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.

Ravina Sewani

One day, a rich merchant came to Birbal, the Wise. He said to Birbal, "I have seven servants in my house. One of them has stolen my bag of precious pearls. Please find out the thief."So Birbal went to the rich man's house. He called all the seven servants in a room. He gave a stick to each one of them. Then he said, “These are magic sticks. All these sticks are equal in length. Keep them with you and return them to me tomorrow. If there is a thief in the house, his stick will grow an inch longer by tomorrow."The servant who had stolen the bag of pearls was frightened. He thought, "If I cut a piece of one inch from my stick, I won't be caught." So he cut the stick and made it short by an inch.The next day Birbal collected the sticks from the servants. He found that one servant's stick was short by an inch. Birbal pointed his finger at him and said, "Here is the thief." The servant confessed his crime.He returned the bag of pearls and was sent to jail. Moral:The wise can figure out the simplest of ways to solve any problem.

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

Birbal, the wise

Yesha Desai

Once Emperor Akbar thought of playing a trick on Birbal. He gave one egg to each of his ministers before Birbal reached the court.When Birbal arrived in the court, the Emperor told everybody about a strange dream that he saw the previous night. He said, “A divine being appeared in my dream and said that I would be able to judge the honesty of my ministers by giving them a simple task. I must ask them to go to the royal garden pond and get an egg from there. Those who are honest, will find an egg there and those who are not, shall return empty handed.”Then the Emperor directed all of his courtiers to go to the royal garden pool and bring back an egg. One by one, all his ministers went to the pond and returned with the egg, which the Emperor had previously given them.Birbal also went to the pond and looked around for an egg. He even jumped into the pond but failed to find any egg. He soon realized that the Emperor was trying to play a trick on him. So, he thought for a while and then entered the court crowing like a rooster.The Emperor asked him to stop making that irritating noise and produce the egg.Birbal smiled and replied that only hens lay eggs, and as since he was a rooster, he could not produce an egg.Akbar burst out laughing and understood that it was not easy to outwit his clever minister. Moral:Despite the silliness of the situation, you can turn it in your favour and humour everyone.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.

The Rooster and the hen

One day the Emperor asked Birbal, “Birbal, is it possible for any man to be the “noblest” and the “lowest” together?”Birbal said, “Yes, Jahanpanah!”Akbar then asked Birbal to bring any one such man before him.Birbal went out and soon returned with a beggar. Presenting the poor beggar to the Emperor, he said, “This is the lowest among all of your subjects, Jahanpanah”Akbar asked, “Well, you may be right, Birbal. But, I don’t see that how he can be the noblest?”“Today this lowest subject of yours has been given the honor of having an audience with you, the greatest of all Mughal kings. This is what makes him the noblest among the beggars, Jahanpanah!”Emperor Akbar was full of Birbal’s praise on putting this so aptly before him and rewarded him handsomely. Moral:Our creativity and imaginative responses can get us a long way.

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

The Noblest beggar

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

Once, a rich man invited Birbal for lunch at his place. When Birbal reached the rich man’s house, he saw that the main hall was full of many other people also. When the rich man saw Birbal at his door, he welcomed him warmly and ushered him inside the house. Birbal said, “My dear man, it seems to me that you have invited almost half of the city today.” The rich man politely replied, “Sir, they are not my guests, they are my employees. There is only one other guest here, besides you. Is it possible for you to identify who that other guest is?”Birbal smiled and said, “Well, I will certainly give it a shot. Tell them a joke! I will have a glance at all of them and then give you your answer.” The rich man told a lame joke and everybody laughed hysterically. It was the worst joke that Birbal had ever heard in his life. Now,The rich man asked Birbal, “I have told the joke, now you tell me who is the other guest here?” Birbal pointed out towards a man and said, “He is that other guest!” The rich man was very surprised hearing this as the man towards whom Birbal had pointed was indeed the other guest. He said to Birbal, “Dear Sir, you are absolutely right, but how did you recognize him?”Birbal said, “It was simple! Pardon me for saying so, but only your employees could have laughed on the pathetic joke that you had cracked. This man was the only person who did not even smile at your joke, and this helped me to recognize him as the other guest.” Moral:People who are indebted to you are more likely to indulge you.

