Do you remember the stories that you read as a child? Moral stories can needn’t be serious, but they can be funny at the same time help your child learn something. We have compiled a list of 07 short moral stories that are inspirational, from India, and from around the world. <h3>1. The Boy Who Cried, Wolf</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_boy_who_cried%2C_wolf.webp_image_1638188646554.webp" width="359">There was a young boy whose father, a farmer, had asked him to take their herd of sheep grazing every day.One day, the boy was extremely bored as he watched over the sheep and so he cried: “Wolf! Wolf!”On hearing his cries, the villagers rushed to help him chase the wolf away and save the sheep.When they saw the grinning boy and realised he had cried wolf for his amusement, they scolded him and told him to not cry wolf!The next day, the boy cried out that the wolf was there. The villagers came, scolded him again, and left.Later that same day, a wolf came and terrorized the sheep.The boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help me.”But, the villagers assumed that he was pulling a silly prank again and did not come to his rescue. The sheep ran away and the boy cried.Moral of the story: Don’t lie or engage in foolish pranks, for no one will believe a liar even when he is telling the truth! <h3>2. The Golden Touch Of Midas</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_golden_touch_of_midas.jpg_image_1638188804006.jpg" width="365">A long time ago, there lived a king in Greece named Midas.He was extremely wealthy and had all the gold he could ever need. He also had a daughter whom he loved very much.One day, Midas saw a Satyr (an angel) who was stuck and was in trouble. Midas helped the Satyr and asked for his wish to be granted in return.The Satyr agreed and Midas wished for everything he touched to be turned to gold. His wish was granted.Extremely excited, Midas went home to his wife and daughter touching pebbles, rocks, and plants on the way, which turned into gold.As his daughter hugged him, she turned into a golden statue.Having learnt his lesson, Midas begged the Satyr to reverse the spell who granted that everything would go back to their original state.Moral of the story: Stay content and grateful for what you have. Greed will not get you anywhere. <h3>3. The Foolish Thief</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_foolish_thief.jpg_image_1638188856227.jpg" width="362">Once, a wealthy merchant came to King Akbar’s court to seek help from Birbal. He suspected that one of his servants had robbed him.On hearing this, Birbal thought of a clever plan and summoned the merchant’s servants.He gave each servant a stick of the same length. He told them that the thief’s stick would grow two inches by the next day.The next day, Birbal summoned the servants again. He noticed that a servant’s stick was two inches shorter than the others.He knew who the thief was.The foolish thief had cut the stick shorter by two inches as he thought it would grow two inches. Thus, proving his guilt.Moral of the story: Truth and justice will always prevail. <h3>4. Two Frogs With The Same Problem</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/two_frogs_with_the_same_problem.png_image_1638188962564.png" width="346">Once, a group of frogs was roaming around the forest in search of water. Suddenly, two frogs in the group accidentally fell into a deep pit.The other frogs worried about their friends in the pit.Seeing how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that there was no way they could escape the deep pit and that there was no point in trying.They continued to constantly discourage them as the two frogs tried to jump out of the pit. But keep falling back.Soon, one of the two frogs started to believe the other frogs — that they’ll never be able to escape the pit and eventually died after giving up.The other frog keeps trying and eventually jumps so high that he escapes the pit. The other frogs were shocked at this and wondered how he did it.The difference was that the second frog was deaf and couldn’t hear the discouragement of the group. He simply thought they were cheering him on!Moral of the story: People’s opinion of you will affect you, only if you believe it to be so. It’s better to believe in yourself. <h3>5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_milkmaid_and_her_pail.jpg_image_1638189037353.jpg" width="348">There was once a milkmaid named Patty.She milked her cow and carried the two pails of milk she fetched on a stick and set out to sell the milk at the market.As she was walking to the market, she began to daydream about what she would do with the money she fo for the milk.She thought of buying a hen and selling its eggs and she planned on becoming wealthy.She dreamt of buying a cake, a basket of strawberries, a fancy dress, and even a new house with the money she would make selling the eggs and the milk!In her excitement, she forgot about the pails she was carrying and began to skip.Suddenly, she realised that the milk was spilling down and when she checked her pails, they were empty.Moral of the story: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! It is important to focus on the process of achieving success and not just success alone. <h3>6. The Elephant Circus</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/elepahnt_circus.jpg_image_1638189224771.jpg" width="361">Once upon a time in a circus, five elephants performed circus tricks. They were kept tied up with weak rope that they could’ve easily escaped, but did not.One day, a man visiting the circus asked the ringmaster: “Why haven’t these elephants broken the rope and run away?”The ringmaster replied: “From when they were young, the elephants were made to believe that they were not strong enough to break the ropes and escape.”It was because of this belief that they did not even try to break the ropes now.Moral of the story: Don’t give in to the limitations of society. Believe that you can achieve everything you want to!<h3> </h3>7. The Elephants And The Mice<img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/1_xvfat_v8xumqnkx7-3jcka.png_image_1638189285226.png" width="350">In an earthquake-hit village abandoned by humans, a colony of mice lived. Near the village was a lake, which was used by a herd of elephants.The elephants would have to cross the village to go to the lake. Thus, one day, as they walked through, they trampled a lot of mice.The leader of the mice met with the elephants and requested them to take a different route to the lake. He promised them that their favour would be returned in the time of their need.The elephants laughed. How could such small mice help these large elephants in any way? But then, they agreed to take a different route.Not so long after, the mice heard that hunters had caught the herd of elephants and were tied in nets.Immediately, they rush to rescue the elephants. They gnawed through the nets and ropes with their sharp teeth.The leader of the elephants repeatedly thanked the mice for their help!Moral of the story: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Make sure you help your friends out whenever they need it. They should always be able to count on you. That’s all folks!We hope children like these short yet interesting stories with morals that we have read growing up!There are more and more stories with morals on <a href="https://www.beeparenting.com/s/moral-stories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bee Stories</a>.

