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

One day, Emperor Akbar got so offended by some comment of Birbal that he ordered him to not only leave the court, but also the city of Agra, his capital. Birbal was terribly hurt and left the city with a heavy heart.Soon Akbar started to find his royal court dull and lifeless without the vibrancy of Birbal’s wit and humour. He desperately wanted him back in the court but did not know about his whereabouts. Nobody else in the court knew where he was.One day, the Emperor had a brainwave. He announced that he will give one thousand gold coins to anyone who will come to his court in half sun and in half shade.Some people came holding a cloth over their heads; some were carrying a wooden board over their head. But, none was able to stand himself before the Emperor, exactly half in sun and half in shade.Just then, a villager came carrying a string cot over his head and claimed the prize money. He said, “Jahanpanah, I stand before you in half sun and in half shade.”Akbar understood that the naïve villager could not have thought of this bright solution himself. On interrogation, he confessed that this idea was suggested to him by a man who was living with him.Akbar was very happy to hear this as he knew it could be only Birbal. Immediately, he sent his men to call Birbal and they had a happy reunion. ﻿Moral:Our traits precede us.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.This is a story of sun.

Birbal betrays himself

One day, Emperor Akbar and his courtiers had to go to Azabgarh for a meeting. Since it was the peak of summer, they started early in the morning. Azabgarh was situated far away from Akbar’s capital. Akbar was sweating profusely sitting in his palanquin under the scorching heat of the sun. He was exhausted and wanted to shorten the journey somehow.After some time, the Emperor gave up and said, “I am really very tired of this journey. I cannot bear to sit in the palanquin any more. Is there someone who can shorten this road for me?”All the other courtiers were dumbfounded as there was no shortcut to reach Azabgarh and they could not possibly shorten the road.At that moment Birbal replied, “Yes, Alampanah! I can!”The Emperor was happy and relieved to hear Birbal’s reply.“Alright then do it”, Akbar said.“Definitely sir, but you have to listen to a story,” Birbal said.The Emperor gladly agreed and Birbal began his story. He rode beside the King’s palanquin and started telling a very engaging story. The Emperor and the courtiers found the story very interesting. They were listening to each and every sentence of Birbal carefully. Finally, when Birbal finished the story, the Emperor and the courtiers realised that they had reached Azabgarh.“We have reached!”exclaimed the Emperor with excitement.To this, Birbal replied “Yes we have sir, you asked me to shorten the path for you, so I did it. You were so engrossed in the story that you did not come to know when you reached your destination.”Akbar was very pleased with Birbal’s way of entertaining him and showered expensive gifts on him. Moral:Distraction can shorten the time.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

Birbal shortens the journey

Ravina Sewani

A long time ago, there was a king who reigned over a large empire. The king was very noble and kind but his son was rude, ill-mannered and bad-tempered. The king tried all kinds of ways to reform his son. The ministers, courtiers and other important and learned people of the kingdom also tried to make the prince change his ways but to no avail. They tried to make the prince realize that his bad behaviour could create a bad impression on the public, but the prince was never willing to listen to any well-meant advice. One day, while the king was taking a walk in his palace garden, he saw a sage pass by. There was a radiant glow on the sage’s face and a confidence in his gait that made the king infer that the sage must be a very learned person full of divine knowledge. The king sent a messenger to invite the sage to his palace. The sage accepted the invitation and was welcomed warmly by the king. When the king found out that the sage was looking for a place to live in, he offered to make a hermitage in the palace for the sage. The sage accepted the king’s offer and started residing in the hermitage in the palace.One day, while the king was talking to the sage, he said, “Dear Sir, it must have come to your knowledge by now that I have a son on whose account I am constantly worried. He is very ill-mannered and bad-tempered. The public of my kingdom considers him unworthy of being a prince. I’m afraid they won’t accept him as their king after me. Please help me, Sir. You are wise; you can teach my son to mend his ways.” The sage assured the king that he would do something to set things right.Next day, the sage asked the prince to come for a walk with him in the palace garden. There, he pointed towards a little plant and said, “Eat a leaf of this plant and tell me how the taste is.” The prince plucked a leaf of the plant and put it in his mouth. As soon as he tasted it, he spat it out on the ground in disgust. “It’s bitter! It must be some poisonous seedling. It could prove to be dangerous to the health of many people if it grows. So, it should not be allowed to grow into a big tree.” Saying this, the prince pulled the plant out of the ground and tore it up.The sage picked up the plant that the prince had destroyed and said, “The way that you reacted towards this plant today, one day the people of your kingdom may react towards you in the same way. They think that you are a wicked prince, so they may not allow you to become their king and may exile you. It is for your own good that you must mend your ways and try to develop a sense of sympathy, compassion and kind-heartedness towards all your fellow beings.”The prince learnt his lesson. He understood the message that the sage was trying to convey through the example of the plant. From that day forth, the prince tried to change his rude and ill-mannered behaviour and became humble and kind. The king was very pleased to see a change in his son and expressed his gratitude to the sage. Moral:All beings deserve respect, empathy, and compassion.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of king and prince.Moral(s) of the story: compassion, empathy and respect

