the simple present tense. This story can be a great way to review the simple present tense and learn some of the commonly used verbs in English. You can learn about regular and irregular verb conjugation in the simple present, and then review it with this story.
Fun Cinderella Activity Ideas
It’s always a good idea to take stories to the next level by getting your child engaged in extra activities that have to do with Cinderella. You can use these activities as opportunities to teach them more English.
Decorate a Princess
Cut out some dresses, shoes, and other clothing items and have your child color and decorate a cut-out princess. Use this opportunity to teach them about clothing.
Make a Carriage
Cinderella gets to the ball with the help of a magic pumpkin carriage. Teach your child some new vocabulary and have some fun by making your own toy carriage. With glue and some plastic wheels, what objects in your house can you turn into toy carriages?
Other Fairy Tales From The Learner’s Nook
There are never too many stories for you and your young ones to read together. Encourage their love of reading by checking out our other fairy tales specifically written to help children improve their English-reading skills.
Click here to explore more fairy tales.
Learn More with Fairy Tales for Kids
Reading is such a great way to review and learn English. We hope that you and your child can use these stories to make great English memories.
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It’s always a good idea to take stories to the next level by including your youngster in additional Cinderella-related activities. You can take advantage of these activities to teach kids additional English. Thank you.