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

Raj was a very impatient child.He could barely focus at one task before launching himself towards another.One day, while watching a television show, he decided that he wanted to be a wrestler. So he told his grandfather, “I want to become a wrestler! What should I do?”His grandfather took him to a teacher. The teacher trained Raj in different wrestling moves. And even though the little boy was very enthusiastic, he could do hardly one thing before jumping onto another. Thus, he never properly practised his moves.Days passed yet Raj did not get better at his sport and he frowned at his grandfather, “I am not getting stronger. What will I do now?”His grandfather took him on a walk by the beach and pointed to the cliffs. “Do you know Raj, that the water breaks down these rocks?”Raj’s eyes widened, “Really? But these rocks are so big? How can the sea break them down?”His grandfather smiled and watched as Raj lightly splashed around in the water, “It takes many years, it does not happen overnight. Just like you cannot become a wrestler overnight. You need to be disciplined in your work and be patient. Then you will one day become capable enough to achieve your goals.” Moral:You need to be disciplined and hardworking to achieve your goal.

This is a story of grandfather, grandmother, rock, sea and water.Moral(s) of the story: discipline and hard work

The fruits of discipline

Chim loved dancing. It was not just a hobby for her or a way to spend her time, but even at her young age, she was sure that dance was her one true love.At her dance academy, she was one of the most talented students but she still could not perfect her techniques.One day, at her dance class, a new teacher appeared. He was just as talented as her other teachers, but the difference was that while the other teachers were young, he was 65.Chim watched her teacher dance while pouring his heart into it, performing with grace that many younger students could not perfect.She was enchanted by his hard work and decided to have a talk with him. She learned that her teacher’s last professional dance competition was well over twenty years ago and yet he had stuck to his gruelling training.When she asked him what drove him to work so hard, he said, “I love dancing. But the discipline is all in my mind.”She stopped and thought for a moment if discipline can drive a 65 year old man to train so hard and enjoy it, then how powerfully discipline could serve every single human being on the face of this planet?She realised that to reach where she wanted, she needed more than just passion. She needed discipline, control and a very strong work ethic. Moral:Being disciplined in your work can set you free of limitations that surround you in achieving your goals.

This is a story of dancing, educator and student.Moral(s) of the story: discipline

The dance teacher

Once upon a time there lived a very pious saint. He had many disciples and was very well loved.One day while taking a walk with his disciples in the beautiful mountains of Tibet, he listened to his students talk about their dreams and lives. He considered himself extremely blessed to have such passionate students. However, they were also very competitive.“What qualities do we need to get success in life?” He asked his students.“Talent.” One replied.“Good luck.” The other replied.“Favourable circumstances.” Said another.He sat down with them around a tree and asked them to watch the two farms in front of them.The children obeyed and looked at two farms where farmers were ploughing the land. In one farm, the farmer had seven oxen and in the other, the farmer only had two.In the first farm, work was getting done very easily as compared to the other.In the farm where the farmer had better equipment, the land was ploughed faster and soon enough the farmer was done with his work. In the other farm, even though it took more work, the farmer did not stop and worked harder.As evening fell, the farmer was done with his work too.Both the farmers succeeded.The saint turned to his disciples and said, “Some people have to work harder than others to achieve something, some have natural talent while others have to practice for it, some people have better luck than others but in the end even if the playing fields are uneven you succeed only if you are hardworking and disciplined.” Moral:Discipline and work ethic are the key to success.

This is a story of disciple, farm, farmer and saint.Moral(s) of the story: discipline

The key to success

Ravina Sewani

One of the many disciples of Guru Ram Dass, the fourth Sikh Guru, was Arjun Dev who was always dedicated to the duties assigned to him.His duty was scrubbing the utensils and the other disciples asked him to also serve the Guru sometimes.Arjun Dev replied, “My work is of cleaning the utensils, I do upon Guru’s orders.”The others insisted that the Guru will not be pleased simply by this and that Arjun should serve the Guru too. They went quiet when Arjun replied, “My duty is to serve and obey, not please the Guru.’Time went on and the other disciples did not advice more. Arjun continued his work and the Guru’s health declined.When Guru Ram Dass died everybody wanted to know what was written in his will. Every disciple was so sure that they will succeed the Guru and inherit his fortune.When the ‘will’ was opened, Arjun Dev had been declared the successor.Everyone, particularly those who had high hopes, was surprised and some even questioned Arjun’s qualities.The wise men said, “In the Guru’s views Arjun Dev was the only deserving successor to him.” The disciples asked, “But he never said his prayers. He never took part in the religious discourses. He was only cleaning utensils. Nothing else did he do. Then where lies the justification in making him the successor.”The reply was that the eligibility for becoming the Guru’s successor is one’s innate faith, absolute devotion and discipline, as well as his knowledge and wisdom. Moral:Pleasing others does not take you far, being disciplined and completing the work given to you with devotion brings rewards.