The prince and the seedling

Story- Once upon a time in a kingdom there were two brothers Ram and Shyam. Ram was the elder brother. He was not only intelligent, but also soft hearted and very kind. Hence he preferred spending time serving the poor people. So the younger brother Shyam was crowned the king.The younger prince was a good man but very innocent and fell prey to wrong advice easily. There were some cunning ministers in the kingdom who took advantage of this and brainwashed the king. As a result, Shyam sent his soldiers to arrest his elder brother.However, Ram managed to escape on time. Meanwhile there was an attack from the enemies of another kingdom. Ram disguised himself as an archer and joined his younger brother army. He was so good that the enemy gave up and ran away. The king was really impressed and told Ram to ask for whatever he wanted. To which Ram said that all he ever wanted was his younger brother Shyam’s love and trust.On hearing this, Shyam realized that this was no other than his elder brother Ram. Shyam was not only apologetic but overwhelmed by emotion and took a promise from his elder brother that he would never leave the kingdom and always be there to guide him. Moral:It is always wise to believe your family.

This is a story of brothers, king.Moral(s) of the story: family value

The story of Ram and Shyam

Shina Utavani

There was a boy named Mike. He was 11 years old and lived with his parents. He was the only child to his parents. Mike’s mother was a housewife and his father worked as a carpenter. They all lived a happy life. Mike’s family was not a rich one but they all lived happily.Mike’s school was located a mile away from his home. He wanted a bicycle for his birthday so that he could go to school by cycle. With a bicycle, he no longer had to wait for his father to drop him or walk for half a mile. His father promised him to buy a bicycle so that he could go to his school easily. Mike was very excited to receive a bicycle on his birthday.He woke up happily and went to his parents. His parents happily wished him with all smiles. Mike expected that he would get a bicycle on his birthday but instead, he saw a beautiful gift wrapped in his father’s hand. He was quite surprised. His father gave him the gift. Mike unwrapped the gift and saw a set of books in it. Mike felt a little bad that he did not get a bicycle but he thanked his father all the same. Mike’s father was a little sad as he could not gift a bicycle to his son. But he promised Mike that he would soon buy him a cycle.One day, while Mike was walking back home from the park, he saw a boy riding a cycle. The bicycle was very small for the boy. Suddenly, the boy slipped on the road. Mike went towards the boy to see him. The boy was Mike’s school mate, Sam. He was hurt very badly.Mike helped Sam and gave him some water. Sam was injured very badly as he was riding his bicycle very fast. Mike asked Sam to sit in a corner and took his cycle to get help from a nearby hospital.An ambulance came and carried Sam to the hospital. He then rushed to Sam’s home and informed about the accident to his parents. They all rushed to the hospital. Sam’s parents thanked Mike for the timely help. Mike told them that it was all possible because of the cycle. Mike also told that the cycle was too small for Sam and that was the reason he fell off from it.Every day, Mike went to see Sam in the hospital. He visited him until he was discharged. They both became best friends. Sam’s father bought a new bicycle for him as the cycle he had was very small. Sam came to know that the Mike did not have a bicycle so he decided to gift his old bicycle to him.Sam gave his old bicycle to Mike. Mike took his parent’s permission and he accepted his gift. He was very happy to receive a bicycle. MORAL:Helping others will help you for sure.

This is a story of bicycle and friend.Moral(s) of the story: helpfulness

Bicycle Diaries

One day, Mulla Nasiruddin was talking to his neighbour. The neighbour was looking so miserable that Nasiruddin asked him what was bothering him. The man started to complain about the lack of space in his house and said, “It is such a small house, Mulla. And me, my wife, my three children and my mother-in-law–all have to live together in the same little cottage. It is very cramped and there is hardly any space to move around.” He asked Nasiruddin for some advice on how to deal with this problem.Nasiruddin said, “Do you keep chickens in the yard?” “Yes, ten of them,” replied the man. “Good. Bring them inside the house and keep them there,” said Nasiruddin. “But, Mulla!” the man exclaimed. “My house is already overcrowded.” “Just do as I say,” Nasiruddin replied.The man was really very troubled and wanted to find a solution to his problem. He decided to give the Mulla’s advice a try. So the man went home and brought all the chickens into the house. Next day, he went to meet Nasiruddin again. He said, “Mulla, I followed your advice and took the chickens into the house. But it did not solve anything. In fact, it has made matters worse. My house is even more cramped now.“I see,” said Nasiruddin. ” Now take your donkey and keep it inside your house. The man did not think much of this idea but Nasiruddin managed to convince him to do it.The next day, the man came to Nasiruddin, looking very distressed, and said,”Now, it’s six humans , ten chickens and a donkey inside my house. It is so crowded that one can hardly move.” Nasiruddin replied, “You own a goat too, don’t you?” “Yes, I do,” said the man. “Great,” Nasiruddin said. “Take it inside the house too.” The man objected, “How is that going to solve anything?” but Nasiruddin once again convinced him to do as he had said.The next day, the man walked up to Nasiruddin in a state of anger and distress and said, “Your plan has made our lives miserable. The house is now so crowded that we are finding it difficult to even breathe. My family is upset and everyone is complaining about the lack of space.”“Don’t get so upset, friend,” said Nasiruddin. “Go back home and take all the animals back outside.” The man did as he was told.Next day, when the man came across Nasiruddin, he was beaming. He said, “I must thank you, Mulla! Your plan has worked wonders. Now that all the animals are outside, there is enough space in the house for all the family members. Everyone is happy and content with the house now.” Moral:Satisfaction is the key to a content life. Complaining about the situation leads to nowhere.

