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

The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic written by the famous sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama's effort to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana. It also describes the challenges faced by Lord Rama, Laxaman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from “The Ramayana”.Ramayan is the Hindu Epic tale of India which describes the struggle of Lord Rama in rescuing his wife from the demon king Ravana. Lord Rama decided to build a bridge to reach Lanka in order to rescue Sita. This particular story describes the efforts put by the little squirrel in building the bridge.When the entire army of monkeys was busy making the bridge on the sea to reach Lanka to take Sita, a small squirrel living in the area watched the entire scene. Seeing them, the squirrel also wanted to contribute to building the bridge. But the squirrel was too small to even carry the sand or stone. So, the squirrel thought of an idea. It went to the sea and had a dip. Then, the squirrel rolled over in the sand. With the sand all over its body, it went between the rocks and rolled over it. She continued doing the process from sunrise till sunset. She did this for days effortlessly. No one noticed her for days.One day, a monkey noticed her and started making fun of her. He told her to stay away otherwise the rock would crush her. Everyone started making fun of her. The squirrel was in tears. Lord Ram happened to watch the actions of the squirrel. The squirrel was tireless and went on doing its job without any break until the project was completed. Lord Ram described to the army how the squirrel has worked as the connector between the two rocks. Lord Ram was pleased with the efforts of this little squirrel. He explained to all others the relevance of the squirrel and its sense of duty. He took the squirrel on his lap and showed his appreciation by moving his three fingers from head to tail. It is said that those are the three lines which we see today in a squirrel.Since then, the squirrels have carried white stripes on their bodies. Moral:No work is big or small. It is not the type of work that matters, but what you learn from working that counts. Never listen to people who tell you that the work you are doing is demeaning or would undermine your prestige.

This is a story of monkey, Ram and squirrel.Moral(s) of the story: effort

The Story of a Squirrel

Yesha Desai

A pet shop owner had put several animals up for a sale and as expected, a lot of children soon gathered around.A girl came up to the shop owner and asked him the prices of different cats that he had in his shop.The girl frowned because she did not have so much money and the shopkeeper smiled since he knew the girl from around the neighborhood, “It is alright child, you can pay me back later.”The shopkeeper took the girl to see all the animals.All the puppies and birds around them made eager noises, except for one.Toby, a stray cat, hid in his box, away from prying eyes.The girl asked the shopkeeper, “What is wrong with him?”The shopkeeper slowly brought Toby out and the cat whined before sadly limping away.The girl looked with determination, “Sir, I want to take Toby home.” and handed the little money she had to the man.The man shook his head, “Child, you do not have to pay for him. It is alright. I can give him to you for free as no one wants a limping, mean cat. People keep returning him.”The girl shook her head, “No. His worth is just as much as the other animals. His physical status does not matter and neither does the fact that his previous owners could not understand him.”“But, he won’t be able to play with you like the other kittens. He won’t be able to run fast or anything.”The girl smiled and showed him her metal leg. “Good, because I cannot run fast either.”Toby was brought to a home where his human played with him while considering his physical limits. The girl would always be very thoughtful of Toby’s needs. In return, the girl found companionship in Toby.Toby lived happily ever after, with a girl who loved him and understood him. He was never returned back to the shop. Moral:We are not meant to fit in with everyone. Sometimes we just need people who understand us.

This is a story of cat and pet store.Moral(s) of the story: understanding

Toby- The Cat

Ravina Sewani

Once a goat was grazing on the grassy slope of a hill near a stream. It decided to taste the grass on the hills across. A narrow log served as a bridge across the stream. While crossing the bridge, it saw another goat coming from the other side. The bridge was so narrow that only one animal could cross the bridge at a time.The first goat said to the other, "Let me pass first." "You let me pass first", snapped the other goat. They started arguing and finally got into a terrible fight. They lost their balance and fell into the stream.The other goats grazing on the hills saw this and learnt a lesson. After few days, two other goats faced the same problem. One goat said to the other, "I'll sit down and you can step over my body." "Thank you. Next time, I'll sit down and let you cross first."Thus both of them were able to cross the bridge safely. Moral:Wisdom is better than weapons of war.

