Back To School Bedtime Stories

Sometimes short back to school bedtime stories feel best when the night is quiet and the world sounds like soft breathing outside the window. This back to school bedtime story follows Oliver as first day nerves rise the bus, then ease when a secret orange cat companion and a kind classmate help him feel brave. If you want free back to school bedtime stories to read that you can gently reshape for your own child, you can make a softer version with Sleepytale.

The Big Orange Bus Buddy

6 min 43 sec

Oliver’s tummy felt like a bowl of wiggly jelly on the first morning of second grade.
He clutched his shark lunch box to his chest and stared at the long yellow bus that hissed at the curb.

The steps looked taller than last year, and the doorway yawned like a giant mouth ready to swallow him whole.
He took one shaky breath, then another, and climbed inside.

Seats were filling fast with laughing kids who already seemed to know one another.
Oliver’s ears burned as he shuffled down the aisle, searching for an empty spot.

Near the back, a huge orange shape filled the whole seat.
At first Oliver thought it was a fuzzy blanket someone had left behind, but then the shape moved.

A giant orange cat, round as a pumpkin and soft as dandelion fluff, lifted its sleepy head and blinked gold eyes at him.
The cat patted the seat with a velvet paw.

Oliver glanced around.
No one else seemed to notice the enormous feline.

He slid in beside the cat, and the cat purred like a quiet engine.
The bus rumbled forward.

Oliver’s shoulders relaxed for the first time all morning.
He whispered, “Hi, I’m Oliver.”

The cat answered with a gentle head bump that smelled like warm cinnamon.
Oliver smiled and decided to call him Marmalade.

By the time the bus reached school, Oliver’s jitters had melted into excitement.
He scratched behind Marmalade’s ears and promised to meet him after class.

The cat flicked his fluffy tail in agreement and watched Oliver step down the aisle.
When Oliver turned back, Marmalade was gone, but a single orange hair clung to his sleeve like a secret promise.

Inside the bright classroom, name tags waited on every desk.
Oliver found his spot near the window and traced the letters on his tag with a finger.

A quiet voice behind him said, “That’s my favorite seat.”
Oliver turned and saw a girl with curly black hair and sparkly purple glasses.

She smiled shyly.
“I’m Aisha.

I sat there yesterday at meet the teacher.”
Oliver swallowed.

“I can move.”
Aisha shook her head.

“It’s okay.
We can share the view.”

She pointed outside.
“Look, there’s a butterfly bush.

Maybe we’ll see hummingbirds.”
Oliver grinned and decided that maybe school would not be so scary after all.

At recess he scanned the playground for Marmalade, but only saw swings and slides and kids chasing one another.
Aisha tugged his sleeve.

“Want to climb the spider web?”
They scrambled up the rope pyramid together, higher and higher, until the whole playground looked tiny below.

Wind whipped their hair.
Aisha laughed.

“I can see my house from here!”
Oliver laughed too, and the sound felt light and brave.

When the bell rang, they raced back to class, cheeks pink and hearts thumping.
At lunch Oliver opened his shark box and found an extra tuna sandwich he had not packed.

A note in curly writing read, Sharing makes everything better.
He looked around the crowded cafeteria.

Aisha sat alone at the end of a long table, unwrapping a bright green apple.
Oliver walked over and offered half the sandwich.

She accepted with a grateful smile and handed him a cluster of juicy grapes.
They munched in happy silence until a shadow fell across the table.

A tall boy with freckles pointed at Oliver.
“Why do you smell like my grandma’s cat?”

Oliver froze, cheeks burning.
Before he could answer, Aisha stood up.

“Maybe because cats are awesome.”
She high fived Oliver, and the boy shrugged and walked away.

Oliver exhaled.
He decided Aisha was the kind of friend who made hard moments feel smaller.

After school Oliver hurried to the bus loop.
Kids streamed past him, but no giant orange shape waited inside bus number seven.

His heart sank.
He climbed aboard and slumped into the same seat.

The vinyl felt cold and ordinary.
He pressed his forehead to the window and watched the parking lot empty.

Just as the engine revved, something warm and heavy landed in his lap.
Marmalade had slipped from the overhead luggage rack like a furry parachute.

He kneaded Oliver’s knees, purring louder than the motor.
Oliver buried his face in the soft neck and whispered, “I missed you.”

Marmalade licked the tip of his ear with a sandpaper tongue.
The bus rolled through town, turning corners, stopping at red lights.

Oliver felt the day’s worries flutter away like paper airplanes.
When the driver pulled up to Oliver’s stop, Marmalade leapt to the floor and padded toward the front.

Oliver followed, clutching his shark lunch box.
At the steps the cat paused and looked back.

Oliver understood.
Some friends walk beside you only when you need them most.

He waved goodbye and stepped onto the sidewalk.
The bus pulled away with a soft sigh, and Oliver spotted a single orange tail tip flicking in the back window.

He smiled all the way home.
That night Oliver told his mom about Aisha and the spider web and the tuna sandwich that came from nowhere.

Mom listened while stirring spaghetti sauce.
She ruffled his hair.

“Sounds like you made a good friend today.”
Oliver thought of Marmalade’s gold eyes and Aisha’s purple glasses.

“Two,” he corrected gently.
Before bed he taped the curly note inside his closet door where a faint orange hair glowed like moonlight.

The next morning Oliver woke excited instead of nervous.
He dressed quickly, grabbed his shark lunch box, and ran to the bus stop.

The yellow bus waited, door open like a friendly smile.
Inside, Marmalade already occupied their seat, tail curled like a question mark.

Oliver sat and scratched the broad orange head.
“Ready for another adventure?”

Marmalade meowed softly, and Oliver knew that whatever second grade brought, he would face it with his big orange bus buddy and a new friend who loved purple glasses and hummingbirds.
The bus rolled forward, carrying them toward another day of learning, sharing, and growing friendships that felt as warm and comforting as sunshine on fur.

Why this back to school bedtime story helps

These bedtime stories about back to school begin with a small worry and end with steady comfort, so the heart can settle. Oliver notices his jitters the bus and in class, then finds calm support through a quiet seatmate, a friendly invitation, and simple sharing. The focus stays easy actions sitting down, looking out a window, climbing carefully, offering lunch and warm feelings that grow. The scenes move slowly from bus stop to classroom to playground to lunch, then back to the ride home. That clear loop helps listeners relax because each moment leads gently to the next without surprises that feel sharp. At the end, one soft magical detail lingers as a tiny orange hair that seems to glow like a private promise. Try reading these back to school bedtime stories to read with a low voice, pausing the bus hum, the window light, and the cozy purr that feels like a blanket. When Oliver wakes up eager for the next morning, the story closes with a calm feeling that it is safe to rest now.

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Create Your Own Back To School Bedtime Story

Sleepytale helps you turn your own school day thoughts into short back to school bedtime stories that feel personal and soothing. You can swap the bus for a walk to school, trade Marmalade for a gentle dog or a tiny dragon, or change the lunch box and classroom view to match your child. In just a few moments, you will have a calm, cozy story you can replay at bedtime whenever a new school day feels big.