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

One day, it was very hot and the sun was boiling in the sky. The Santa, due to heat said, “It is too hot, I am feeling very hot.” The Santa had a long fluffy beard and due to that, he was feeling very hot. Looking at Santa, the beard said, “Do not worry Santa, I will find a new face.” After saying this, the beard flew up in the air and went to find a new face. The beard went to the kitchen and said to the busy chef, “Hello, Chef. Can I be your beard?” The Chef said, “I do not think you will enjoy it. You may even get in a tangle with my food.” The beard said, “Okay, I will find someone else.”The beard went ahead to a baby that was sitting on a baby chair. The beard then asked the baby and the baby’s mum replied, “Babies do not have a beard. He is too small for having a beard.” The beard then left to ask someone else.Then the beard flew to a granny sitting in a garden. The beard asked the same question to the granny and she replied, “No, ways.” The beard then left looking for someone else. The beard went straight to a castle and said to the princess, “Hey, Princess, can I be your beard?” The princess replied, “You are a very beautiful beard but I am already beautiful so I do not need you.” The beard said, “Okay” and left the castle.The Santa’s beard then flew to a pirate and asked him. The pirate replied, “I already have one.” Santa’s beard said, “Yeah, right, Okay.” Then the beard left and went ahead. The beard went to every creature of the sea but no one needed him. The beard felt a little sea sick and was very sad.The sea turned into ice and snow started to fall after some time. Santa’s beard was angry and sad. Suddenly, a little red man came and saw a little white comfy thing. The man touched the thing and thought what that is? The beard shouted, “I am Santa’s beard. No one wants me, no one loves me. I am cold and lonely.” The red man said, “My lovely beard I am glad I found you.” The red man was Santa. Santa said, “I am freezing, Will you be my beard and save me from freezing?” the beard excitedly said, “Yes, I would love to.” Then they went to distribute gifts to everyone and made everyone’s Christmas happy.

This is a story of beard, Christmas and Santa Claus.

Santa's Beard

The festival is celebrated on Full moon day of the Ashadha month. The festival is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists to honour their spiritual leaders or teachers. On this day, people express gratitude towards their Gurus.Story:The festival of Guru Purnima was first celebrated by the Buddhists to honour their Guru, Gautam Buddha. Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon (a lecture by a preacher) on this day.Vyasa Muni was one of the greatest Gurus in ancient Hindu traditions. He was also the author of the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’. Hindus follow this festival by paying tribute to Vyas Muni.The day is also celebrated as the birth anniversary of Veda Vyasa. Therefore, Guru Purnima is also known as Vyas Purnima.The main purpose behind celebrating the festival is to follow the teachings of our Gurus and to pay tribute to them. People worship and show gratitude towards their Gurus, teachers for guiding them. It is a festival of honouring Gurus/ mentors of our lives. Moral:Always respect your Gurus in life and be grateful to them.

This is a story educator, Guru Purnima and student.

Guru Purnima

The festival of Durga Pooja is observed usually in the months of September or October.&nbsp; God in the form of a divine mother is worshipped in various forms such as Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. The Goddess is one but is worshipped and represented in three different forms. It is a multi-day festival in which temples are decorated. It also features performance arts and processions. On the first three days, Durga is worshipped, then goddess Lakshmi is worshipped on the next three days and on the last three days, Goddess Saraswati is worshipped. The tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashami. It symbolises the victory of Goddesses over the demon king buffalo. The festival is majorly celebrated by people living in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Odisha. It is celebrated in the honour of Goddess Durga. The primary Goddess worshipped is Durga. In Bengali tradition, the other deities next to Durga’s side- Ganesha and Kartikeya are considered to be Durga’s (Parvati) children. On the tenth day, processions with musical drum beats and chants are carried out along with clay statues of Durga. These statues are then immersed in the rivers as a goodbye to Durga and her return to divine Mount Kailash (Kailash Parbat). Goddess Durga represents the destruction of evil. The festival is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. People make special dishes, decorate their houses, wear new clothes, follow rituals and worship Goddess Durga.

This is a story of Durga Pooja, Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati.