This is a story of Guru Ram Das.Moral(s) of the story: devotion, discipline and hard work.

The Guru’s Successor

Shina Utavani

Lord Shiva made a rule when Lord Ganesha was born, he said that to achieve success in any endeavour, Lord Ganesha must be worshipped first. So, everyone used to worship Lord Ganesha before going for a war.However, Lord Shiva forgot about his own rule and left for a war with the demons in Tripura. He did not worship Lord Ganesha before going for the war. While he was on his way in his carriage, the wheel peg got damaged. It was only then that Lord Shiva remembered that he had forgotten to offer prayers to Lord Ganesh before departing for the war.He offered his prayers to Ganesha and proceeded to the battleground. Lord Shiva won the war! Moral:You must follow certain rules, even if you are the one to define the rules.

This is a story of Ganesh and Shiva.Moral(s) of the story: discipline

Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva

Once upon a time, in the Himalayan mountains, there lived an old saint and his young disciple. The saint was frequently in deep meditation and during his meditation he would have visions of the future which always came true.One day, the saint had a very disturbing vision. He saw that his little disciple was going to die thirty days later. The saint called his disciple and said, “My child, I am going to give you a holiday for thirty days so that you can go home to see your family. However, you must remember to come back here before the end of the thirtieth day.”Delighted at the prospect of meeting his family again, the young disciple went down the mountains without realising that his guru was sad and was actually reluctant to let him go. After a long walk, the young boy stopped at a stream to drink water. There he saw an ant cave, which was a home to countless ants. He observed their activities with great interest and, just as he was about to leave, he saw the water level of the stream gradually rising because of the rains. Very soon, the water would enter the ant cave and drown all the ants.He quickly took off his shirt and put some hard soil in it to make a protective wall along the cave. He managed to stop the water from entering the cave and saved the life of countless ants. Twenty-nine days passed by quickly. The old saint was strolling in the mountain sadly when he saw his little disciple running back to ashram cheerfully.Convinced that these were the last few hours he would ever have with his favourite disciple, he showered him with lots of love and affection and dreaded the break of dawn.The morning sun rose, the whole day passed by and young boy continued to go about his chores as cheerfully as he had done in the past. That day-the thirtieth-too passed uneventfully, and so did the next few days! It was the first time that his vision of the saint had not come true. Obviously, he was elated, but also curious. He knew that there had to be a reason for this ‘vision’ to have failed.Happily, he asked the disciple to narrate the events that had taken place while he was away from the ashram. When he heard about the incident with the ants, it became clear to the saint that because the compassionate young boy had saved the life of countless ants his lifespan had increased. The young disciple, thereafter, lived a long and happy life full of compassion. Moral:Showing compassion to others comes back to us in ways we could never imagine.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

This is a story of saint and disciple.Moral(s) of the story: compassion and discipline

A saint and his disciple

Book Author

Vallabhbhai was a brave and brilliant student. He had leadership skills since his school days. There was one strict teacher in his school who used to use stick to punish the students. One day he fined a student. That student could not pay the amount so the teacher did not allow him to attend the class. Vallabhbhai thought this as a harsh injustice so he asked all the students to go on a strike. He arranged for students to sit in a nearby place. The strike continued for three days. Then the principal had to settle the matter by asking that teacher to be polite with the students.One teacher had a shop of stationary items so he was insisting the students to purchase stationary items from his shop. Vallabhbhai thought this as a wrong practice by a school teacher so he asked the students to boycott that teacher. He used to travel everyday along with his friends for school at N K High school and other people used to go Petlad for work. On the way there was a big stone that was hurting to the people they were going through that way. He noticed that people get hurt but no one is thinking or making any effort to move that stone away from the walkway. He decided to move that stone away from the way. Other friends and people kept going while he stopped there and moved the stone by himself. He had idea of helping people of this country at his early schooling days. Once, Child Vallabhbhai had a boil in the armpit. He went to the village barber and asked him to remove the boil with a hot iron. The barber was hesitated to put the hot iron rod on Vallabhbhai’s boil. Then he himself took the iron from the barber and without fear put on the boil. Thus he was fearless and brave since his childhood. Sardar Patel with Children / YouthWhen Sardar Patel was India’s Deputy Prime Minister, his grandson Bipinbhai visited New Delhi with some friends. They had come by night train. When they were taking breakfast with Sardar, Sardar asked them the reason to come to Delhi. His grandson Bipinbhai told that they have come to enjoy the vacation. Sardar asked them to move around in the city only for a day and then return back in the night train! He did not want anybody taking care of these boys and then expecting from Sardar in return. Once, Sardar went to a college to address the students. Some students insisted to stand only at certain place. Sardar mentioned in his speech, “I have heard of stubbornness of kings, stubbornness of children but for the first time I saw stubbornness of students!” This way he clearly taught a lesson to the students without scolding them. Once, some students came to invite Sardar for a lecture. He clearly told them that they should be ready to listen bitter truth from him and he will never speak sweet words of praise to appease the students. Thus he was not of the opinion to appease students to guide them for a true path but he believed to use hard words whenever required!