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

07 Must Read Short Moral Stories For Children

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

Yesha Desai

Maya, the monkey, had very long, strong and silky hair. Maya’s mother oiled her hair and plaited it every single day. Maya was very proud of her waist length hair. She thought that her hair was better than everyone’s hair.She hopped across from one tree to another and showed them off.&nbsp;One day at school, she sat beside another monkey named Mint. Mint was a very shy and timid girl with short hair. She complimented Maya’s beautiful, shining hair and this pleased Maya greatly.Maya talked about how much care she took for her hair, how she combed it regularly and nurtured them. Looking at Mint’s short hair, she thought that Mint did not take care of her hair enough so Maya gave Mint some tips and told her to nurture her hair properly if she wanted her hair to be as beautiful as Maya’s.Mint attentively listened to what Maya said and thanked her for her tips, “Thank you Maya. I have always wanted long hair. I will definitely try to grow my hair with the tips you gave. I used to have long hair but they were destroyed due to my cancer medicines. Now, I am growing them again.”As Maya listened to Mint’s story, she felt horrible about herself. She should not have flaunted her qualities like this. She apologised to Mint for making her feel bad but Mint said she did not mind at all.That day Maya learned not to be too proud of her qualities. She learned to have humility.Moral:Pride does not allow us to see what others are going through. Be kind.

This is a story of friend, hair, monkey and school.Moral(s) of the story: pride

The pride and its result

Pallavi Hota

There was an ant who lived on a hilltop with his friend. He was very hardworking. He went on collecting food for the future requirement, while his friend slept all day and did no work. His friend asked the ant why he is always busy collecting so much food. The ant said the food was for future requirements because bad times never knock before coming. His friend laughed it off and went back to sleep.Winter arrived and there was snow all over and his friend had no food. He was starving and crying out for help. The ant helped him and gave him some of his food. His friend thanked him and realised his mistake. The winter passed and summer arrived. The ant again started collecting food. This time his friend also joined him. He said that he suffered and realised how important it is to be prepared for bad times. Both of them collected food and worked hard together. Moral:You reap what you sow.

This is a story of ant and friendMoral(s) of the story: hard work, laziness

The Ant and His Lazy Friend

Ravina Sewani

Once a saint had a disciple who used to live in a small town. One day, the disciple was going somewhere. He hadn't gone too far when suddenly it started raining cats and dogs. He returned and told this problem to his saint. The saint said, "You should have faith in God. He will save you from all problems."The disciple obeyed and resumed his journey. He kept reciting the name of God and cleared all the hurdles.Next day, the saint had to go on the same route. When he reach ed a deep drain, he doubted whether God would save him or not. Just when the saint had started walking again, he drowned in the deep drain. Moral:Faith in God and Doubt on God never go hand in hand.

