This small-scale action research study examines the use of short stories for teaching English as a foreign language to children in fourth grade. It was carried out in a private catholic school in Bogotá, Colombia. During the research process the teacher-researcher was required to select the stories according to the students’ interests and likes, create the activities, plan the lessons, collect and analyze data. The qualitative analysis shows that story reading practice lead to the students’ vocabulary learning process. Based on the research results, short stories made children’s language learning more interesting and meaningful; well-designed, attractive and fun activities involved and encouraged students in their learning process.