Vallabhbhai was a brave and brilliant student. He had leadership skills since his school days. There was one strict teacher in his school who used to use stick to punish the students.

Sardar Vallabhbhai patel’s Childhood

On a fine monday morning, Mehek, a nine year old, was sleeping comfortably in her room.Mondays were usually hard for her, especially after the comfort and laziness of the weekend. So when her mother came to wake her up, she cuddled into her bedsheets.“Wake up and get ready quickly!” Her mother pleaded for the hundredth time that morning but Mehek just whined and did not obey.After much hustle and begging the bus driver to wait for one more minute, Mehek’s mother had succeeded in getting her daughter to school on time. Mehek came home, chattering about the sports competition next day. Despite her mother’s constant reminding, she procrastinated all her other chores. That day her mother decided that Mehek needed to learn a lesson.The next day, she just asked Mehek to wake up once. When she did not listen, Mehek’s mother left. The quiet of the house was very welcoming to every member and thus it was around 9 o’ clock that Mehek finally woke up.When she did, she panicked and ran to her mother, “Ma! Why did you not wake me? Where are my clothes? My shoes? My food? I have a sports competition today.”Mehek realised that she had done none of her daily tasks, and this time her mother did not do them for her.Seeing her daughter’s tearful gaze, her mother said, “We can still make it to your competition. But do you promise to be disciplined and finish your tasks on time?”Mehek nodded, “Yes, Ma.” Moral:It is important to have discipline in your daily life. You can not rely on others for your work.

This is a story of daughter, mother and school.Moral(s) of the story: discipline

How Mehek learned her lesson

On one fine day, Abdul Kalam's class was assigned a project. Excited gasps filled the air because they were supposed to design an airplane.&nbsp;Kalam was very excited. This was beyond doubt his mostfavourite assignment. But it was not as easy as it looked, this required a lot of work and Kalam soon got to it. He woke up before the sun and slept after the sun too, everyday, to dedicate more hours to his work. And so his designs turned out to be finer and more detailed than anyone elseís in his class. Kalam was very proud of his work and was also sure that he would pass with flying colours. That is why he was very confused when he was called into his professors office. He walked in, scared and restless. Had he done something wrong? As soon as he sat down, his professor began, ìWhat is this Kalam?î He asked as he pointed to the work he had submitted. ìThis is what you call an airplane design? This is all you could come up with?î Kalam did not know what was wrong with what he had done, it was far better than the work of any of his classmates but he did not argue. ìI want you to work on this again and get better results, his professor said. Kalam only nodded. He was given a deadline and he had no idea what to do with it. But he took everything in his stride and worked harder. He woke up earlier, he researched more, he stayed up for longer.&nbsp; And finally, he completed his work. This time he hoped that it was good. A few days later he was called by his professor again. This time he said, ìKalam, I knew you could do better. This is wonderful. I am glad you were not disturbed by the previous criticism and took it all in your stride and worked harder. One day all this hard work will pay off.î And he turned out to be right as one day, Abdul Kalam became Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of India.

This is a story of Abdul Kalam and his discipline towards his work.Moral(s) of the story: discipline and hard work

discipline 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 fruits of discipline

The dance teacher

The key to success

The Guru’s Successor

Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva

A saint and his disciple

Sardar Vallabhbhai patel’s Childhood

How Mehek learned her lesson

Kalam's project

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