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

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 king named Chandrakant. He was very popular due to his valour and generous nature.One day, a guard, who was responsible for guarding the main entrance of the palace, came to him and told him, “His Majesty! You must alert our soldiers, as the enemy’s army might attack our country within a few days.” Chandrakant asked him how he could say that beforehand. The guard did not give a proper reply to that and said that it was just a hunch.After a few days, the neighbouring country did launch a massive attack on Chandrakant’s kingdom, but as his soldiers were alert, they were able to counter the attack. The enemies were vanquished and king Chandrakant was able to save his kingdom.Once the war was over, he decided to give a suitable reward to the guard for his accurate information. Next day, the guard was summoned in the court to receive his reward from the king. The king asked him once again that how he could predict so accurately that the enemies were going to attack the kingdom. The guard replied, “Sir I can see things which are going to happen in my dreams. One night, while I was doing my duty, I had a dream about the enemy army attacking us.” After hearing this, the king gave him one thousand gold coins. And then, suddenly he said to the guard in a firm tone, “You are dismissed from the post of the guard,” Everyone in the king’s court was surprised by the king’s decision, but no one dared to ask him why. The guard quietly accepted the king’s decision. He bowed down before the king and went away.After the story, Betaal asked Vikram, “Could you tell me, why the king dismissed the guard even when he had helped him to win against the enemy?Vikram answered, “Betaal, the duty of a guard is to take care of the palace’s gate. As the guard said, he had a dream during his duty, the king got the idea that he was sleeping on duty. So, although he helped him win against the enemy army, he forgot to do his duty. That is why the king dismissed him from the post of the guard.”As soon as Vikram finished his answer, Betaal flew back to the tamarind tree. Moral:Perform your duties and work with full dedication and then pay heed to other things around.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.Moral(s) of the story: dedication

 Reward for the Gatekeeper

Alihusen Momin

Marvan Atapattu was a Sri Lankan cricketer who played for the national team up until 2007. He is currently the coach of Sri Lanka's national cricket team. His cricket career story had its own ups and downs but his story is surely an inspirational one! When Marvan made his debut in test cricket for Sri Lanka, he scored a duck in his first innings. In the second innings as well, he scored a duck! The team hence dropped him from further matches. Marvan went back to the nets for more rigorous practice. Marvan started playing a lot of domestice first-class cricket (matches to last for three or more days). He kept on scoring and waited for a call from the Sri Lankan national team. After about 21 months, he finally got a second chance. He tried harder this time. And when he played his second international match, his scores were: 1st innings: 0 runs, 2nd innings: 0 runs. He was dropped from the team again and went back to practising again. He scored tonnes of runs in the domestic first-class cricket. He scored many runs but nothing seemed to erase the painful memories of his test cricket performances. And 17 months later, Marvan welcomed a new opportunity again. His scores for the test matches were: 0 and 0 in both the innings. What he did next is something you wouldn't expect; he was back at the grind AGAIN! Everyone was now wondering whether the selectors would ever again give him a chance or not. The selectors felt that he neither had the temperament nor the technique for big matches. Nonetheless, Marvan never stopped trying. Then 3 years later, he got a more chance; who would have thought, right? And this time, he played and played with all his heart and scored good. Then there was no stopping him. He went on to score over 5000 runs for Sri Lanka. That included sixteen centuries and six double hundreds. Not just this, he also captained his country. All this, after SIX years of struggle, determination, dedication, and hard-work. Six years of trying and failing again and again; how many of us can stand so many failures? He must have been tempted to pursue another career, play just the domestic cricket, change his sport altogether, or just give up. But he did not do any of these things. He knew where his heart was and worked only towards that. So the next time you think of quitting something you love whole-heatedly, think again and remember Marvan Atapattu's story and never give up. Moral:Never give up your passion. Work towards it with full determination and dedication.

This is an inspiring story based on Marvan Atapattu's (Sri Lankan cricketer) cricket career.Moral(s) of the story: determination, hard work, dedication

An inspiring story of Marvan Atapattu, a Srilankan Cricketer

Yesha Desai

Once upon a time there was an old man with a huge orchard. He had a beautiful pomegranate tree there.&nbsp;He was loved in the entire kingdom because of his helpful nature and his wonderful advice.&nbsp;The Prince once visited his orchard to meet the old man. His coronation as a King was coming near and this made him a little anxious. He had asked the old man multiple times to be his Chief Advisor but due to his old age and depleting health, the old man had refused.&nbsp;The Prince asked, “How are you so wise? How do you always find such peace? There are so many ministers around me filled with hatred and envy. How would I someday run my Kingdom when I am surrounded by such people? How do you be so content?.”“It is all due to this pomegranate tree, your Highness. It fills me with such calm.”“I must suggest to my ministers that they plant a pomegranate orchard, so that they too will grow wiser,” said the Prince.As they parted ways, the old man gave the Prince a branch of the tree.&nbsp;"Thank you," said the Prince. "I will give this branch to my gardener, and have him plant it in my garden."“Your Highness, if you wish the tree to help you, you must plant it yourself and take care of it. The pomegranate is a delicate tree. It requires a lot of nurturing. In winter it must be covered and you must pour more soil around it. The warmer the tree is in winter, the more delicious and curative are its fruits. Pomegranate can cure several illnesses quickly. Broth made from pomegranate's bark strengthen the gums, a glass of pomegranate juice taken every day for a month dissolves kidney stones.”The Prince nodded and the old man continued, “Similarly, to run a Kingdom you must understand its needs. You must nurture it like your own child, shield it during storms and only then can you reap success.”Moral:To be successful at something, patience, hard-work, and dedication are the most important.

