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.

Shina Utavani

Once in a forest, there was a huge pond. In the pond, there lived a flock of cranes. All the cranes used to catch fishes from the pond and spent their lives happily. There also lived a cunning fox in the forest. His name was Tricky. He also visited the pond to catch fishes. Whitey, one of the cranes helped Tricky to catch fishes. Gradually, Whitey and Tricky started talking and became best friends. They used to talk, chat, eat, and play together.One day, Tricky invited Whitey to his place for dinner. He wanted to give a treat to Whitey for helping him. It was a Sunday evening and Whitey dressed up and left for the Tricky’s house. Whitey took some grapes with him. Tricky welcomed his friend to his house. They both were talking and suddenly the aroma of soup filled the place. Whitey was very hungry and could not resist the aroma. Tricky called him inside for the dinner.Tricky played a prank with Whitey. So, he poured the soup into two plates. Whitey who was excited to taste the soup was shocked as the soup was on the plate. Tricky enjoyed the soup while whitey could not drink the soup as it was on a plate. Whitey was very upset and returned home with an empty stomach. He decided to teach Tricky a lesson.Whitey met Tricky the next day and said, “I am delighted by the way you treated me. Let’s meet for dinner at my place today in the evening.” In the evening, Tricky arrived at Whitey’s house. Both of them talked for some time. Whitey also had prepared the soup and the aroma filled the place. Tricky’s mouth watered.Whitey went in and came with soup in two deep long jars. He placed the jars on the table. Tricky was shocked when he saw the jars. Tricky tried to drink from the jar but as soon as he bent, the jar got stuck in his mouth. He tried to remove the jar but the jar was stuck tightly on his mouth. He ran here and there and finally the jar broke.Tricky said, “Sorry, Whitey. Please forgive me. From now, I will not play any pranks and will be a good friend.” Moral:One should not try to make fun of the other’s limitations.

This is a story of crane, forest, fox and pond.Moral(s) of the story: carelessness and ignorance

The Fox and the Crane

Ravina Sewani

There was once a clown named Lemon. He was a lot of fun, but also very careless. Whenever he did anything, he almost always ended up tearing his jacket, getting a hole in his sock, or ripping the knee of his trousers.Everyone said he should take more care, but Lemon found that really boring. So, one day, he had the happy idea of buying himself a sewing machine. This machine was so fantastic that it sewed everything up within a moment. It seemed like Lemon wouldn't have to worry about his things anymore.Soon, the most important day in Lemon's life arrived. It was the day when everyone in town prepared a party for him, in celebration of Lemon's many years of service in making the citizens chuckle. On that day he wouldn't have to wear his colourful clown suit. That day he would be dressed like anyone else; very elegantly in his suit, and everyone commenting on his smart appearance.However, the night before, he had a look in his closet, and there wasn't a single suit in good condition. They were all ripped and torn, with dozens of stitching marks. Lemon couldn't possibly go to the party dressed in those. Well, Lemon was sharp and quick-witted, and he solved this problem by attending the gala celebration in his usual clown suit. That definitely amused the audience, but Lemon wasn't as keen on it.He had dreamed of being, just for one day in the year, the hero of the show, and not just the clown.Very early the next day, Lemon replaced all those damaged old suits, and since then, he has looked after his clothes with great care. He realised that using short-term remedies ends up being no remedy at all. Moral:Caring about your things and the people around you brings immense happiness in life.

This is a story of clown, jeans, pant and t shirt.Moral(s) of the story: carelessness and regret

The careless clown

There was once a little grey planet that was very sad. The people living there hadn't looked after it, despite them having all the inventions and space ships you could ever need. They had contaminated the whole countryside so much with rubbish and pollution that there were no plants or animals left.One day, a little boy was walking on the planet, when he passed a cave and noticed a small red flower inside. The flower was very sick - almost dying - so the boy carefully dug up the flower, with roots, soil and everything. Then, he started looking for a place where he could look after it. He searched all over the planet, but everywhere was so contaminated that there was no place the flower could possibly live in. Then he looked up at the sky and noticed the moon. It seemed to the boy that maybe the plant could survive there.So the little boy put on his astronaut suit, and climbed into a space ship. He put the little red flower in the back, and off they went to the moon.Far away from all that pollution - and with the boy visiting it every day to tend it - the flower started to grow. The flower was so well cared for, that it had soon germinated, giving birth to others, and these other flowers spread onto other flowers. Before long, the whole moon was completely covered with flowers.That's why, whenever the little boy's flowers open up, for a few minutes the moon takes on a soft red sheen, like a warning light. Maybe it's telling us that if you don't look after your planet, a day will come when flowers will only be able to grow on the moon. Moral:Earth is the only planet we have. We keep earth happy, earth keeps us happy in turn. Save environment.

This is a story of Moon, planet, space ship and flower.Moral(s) of the story: carelessness

The Red Moon

Charlie was a rich boy and had way more toys than he could take care of. His parents were very rich and would keep buying new toys for him. Charlie had no idea how much everything costs and would never put efforts in taking care of his things. He did not even realise that not all children get to play with the kind of toys he had.&nbsp;One day, he lost all interest in the toys he had and wanted something unique. Charlie’s uncle found a horse and gifted it to him. Charlie was very happy with his gift and learned to ride the horse. But he was still careless about his horse and would not clean or feed the horse regularly. In no time, the horse started losing weight and looked sick. Charlie, for the first time in his life, was upset about this and was not happy about the fact that his parents were ready to exchange his old horse for a new one.One day while riding, he saw a girl with her horse. Her horse was in perfect health and looked happy. He followed the girl and noticed that the girl never hit the horse with a whip while riding. When she reached the stable, she fed the horse and cleaned it. Charlie did not know how to do all this and so went up to the girl and asked her to teach him everything.Charlie, from that onward, put all his efforts in taking care of his horse. When his horse was in good health again and ready to ride, Charlie went on a ride with the girl. This made him the happiest. Charlie realized that take care of things brings happiness but it also requires time, efforts, and dedication.&nbsp;Charlie then stopped asking for new toys. He gave some toys to his new friend and distributed other toys to several children in the village. The toys that he kept with himself, he took great care of them too. Moral:No one is going to take care of our things. It is us who have to take the responsibility and look after our belongings.

This is a story of a story and his owner.Moral(s) of the story: caring and sharing

Charlie and the horse

Yesha Desai

One day, Nancy’s mother gave her the money to buy a clock from the market. She was a very hasty child and wanted to finish the work her mother had given her and go back to playing with her friends.So, she went to a showroom and bought a beautiful clock. When she got back home, it was 12 o'clock in the afternoon and the hands of the clock were lined up together.She thought that the clock only had one hand and was thus broken. She did not bother checking again and ran to the shopkeeper, thinking that he had given her a broken clock.When she reached the shop, she said, “Uncle, one hand of this clock is missing. How could you give me a defective clock?”When she and the shopkeeper looked at the clock, two hands of the clock were visible. The clock was working and Nancy realised that her accusation was wrong. She realized her folly, felt embarrassed and returned home. Moral:Do not do your work in haste, it only leads to errors. Verify before throwing blame.

This is a story of clock.Moral(s) of the story: carelessness and patience

carelessness 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 Fox and the Crane

The careless clown

The Red Moon

Charlie and the horse

The broken clock

More like this

Bee Suggestions

About Bee