This is a story of goat and understanding.Moral(s) of the story: cooperation and understanding

Two Goats

Once, there was a king who had a beautiful daughter. In the forest next to the kingdom, there lived a giant. This giant was in love with the princess. But he could never come close to the princess as she always wore an amulet that kept all evil away from her. Nevertheless, the giant would frequently appear before her and embarrass her. The princess was fed up with this.One day, the giant was hiding behind the curtains of the princess’s room when he heard the princess talking to her friends. She was saying, “A very powerful giant keeps pestering me. Please suggest some way of getting rid of him.” On hearing about a ‘powerful giant’, the giant thought that this must be some other giant, more powerful than him. He wanted to know who this other giant was so that he could kill him. To find out more about the powerful giant, he transformed himself into a horse and started living in the palace stables with the other horses.One night, a thief entered the stable with the mind to steal a horse. He looked at all the horses and thought that the ‘giant horse’ was the finest. So, he mounted him and started running away. The giant, however, thought that this man must be the other ‘powerful giant’. He got scared and started running wildly. The thief whipped him and he ran even faster in fear. When the thief pulled the reins to stop the horse, the giant did not stop. He was so scared that he kept on running. Finally, in an attempt to get off the horse’s back, the thief caught hold of a Banyan tree’s branch above and clung on to it while the ‘giant horse’ just kept running ahead.On this Banyan tree, there lived a monkey who was the giant’s friend. He figured out that the giant must have mistaken the thief for a more powerful giant and called out to him, saying, “This is just a human being. Why are you afraid of him?” Now, things became clear to the giant and he headed back towards the thief to kill him and eat him. Just then, the thief who was hanging from the branch, saw that the monkey’s tail was dangling quite close to his face. He bit it hard and the monkey screamed out in pain.This again convinced the giant that the thief was no ordinary human but a very powerful giant who would kill him. So, he ran away into the forest as fast as he could. Moral:A fool is misguided by the smallest of things and thoughts.

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

The giant and the horse thief

Once, a little mouse who lived in the country village invited his cousin mouse from the city to visit him. When the city mouse sat down to have dinner, he was surprised to see that the village mouse had nothing to offer him except barley and some grain. He said scornfully, “Dear cousin, is this what you eat every day? I beg your pardon for saying so, but you do not live well at all here in the village. You must come to visit me once and see how I live!” The city mouse bragged further, “I have all sorts of fine things to eat every day. If you see my royal lifestyle there in the city, you would never want to come back.”The village mouse was very impressed to hear about his cousin’s way of life and thus, he decided to visit him. The city mouse warmly welcomed his cousin and the first place that he showed him was the kitchen. There were myriad delicious food items lying in the kitchen cabinets. There was bread, cheese, fruit, cereals and all sorts of grains. The village mouse could not believe his eyes as he had not seen so much of food in one place ever back in his village.Then the two mice went to the dining area to have their lunch. A lavish meal, including delicious cakes, dessert and wine was laid out on the dining table. When they were just about to start their lunch, they heard a distinct ‘Meeeeow’ coming towards them. It was a cat that was about to pounce on them. The two mice left whatever they had in their hands and scampered off to safety.The village mouse was very frightened and asked his cousin, “Who is she? Does she also live here in this house?” The city mouse replied, “She is Snowy, the cat. The owners have kept her to rid the house of the mice. I have to daily deal with her in order to savour all those delicious meals.”The cat looked for them for some time and then left. Both the mice came out again sat down to have their lunch but, just then the owners of that house also came to have their lunch. The mice had to run for their lives again and remain hungry till the night.In the night, the city mouse took his cousin to the cellar to find something to eat. The village mouse saw a big piece of cheese lying on the board and was just about to grab it when he heard his cousin yelling from behind, “Stop! That is a trap! You may get killed.”The little village mouse looked at the trap, and he looked at the cheese, and then he looked at the little city mouse. He said, “I think I will go home. I would rather have barley and grain to eat, and eat it in peace and comfort, than have cakes and desserts and cheese and be frightened to death all the time!” The city mouse had nothing to say. Moral:The luxuries and riches are not the sources of peace and happiness but being satisfied with what we already have is.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of cat and mouse.Moral(s) of the story: happiness and peace

Village mouse and the city mouse

One day there was a battle of wits between a mountain and a mouse. The mountain said, “What a poor little thing you are!”The mouse snapped, “I know I am not as big as you are. But, then, you are not as small as I am.” “Big size has big advantages,” said the mountain, “I can stop the clouds sailing across the sky.”“So you can,” agreed the mouse. “But you can’t stop me from making big holes in your very foundation, can you?”The tiny mouse outwitted the mighty mountain. Moral:Big or small, each one has his importance.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of mountain and mouse.Moral(s) of the story: equality