This is a story of pomegranate tree.Moral(s) of the story: patience, hard-work and dedication

An old man and a pomegranate tree

It was a hot summer day. A grasshopper was lying in the shade, relaxing from the heat of the sun when an ant passed by. The ant was dragging a huge seed of corn. “Ant, Ant, why do you work all day? Why don’t you come sing a song with me?” the grasshopper asked.“I am stocking up the food for winter," said the Ant, "and advice you to do the same." “Why bother about the winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at now." The Ant sighed and walked away with its seed.When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants enjoying their food that they had stocked in the summer. The Grasshopper realized that he was a fool to not consider the ant’s suggestion and mock the ant. Moral:Always be prepared for challenging times.

This is a story of ant and grasshopper.Moral(s) of the story: dedication and lying

The Ant and The Grasshopper

Shina Utavani

Sachin- the one who is known as the God of cricket. He is very passionate about cricket. Here, there is an incident that describes his immense passion for cricket.Sachin played the entire tournament of the world cup 2003 with an injured index finger. His finger was hurt so badly that after the tournament he had to go to the USA for operation. He was very worried about surgery’s impact on his batting. He was so worried that he asked his doctor not to split his palm during the surgery. He was very concerned about his finger because any damage to it would affect his batting. Even though anaesthetics were administered on him, he woke up in the middle of the surgery. He then asked the doctors to show him his hand.This was not the only time he demonstrated his passion for the sport.&nbsp;In 2004, when Sachin was diagnosed with a tennis elbow injury, he was very upset at being unable to play the Australia Test series. When his doctors asked him why he was so upset about it, he answered, “It would be like missing my own wedding reception and there is no way I want to do that!”The incidents above describe the love and passion of Sachin towards cricket. It shows his dedication for the sport. His passion and hard work are the reason behind his success in cricket. Moral:If you want to achieve something, be passionate about it and work hard without any excuses.

This is a story of Sachin Tendulkar and his passoin.Moral(s) of the story: dedication and passion

Sachin's passion for cricket

One hot day, a thirsty crow flew all over the fields looking for water. For a long time, she could not find any. She felt very weak, almost giving up hope. Suddenly, she saw a water jug below her. She flew straight down to see if there was any water inside and could see very little water in it.The crow tried to push her head into the jug. Sadly, she found that the neck of the jug was too narrow. Then she tried to push the jug down for the water to flow out. She found that the jug was too heavy.The crow thought hard for a while. Then looking around her, she saw some pebbles. She suddenly had a good idea. She started picking up the pebbles one by one, dropping each into the jug. As more and more pebbles filled the jug, the water level kept rising. Soon it was high enough for the crow to drink. Her plan had worked! Moral:If you try hard enough, you may soon find an answer to your problem. Pro tip: Demonstrate the story by putting something in a glass half filled with water. Let your child see how water rises in the glass.

This is a story of crow.Moral(s) of the story: dedication and hard work

The Thirsty Crow

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 “The Mahabharata”.In ancient India, nearly 5000 years ago, there lived a young prince of Nishada (a tribe of hunters) named Ekalavya. Even though he was a hunter by birth, he aspired to become a great archer and a brave warrior. He wanted to to learn archery from the great Guru Dronacharya. Dronacharya was the greatest teacher of the art of archery and the science of warfare in the kingdom. He was the royal teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Ekalavaya approached Dronacharya but he refused to teach him because he belonged to a lower caste.Ekalavya felt very bad but he did not give up his will to become an archer. He collected the soil on which Dronacharya walked and made an idol out of it. He believed that if he practised faithfully in front of his Guru, he would be able to master the art of archery. So, every morning he would pray in front of the idol and practise throughout the day. After years of practising, he became a skilled archer, even surpassing the best archer in the kingdom- Arjuna.One day, Dronacharya came to know about Ekalavya’s skill, he visited him to know about his Guru. Ekalavya then showed him the idol and said, “You are my Guru.” Dronacharya was worried that Ekalavya would become a better archer than Arjuna, his favourite student. Therefore, Dronacharya asked Ekalavya to pay him Guru Dakshina. Ekalavya was overjoyed with this and said, “I am blessed that you ask me for guru Dakshina. I would never refuse anything that you ask.” Dronacharya then said, “You have to give me your right thumb as Guru Dakshina.”Ekalavya looked steadily at Dronacharya. Without any further questions, he said, “I will never disobey your wish, sir.” Saying this he took out a knife and cut off his right thumb and placed it at his Guru’s feet.Later Ekalavya learned to shoot with his forefinger and middle finger and remains an example of an ideal student till today. Moral:This story teaches us to be determined and stay dedicated to our goal. It teaches us to respect our teachers.

This is a story of Dronacharya, Eklavya, educator and student.Moral(s) of the story: dedication and hard work

dedication 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.

Reward for the Gatekeeper

An inspiring story of Marvan Atapattu, a Srilankan Cricketer

An old man and a pomegranate tree

The Ant and The Grasshopper

Sachin's passion for cricket

The Thirsty Crow

Ekalavya’s allegiance to his teacher

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