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

Bajirao Peshwa was a great commander of the Maratha Army. Once he was returning to his capital after fighting many successful battles. On the way he camped with his army in Malva. His soldiers were very tired and hungry after a long march. They did not have enough food to eat.Bajirao called one of his captains and commanded, "Go with a hundred armed soldiers to the countryside. Cut some corn from the fields and bring it to the camp for our army."So the captain went to the countryside with a hundred armed soldiers. On the way they met a farmer. The captain said to the farmer, "Please take us to the biggest cornfield in this area." So the farmer took them to a very big cornfield. The captain ordered the soldiers to cut the corn and put it into their bags. The farmer requested the captain, "Sir, please don't cut any corn from this field. I will take you to another field where the crop is ripe and ready."So the captain and the soldiers went with the farmer to another cornfield which was a few miles away from there. It was a small field. The farmer said, "Sir, please cut from this field as much corn as you need." The captain angrily asked the farmer, "Why did you make us ride a long distance for this small field? This field is much smaller than the former one." The farmer politely said, "Sir, please don't be angry. That field was not mine. This one is mine and so I have brought you here."The farmer's reply cooled down the captain's anger. He rode back to the Peshwa without any corn and narrated his experience to him. The Peshwa then realised his own mistake. Peshwa himself went to the farmer's cornfield. He paid the farmer the price of the corn in gold and collected all the corn from the field. Moral:Be just and honest in everything you do.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of farmer.Moral(s) of the story: honesty and justice

The peshwa and the farmer

A Farmer was driving his wagon along a country road after a heavy rain. The horses could hardly drag the load through the deep mud, and at last came to a standstill when one of the wheels sank deep in the mud.The farmer climbed down from his seat and stood beside the wagon looking at it but without making the least effort to get it out of the mud. All he did was to curse his bad luck and call loudly on Hercules to come to his aid.Hercules, the Greek God appeared saying, “Put your shoulder to the wheel, man, and urge on your horses. Do you think you can move the wagon by simply looking at it and crying about it? Hercules will not help unless you make some effort to help yourself.”And when the farmer put his shoulder to the wheel and urged on the horses, the wagon moved very readily, and soon the farmer was riding along in great content and with a good lesson learned. Moral:God helps those who help themselves.

This is a story of farmer, horse and hercules.Moral(s) of the story: self worth

Hercules and the Wagoner

A long time ago, there lived a poor farmer named Haridatta. He used to work very hard in the fields, but his fields never had a profitable yield. One day, while watering his fields, he saw a frightful snake coming out of an anthill. He thought that perhaps the snake was the guardian of the field and since he had not paid homage to the snake, his fields never yielded the desired harvest.He rushed home to bring some milk and offered it to the serpent in a bowl. While offering the milk respectfully, he addressed the serpent, “O, Guardian of this field! I was not aware that you lived here, that is why I never offered you anything. I will not make this mistake again. Please forgive me.”The next day, when the farmer came to plough the field, he found a gold coin in the bowl near the anthill. Feeding the snake became a regular feature of the farmer’s life. Every day he served milk to the serpent and found a gold coin in the empty bowl the next day.&nbsp;Soon all the financial problems of the farmer disappeared.One day the farmer had to go to the town for a few days for some urgent work, so he asked his son to take care of the serpent. The son brought the milk to the anthill and offered it to the serpent. Next day, when he came back to collect the bowl, he found a gold coin in it. He thought, “This anthill must be full of gold coins. I can kill the serpent and take them all.” Next day, he offered the milk to the snake and as soon as the serpent leaned down to drink the milk, he struck the serpent’s hood with the stick. The snake escaped the blow of the stick and bit the boy to death.When the farmer returned to his village and came to know about the death of his son. He was full of grief but did not discontinue his daily practice. He went near the anthill and called out to the serpent.The serpent came out of the anthill and replied, “My dear man, I know that you have come here just driven by your greed. Your greed has brought you to feed the serpent who bit your son to death. Neither can I forget that stick’s blow nor can you forget the pain that I have caused you. So, it is best for us to part ways.” After saying this, the serpent gave him a diamond and said, “Never come to me again.” Then the serpent disappeared into the anthill and the farmer never saw it again. Moral:Greed harms us more than does any good.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of farmer and snake.Moral(s) of the story: greediness

The gold giving serpent

Once a village moneylender lost his purse so he announced a reward of a hundred rupees to the person who found it and returned it to him. A poor farmer found it. It contained one thousand rupees. The farmer was poor and needy but, at the same time, he was an honest man. He went to the moneylender and returned the purse to him.The moneylender opened the purse and counted the money in it. It was one thousand rupees. Then he said to the farmer, "You are a smart fellow. You have taken your reward beforehand."The farmer angrily asked, "What do you mean?" The moneylender said, "I mean what I say. The purse contained eleven hundred rupees. But now there are one thousand rupees in it. This means that you have already taken the reward money from the purse."The farmer said, "I have not taken any money from the purse. Let us go to the Sarpanch and settle the matter." So they went to the Sarpanch. The Sarpanch heard both the parties. He felt sure that the moneylender was dishonest.He asked the moneylender, "Are you sure that your purse contained eleven hundred rupees?" The moneylender said, "Yes, Sir." The Sarpanch said, 'Then this purse is not yours." And the Sarpanch gave away the purse to the farmer. Moral:You get what you deserve.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of farmer.Moral(s) of the story: justice