This is a story of doubt.Moral(s) of the story: faith and patience

A saint's doubtful Faith

There was a fox called Dabbu. One day, he was very happy after having a hearty meal. He had seen the lion going for a stroll after his meal and had gone into the lion’s den and gorged on the remains of the lion’s feast. It was a scrumptious meal of deer meat. “I wish I was lucky enough to have such a feast every day,” Dabbu thought. Dabbu started walking, looking at the clear sky, singing his favourite song, much contented with his lovely meal. He thought about film heroes and how they would sing and walk like this when they were in love.Dabbu wasn’t in love, but he thought that the emotional satisfaction obtained from a good meal was no less than the feeling of being in love. Dabbu’s eyes were almost filled with tears as myriad emotional thoughts crossed his mind, when he suddenly found himself falling into something really deep.“Dhuuummm, dhumm,” the sound came, and Dabbu understood that he was in trouble. On looking around he realized that he had fallen into a shallow well. He was lucky that there wasn’t much water in the well. It was a wide mouthed well that Dabbu had noticed every day while passing by it. It was only today that he was lost in his thoughts and had simply overlooked it. Dabbu was really angry at himself for being so foolish and careless and wanted to hit himself.He tried his best to get out of the well by climbing on its walls, but all in vain as the walls were too slippery. Frustrated, he waited for someone to come to help.Suddenly, Dabbu heard a squeaky voice, “What on earth are you doing down there?” Dabbu looked up and much to his relief he found Laadla the goat standing at the mouth of the well. He was a young and gullible goat. Dabbu knew that Laadla was innocent and ignorant of the world, as he was always asking very irritating questions. Dabbu was determined to get out of the well using Laadla’s help. It has never been difficult for a fox to fool a goat. He said, “Aren’t you aware that there has been a huge drought in the northern part of Bihar (they lived in a jungle in Bihar)?” “Really? I haven’t heard of any such thing” said the innocent goat. Dabbu replied, “That’s strange. Shantaram crow gave me the news this morning and he has also seen it with his own eyes as he was travelling from the same area. That is why I jumped into this well to save some water for myself.”“Oh God, how terrible!” exclaimed Laadla and jumped into the well in no time. As soon as Laadla jumped into the well, Dabbu climbed on his long horns and jumped out of the well. Dabbu said, “You are such a silly creature. You are not even aware that there have been floods all around the northern part of the country, and you believed my story of a drought. Instead of talking about a frog in a well, now people will talk about a goat in a well.”Laadla was stupefied and said to himself, “One should never trust anyone blindly.” Moral:One should never trust anyone blindly. Always use your wisdom and analyse the situation before putting in your trust.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of fox and goat.Moral(s) of the story: trust

The fox and the goat

Once upon a time, there was a village called Dancing. A group of young girls and boys lived in that village. Every night after dinner, they would light a fire and dance around it.One evening a monkey came to the dance, wearing smart clothes and a stylish hat. He came and sat in a corner on a stone. No one recognised that he was a monkey. He also played melodious music with his drums.Every night, the monkey would come and play and the girls would dance with him happily. The girls loved him more each day. They also started showering him with gifts. One of them gave him a ring, the other gave him cookies.The boys were extremely jealous, as the attention of all the girls was always focused on the monkey.“Who is this new fellow and what is he doing in our village?” the boys asked one another, and decided to keep a close eye on him. That night they watched him quietly from a distance.The boys simply could not believe their eyes when they saw that the person whom the girls loved so much was a monkey in reality. It had a hairy body and a long tail.That night the guys laughed their hearts out and finally slept peacefully.The boys decided to play a prank on the monkey. They burnt some wood and put it around the stone where the monkey sat every day, and covered it with leaves.Like every evening the monkey came and sat on its usual place, only this time it did not feel the same. “OOOUUUUCHHHH!” screamed the monkey and jumped up from its seat. The hot stone had burnt his bottom through his pants. The monkey jumped into a bucket full of water to comfort himself.The boys laughed at the girls for dancing with the monkey and told them that they had taught a lesson to the monkey. When the girls got to know what the boys had done, they scolded the boys saying it didn’t matter if he was a monkey. He was a kind soul. They asked the boys to go and apologise to him but it was too late .The monkey ran away in the night and never come back.Ever since, monkeys have had red bottoms. Moral:We should respect the differences of everyone and accept everyone for who they are.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of monkey.Moral(s) of the story: respect