The Mountain and the Mouse

Sarah did not like to drink milk. Whenever her mom gave Sarah a glass of milk, she would say, “No, thanks, Mom, no milk for me.” Sarah’s mom knew how important it was for her young daughter to drink milk. Milk had calcium and Sarah needed calcium in order to have strong teeth and bones.One afternoon, Sarah’s mom spoke to Sarah’s teacher, Mrs. Smith, about her problem with Sarah. The next day Mrs. Smith gave Sarah a special book to read. The book was called, “Fluffy.” Sarah loved to read and loved kittens too. Fluffy was a kitten.When Sarah got home from school that day, she ran to her mom, kissed her, and said, “Mom, look. Mrs. Smith gave me a special book to read. It is about a kitten named Fluffy.”“That’s nice, dear. Why don’t you read a bit before dinner?” asked her mom. Sarah washed her hands and sat at the kitchen table to read. After reading for a few minutes, Sarah said, “Oh, poor Fluffy can’t climb a tree because her paws hurt.”Then Sarah said, “Poor Fluffy can’t bend, twirl, or dance because her paws hurt.” Sarah closed her book. Sarah’s mom came to the table and asked, “What’s wrong, dear? Why have you stopped reading?”Sarah said, “It’s Fluffy. She can’t climb, bend, twirl, or dance because she won’t drink milk and, and, and……” Sarah stopped. Then Sarah said, “Mom, may I have a glass of milk?” Sarah drank the glass of milk and said, “If Fluffy needs milk to be healthy and strong, I guess I do, too.” “Yes, dear,” smiled Sarah’s mom. Moral:A glass of milk everyday builds a strong mind and a strong body.

This is a story of mother, daughter, milk and cat.

Sarah and Fluffy

There was big a lion in a jungle and he was the king of the jungle. One day, the king of the forest was wounded in a fight with an elephant. The king was hurt very badly and could not hunt for many days. He did not have anything for food. He had to remain hungry for many days. The lion’s minister was a clever fox. Since the lion was unable to hunt, the fox too had to remain hungry. After remaining hungry for many days, one day the fox finally said, “Your majesty! We have not eaten anything for days and we both are hungry. If this continues for some more days then we will die soon.” The Lion said, “My legs are wounded and I cannot go for hunting. But we can do one thing. If you manage to bring an animal to me, I can kill that animal easily. Then we both can eat that animal.” The fox said, “I will try my best.” The fox left and went on to search for an animal. On the way, the fox saw a donkey. The fox was very happy to see the donkey and thought he was the right choice for the hunt. He went to the donkey and said, “Hello, how are you? I have seen you after so long. You are looking very weak.” The donkey replied, “Yes, actually my owner takes a lot of work from me and does not give me enough food.” The clever fox then said, “I feel very bad for you. Why don’t you come with me to the jungle? Our King is very kind. We even have a vacancy in the king’s court. He will keep you nicely.” The donkey was attracted by the fox’s words and agreed to go with him. The cunning fox was successful in fooling the donkey. They both went to the jungle. As soon as the lion saw the donkey, he jumped upon him to kill him. But the lion missed the target and the donkey was very scared so he ran away from there. They lost good meat because of the lion’s rush. They both felt very sad. The lion requested the fox to try again and bring the donkey back.So, the fox went in search of the donkey. The fox met him and said in a surprising tone, “Hey, Why you ran away that day? The King was very happy to see you and, in that excitement, he jumped to welcome you. The King is calling you back.” The donkey again believed fox and went with him to the jungle. This time, the lion was very careful. When the donkey came near to him, he grabbed him tightly and killed him.” The fox was very happy that they finally had something to eat. The king was excited to eat the donkey. But before he could start, the clever fox said, “King, why don’t you take a bath before eating your meal.” The lion liked the idea as he had not taken a bath for days. The lion went to take a bath. And in the meantime, the fox quickly ate the donkey’s brain. The fox thought that the lion will not give him much to eat so he ate the donkey’s brain. When the lion returned, he started eating and searched for donkey’s brain as he liked eating the brain. Not being able to find the brain, he roared, “Where is the brain? Did you eat the brain?” The fox cleverly answered, “No, majesty. The donkeys do not have a brain. If he had a brain, he would not have come with me for the second time.” The lion believed the fox and ate his food happily. Moral:Do not believe the words of an enemy under any situation.

This is a story of donkey, fox and lion.Moral: idiot

The Foolish Donkey

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

domestic animal 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 Story of a Squirrel

Toby- The Cat

Two Goats

The giant and the horse thief

Village mouse and the city mouse

The Mountain and the Mouse

Sarah and Fluffy

The Foolish Donkey

Fast Horse

More like this

Bee Suggestions

About Bee