The moneylender and his purse

Shina Utavani

Once upon a time, there lived a farmer and a baker. Every day, the farmer used to buy a pound of bread loaf from the baker and the baker would buy a pound of rice from the farmer. They used to do this every day and they both shared a great bond. Soon, they became friends.One day, the baker decided to check the weight of the rice to see if he was getting a pound. When he measured the rice, he found out that he was not getting the right amount of rice. He was very angry and decided to file a complaint against the farmer. He took the farmer to the court.The farmer was very surprised. When the judge asked the farmer, “What measure are you using to weigh the products?” The farmer replied, “Your Honour, I do not have a proper measure but I do have a scale.” The judge was confused and said, “Then how did you measure the rice?”The farmer said, “Your Honour, I measured the rice with the bread loaf. Every day, when the baker brought the bread, I measured the rice on the scale with the bread and gave that rice to the baker. So, it is not my fault. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker.”Turns out that the baker was getting what he was giving. Moral:We get back in life what we give to others.

This is a story of baker, bread, farmer and rice.Moral(s) of the story: cheating

The Baker and The Farmer

An old farmer had three sons. They were young and strong. But they were all very lazy. They wanted money to spend. But they did not want to work to earn money.One day the farmer said to them, “I have buried some treasure in our field. Dig out the treasure and share it among you.” So the next day the young men eagerly went to the field and started digging it. They worked hard for several days. They dug each and every inch of the field but found no treasure anywhere.They went to their father and told him that they had failed to find the treasure. The father said, “Never mind. Now that you have dug the field so well, let us sow it with corn.”So they sowed the field with corn. Luckily for them, it rained very well that year. The corn ripened and the field looked beautiful with the rich crop. The young men showed the field to their father with great pride.The farmer said, “What a bumper crop! This is the very treasure I wanted you to share among you. If you work hard, you will get such treasure year after year.” Moral:Hard-work pays off in every way.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of farmer.Moral(s) of the story: hard work

The Hidden Treasure

Yesha Desai

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

Once upon a time, there was a donkey named Udhata who used to work for a washer man. Every day, the washer man used to make the donkey carry loads of clothes to the river for washing and then again back home. The donkey was dissatisfied because he thought that his master made him work a lot and gave him very little food to eat. So, he stealthily wandered into the nearby fields and ate the crops growing there. One day, as the donkey was roaming around in the fields, he met a fox. They talked to each other and soon became friends. They began to roam around together looking for good food. One night, the fox and the donkey came across a field where large, juicy watermelons were growing. As the farmer and his family were asleep, the fox and the donkey quietly slipped into the field and ate the delicious watermelons to their hearts’ content.After having many watermelons, the donkey became so happy that he felt an intense desire to sing a song. He said to the fox, “Friend, I am so happy after having this wonderful meal that I must express my joy by singing a melodious tune.” The fox replied, “Don’t be such a fool! There are people sleeping around the field. If you sing a song, they will wake up and will beat us up with their sticks.” “I don’t care,” said the donkey. “Singing makes one happy and healthy. Whatever happens, I am going to sing a song.”The fox became worried because the farmer was sleeping just a little distance away from them. But he realised that the donkey was adamant and would not change his mind. So, he said, “Okay, friend. If you have made up your mind to sing, then do so. But wait for just a moment while I jump over to the other side of the fence for my safety.So, the fox jumped over the fence and got out of the field. The donkey began singing happily in what he thought to be his most melodious voice. Hearing a donkey braying loudly, the farmer woke up from his sleep. When the farmer saw the donkey and all the damage that he had caused to his crop, he was furious. He took a thick, heavy stick and beat the donkey till he could hardly walk.After getting this severe beating, the donkey somehow managed to crawl out of the field. There he met his friend, the fox. The fox said to him, “I’m really sad to see you in this sorry state, my friend. I warned you. Had you listened to my advice, you would not have got into trouble.” The donkey realised his mistake and hung his head low in shame. Moral:Think before you act.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of donkey, farmer and fox.

The donkey who sang a song

A long time ago, there was a farmer who had a donkey. The farmer used to take the donkey every day to the marketplace with a huge heap of wheat on its back.One day while walking the donkey accidentally fell into an empty well. The poor donkey cried loudly for hours. The farmer tried to figure out what to do. The farmer after hours of waiting, finally decided that the donkey was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. To retrieve the donkey was not worth it.He decided to cover them well with the mud. He invited all his neighbours to come and help him cover the well with the dirt. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt in the well. When the donkey saw the mud, he cried miserably and loudly. But after some time, he stopped crying.After a few shovels, the farmer decided to look down in the well. He was surprised by what he saw in the well. The donkey did something amazing by every shovel of dirt thrown at him. the donkey would shake off the dirt and would take a step up. With each shovel of dirt, he would shake it off and take a step up.After some time, everyone was amazed when donkey stepped up over the edge of the well. Moral:Don’t give up easily. Shake it off and take a step ahead. Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of it. But all you need to do is shake it off and step up.

This is a story of donkey and farmer.Moral(s) of the story: smartness

farmer 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 peshwa and the farmer

Hercules and the Wagoner

The gold giving serpent

The moneylender and his purse

The Baker and The Farmer

The Hidden Treasure

The key to success

The donkey who sang a song

The donkey in the well

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