This is a story of house and Mulla Nasruddin.Moral(s) of the story: family value, satisfaction and smartness

The crowded home

One day, a bear was sleeping in the forest. A farmer saw the bear sleeping and sneaked into him and cut off one of his paws with an axe. The farmer brought the paw home. He said to his wife, “Boil some soup from the flesh, and knit some warm gloves from the wool.” Her wife took off the skin, threw the flesh into the pot to boil, and sat down to spin the wool. When the bear woke up, he found out that one of his paws was not there. There was no one to help him so, he cut a bit of wood and tied it instead of his leg. After that, we went into the village. On his way, he sang: Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I am stumbling with the tree wood on my leg,The water’s asleep, and the earth’s asleep, the whole village is asleep,only one woman is awake, and she is boiling my flesh,sitting on my skin and spinning my wool!” The farmer’s wife got scared by hearing the bear’s voice. She saw him coming and she quickly hid in the cellar under the floor. The bear went into the house and there was no one. He then took the bit of his skin, took the flesh out of the pot and left the place. Moral:Attacking someone when they are not aware is easy. The strength is when both the parties are equally aware and armed.

This is a story of bear and farmer.Moral(s) of the story: cheating and strength

The bear’s paw

One day, Raj's mother bought some samosas. Among them was a BIG samosa. While Raj greeted his mother, the big samosa thought, "What a small place to be in! I should squash one of the small ones and make space for myself." Thinking so she squashed the tiniest samosa. "Yeeowee!", Yowled the tiny samosa before it was squashed and broke apart. Now the samosas were angry. They hadn't liked the big samosa from the beginning. She was a bit too rude. Now they had to do something. But what? "Should we squash her?" asked one. "Why don't we squeeze her potatoes?" asked another. "I know", said the squashed samosa. We will push together and knock the big samosa into the sauce. Then she will be eaten faster". The other samosas quickly agreed. They formed up, picked up the tiny squashed samosa, and "WHOOSH!" - the squashed samosa was launched into the big samosa knocking her into the sauce. "Crunch", Raj bit into the big samosa with a happy smile. "Yay!", Cheered all the samosas and they lived happily ever after... Until Raj ate them too.

The Samosa Story

Once, a huge bull used to live in a village that was situated by the side of a lake. One day, the bull, feeling thirsty, made his way towards the lake to drink water.A small mouse was sitting and relaxing by the side of the river. When the bull crossed that place, walking towards the lake, he accidentally stepped on the mouse’s tail. The mouse screamed in pain but the bull did not notice anything. The mouse looked at his tail and found that it had been completely crushed. He was infuriated and wanted to take revenge. “I will bite this bull to death,” he thought to himself in anger and climbed on to the bull’s back. He started biting the bull all over his back as hard as he could with his sharp teeth. But the bull’s skin was so thick that he did not feel any pain from the mouse’s bites. In fact, he was not even aware that there was a mouse on his back!After biting the bull for some time and not seeing any results, the mouse was tired and fed up. He jumped off the bull’s back and went and stood in front of him. “Why are you blocking my way?” the bull asked. “Clear out or you will get crushed.”The mouse said, “You have already crushed me. See what you have done to my tail.” He added, “Didn’t you feel any pain when I bit you all over your back?”This surprised the bull greatly. He laughed and said, “Neither did I realise I had stamped over your tail nor did I feel you biting me all over my body. But, if it really happened, I apologise.” The bull’s answer left the mouse speechless. He was convinced that it was useless to argue with that thick-skinned animal as it is of no use arguing with a stupid person and he sadly walked back home. Moral:There is no point in arguing with a stupid person as (s)he wouldn’t budge from his/her opinion.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of bull and mouse.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

aesop fables 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.

Birbal betrays himself

Birbal shortens the journey

The prince and the seedling

The story of Ram and Shyam

Bicycle Diaries

The crowded home

The bear’s paw

The Samosa Story

The mouse and the bull

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