Birbal identifies the guest

This is one of the most famous stories of Emperor Akbar and his witty courtier, Birbal. Akbar had a strange hobby of asking many interesting questions from his courtiers to amuse himself.One day, Akbar entered the royal court, settled in his royal chair, and asked his courtiers, “What punishment should be given to a person who pulls my moustache?”The prime minister said, “He should be beheaded!”The treasurer said, “He should be flogged!”The chief of the army said, “He should be hanged!”Everybody in the court suggested many extreme punishments for the culprit.“What do you think, Birbal?” the Emperor asked Birbal.Birbal kept quiet for a moment, and then said, “Huzoor, he should be given sweets!”“What, Birbal? Have you gone crazy? Do you know what are you saying?”Birbal replied politely, “I am not crazy, Jahanpanah! And I know what I am saying!”“Then how can you suggest that I should reward the person who pulls my moustache?” the Emperor asked in anger.Birbal again replied politely, “Because, Huzoor, the only person who can dare to do this is your grandson.”The Emperor was very pleased with Birbal’s answer and gave his ring to him as a reward. Moral:Even if the question is silly, you can manage the situation by thinking on your feet and giving a witty answer.

Birbal’s sweet reply

The story is of the time when Raja Birbal did not have a personal horse or a carriage to bring him from his home to the Emperor’s court. One day, Akbar saw him coming on foot and promised to give him the fastest horse from his royal stable. Accordingly, he instructed the in-charge of the royal stable to give a horse to Birbal. But, just to have some harmless fun with Birbal and see his reaction, Akbar asked the stable man to select a weak and sick horse for Birbal. The stable man carried out the Emperor’s orders and delivered an old and sick horse at Birbal’s house. The horse was in such a bad shape that it died on the same night that it was delivered.Next day When Akbar saw Birbal coming on foot again, he asked in a surprised tone, “What happened to the horse that was arranged for you from the royal stable? It was our fastest horse! Were you afraid of riding it?”Birbal bowed and replied, “Jahapanah, it indeed was the fastest horse of all. He was in fact, so fast that he crossed the distance from earth to heaven in one night.”Akbar smiled at Birbal’s witty reply, and got a healthy horse arranged from the royal stable for Birbal. Moral:Our wit and humour can brighten our days and make them enjoyable.

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

Fast Horse

Akbar was a great Mughal Emperor and Birbal was his witty minister. One day, Akbar was taking a walk in his garden with Birbal.Many crows were flying around. As he observed the birds flying, he thought of asking Birbal a tricky question.He asked, “How many crows are there in our kingdom, Birbal?”Birbal thought for a moment, and then said, “There are ninety-five thousand, four hundred and sixty three crows in your kingdom, Huzoor.”“How do you know that for sure?” the King asked.“You can get them counted, Huzoor.” Birbal said.The Emperor again said, “If there are less than that, then?”Birbal replied immediately, “That means that the rest of them have gone on vacation to some neighbouring kingdoms.”“And if there are more than that, then?” asked Akbar.“Then it means that other crows have come to visit their relatives in our kingdom, Huzoor,” said the witty minister.Akbar was very pleased with the answer that Birbal gave and gave him a suitable reward. Moral:Even if the question is silly, you can manage the situation by thinking on your feet and giving a witty answer.

How many crows in the kingdom

Raja Birbal was famous for his wit and sense of humour across the seven seas. Once, a highly distinguished scholar came to Akbar’s court and challenged Birbal to answer his question. He wanted to test Birbal’s wits, and find out whether he was as clever as people said he was. Birbal accepted the challenge.Then the scholar asked Birbal, “Tell me Birbal, would you like to answer one hundred easy questions or a single difficult question?” Akbar and Birbal had a very long day; they were in a hurry to wind up the court, so Birbal said, “O learned one! Ask me one difficult question.”The scholar instantly shot his question at Birbal, “Who came first? Chicken or egg?”Birbal answered the question without giving any second thought, “The chicken!”The scholar was puzzled to hear such a swift reply. He further asked Birbal, “How do you know?”“We agreed that you would ask only one question, and you have already asked it. So, no more questions please!” Birbal retorted.Birbal’s witty reply left the scholar speechless. Moral:Even if the question is silly, you can manage the situation by thinking on your feet and giving a witty answer.

akbar birbal 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, the wise

The Rooster and the hen

The Noblest beggar

Birbal betrays himself

Birbal identifies the guest

Birbal’s sweet reply

Fast Horse

How many crows in the kingdom

Just one question

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