How monkeys got their red bottoms

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.Once upon a time, there lived a rich Brahmin by the name of Vishnuswamin, who was performing a huge sacrificial rite. He had three sons and each was extremely particular about three specific things. The eldest was particular about food, the second about women and the third about beds.Vishsnuswamin wanted a tortoise for his sacrifice. So, he sent his three sons to get one. They did find one, but each of them refused to touch it and bring it back home, as each claimed to be as particular as the other.A fierce quarrel broke out amongst them and they approached the king and requested him to decide who among them was the most particular. The king decided to test them all. He invited the first one to a very special feast prepared very exquisitely. But the first son refused to touch the food claiming that he smelt burnt corpses in the rice. On investigation, the king found that the rice was procured from a field near a cremation ground. The king was truly impressed.He then decided to test the second son by sending an extremely beautiful woman to him. But the second son sent her away saying that she smelt like a goat. On investigation, the king found that she had been fed goat milk in her childhood. The king was impressed by the second’s son’s fine taste in women.Then he decided to test the third son, by letting him sleep in a bed with seven huge mattresses. In the middle of the night, the third son awoke with a lot of pain and a red bruise on his shoulder. It was found that there was a strand of hair in the bed below the seven mattresses.The king was extremely impressed by the sensitivity of the third son as well. He could not decide who amongst the three was best, but employed them in his court and decided to use the special skills of the young men in his own interest.Betaal then asked King Vikram, “Who among the three was the most particular? Vikram replied instantly, “The third son! The bruise on his shoulder was a definite evidence of his sensitivity, while the other two sons could have obtained information from elsewhere too.”As soon as Vikram had finished his answer, Betaal flew back to the tree.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.

The Three Special Brahmins

Once, there was a cap-seller in a town. On one fine day, he was selling caps.“Caps, caps, caps….Five rupees caps, ten rupees caps…."After he made few sales of caps, he became very tired. He decided to sit under a big tree to take rest for a while. Soon, he slept off.There were many monkeys on the big tree. They saw the cap-seller was sleeping under the tree. The monkeys were sitting on the top of the tree. The monkeys came down, took the caps from the cap-seller-bag and wore them. Then they climbed the tree again.When the cap seller woke up, he was shocked to see his basket empty. He searched for his caps. To his surprise, he saw the monkeys were wearing them. He found that monkeys were imitating him. So, he started throwing his cap down and the monkeys also did so. The cap-seller collected all the caps, put them back in his basket and went away happily. Moral:Wisdom is better than weapons of war.

This is a story of monkey.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

The Cap-seller and The Monkeys

Shina Utavani

Chetichand is a Sindhi festival and is celebrated by Sindhis around the world. This festival commemorates the birthday of Sindhi Patron Saint Jhulelal. It is the New Year’s Day for Sindhis. Jhelelal is also known as Ishtadeva Udero Lal. The name Jhulelal became famous because as a child, Uderolal’s cradle (jhula) would swing on its own. That is the reason he was known as Jhulelal. He played an important role in providing justice to Sindhis. He was the man of miracles. To honour his deity, Sindhis celebrate this festival. The festival is celebrated on the first or second day of the Sindhi Chet month of Chaitra month in the Hindu calendar. The festival is similar to other Hindu festivals like Gudipadwa celebrated in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh. Saint Jhulelal was born during the 10th century in Sindh, Pakistan. At that time, Sindh was under the rule of Sumras. Sumras was tolerant of all other religions. However, a tyrant named Mirkshah was threatening Sindhi Hindus to convert into Islam or were forced to death. All the Sindhis prayed to the river God to protect them from the forced conversion. They worshiped for forty days and finally, their prayers were heard. River God promised them that a divine child would be born to save them from the tyrant. The child was known as Saint Jhulelal. This day is considered highly auspicious and is celebrated with great pomp and show. The water is worshipped on this day. People prepare delicious food items on this day. Sindhis also come out in a festive procession where they sing and dance to their folklore in front of the idols of Jhulelal.

This is a story of Chetichand and Jhulelal.

Chetichand

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from ìThe Mahabharata.The Kauravas and the Pandavas were given an archery test by their Guru, Dronacharya. They were asked to aim at the eye of a toy bird on the branch of a tree. When the teacher asked them what they saw, with the exception of Arjun, all others claimed to see the sky, trees, the bird, the leaves, the branches, etc. Only Arjun said that he just saw the blackness of the bird's eye. Only he was permitted to shoot at the target, which he did successfully.

stories

Kids moral stories help in improving their imagination & relate to real-world life. Here are age-specific bedtime stories for children by renowned storytellers.

The pride and its result

The Ant and His Lazy Friend

A saint's doubtful Faith

The fox and the goat

How monkeys got their red bottoms

The Three Special Brahmins

The Cap-seller and The Monkeys

Chetichand

Arjun and the Bird's Eye Test

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