Durga Pooja

It was Christmas Eve. Everyone was happy to celebrate Christmas. Santa and his elves were preparing for Christmas. Felix, one of the elves said, “I do not think we will complete everything tonight.” To which Santa replied, “We will do it, we have never missed a Christmas.”They quickly prepared everything and by sunset everything was ready. Every gift was ready. But Santa had one more thing to do. He went with his elves, Gus and Gerrie. He said, “I am going to give presents to my animal friends. Keep everything ready and pack the toys till I come back.” The elves said, “Okay, sir.” The Santa then said, “Relax and enjoy, it is Christmas.”It was snowing very heavily when Santa left with his two helpers. Santa had a gift for everyone. He gave a gift to the rabbit and all of his young ones. He gave everyone a present. He also had a present for Barney, the bear. He went to the bear’s cave to give him presents. There, he saw that the Barney was sleeping. He decided to keep the present inside his cave. Santa went inside the cave and kept the present near Barney. Suddenly, Barney snored loudly and it shook the walls. Then Gus shouted, “Santa.” The Santa turned around and saw that the mountain of snow had crashed and the entrance of the cave was blocked.Gus and Gerrie were outside the cave and Santa got stuck inside the cave. They both tried digging the entrance but could not do much. Gerrie went to look for help. Everyone at Santa’s home was worried that Santa had not returned and it was time for Santa to go to give presents.Gerrie went home and explained everyone about what had happened. Felix was shocked and looked around at everyone. She said, “We are very small. How will we dig Santa out? It will take a lot of time and Santa might miss the Christmas Eve.” One of the elves told to take the help of an old wise elf that lived over the hill. His name was Eli and he was wisest. They thought that he would help them.Elves quickly went over the hill to find Eli. Over the mountain, they saw a tiny elf with a white beard. “He is Eli,” said one of the elves. Seeing him, Felix cried and said, “He too is small.” One of the elves explained everything to Eli. The old elf smiled and said, “Follow me.”Eli took them inside his house and took out a jar. Inside the jar, there was magic dust from Santa’s first Christmas. They decided to use that to save Santa. They quickly went to the cave and saw Gus worn out from digging. Gus said, “I have not heard any sound of Santa.” Elves became nervous and started crying.Eli quickly said some magic words and sprinkled the magic dust over Santa’s sleigh full of toys. The magic that happened left Elves in a shock. They were shocked to see that every toy of the Sleigh came to life and started digging the cave. The robots, teddy bears, dolls all started digging the cave. Looking at them, the little elves also started digging the cave.Finally, they were able to dig the entrance and Santa came outside. Santa thanked everyone. Suddenly the toys lost the magic and started becoming ordinary toys. Santa and elves took all the toys and kept them into the sleigh.Santa and his elves left to give presents to everyone. With a merry “Ho HoHo!” they flew up in the sky to deliver gifts. The Santa gave presents to every child sleeping. The children would never know that the Santa almost missed the Christmas.

This is a story of Christmas, elf, magic and Santa Claus.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The Christmas That Santa Almost Missed

Janmashtami, also known as Gokulashtami, is a festival that marks the birth of Lord Krishna. The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and love by all the devotees all over the country. The birth of Lord Krishna signifies the eradication of evil and the end of darkness from the world. As per the Hindu calendar, the festival falls on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Shrawan. Lord Krishna was born on the midnight of the 8th day of the month of Shravan. Krishna was the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. He was born to Devaki and Vasudev in Mathura. Krishna was born at a time when evil forces were present on the earth. Krishna’s life was at risk. His uncle Kansa wanted to kill Krishna because a heavenly voice told him that he will die at the hands of Devaki’s 8th son. To avoid the risk, when Krishna was born, his father immediately handed him over to Yashoda and Nanda in Gokul to keep him away from Kamsa.&nbsp; Devotees celebrate the festival by fasting, singing devotional songs and visiting Krishna temples. The tale of Krishna’s birth is narrated in temples and households. Energetic youth participates in the Dahihandi festival. People also perform Raas to recreate occurrences from the life of Lord Krishna. Various plays and performances on Krishna’s life are also organized. Krishna temples are beautifully decorated with lights and flowers. People visit temples to pay respect to Lord Krishna.

This is a story of Janamashtmi and Krishna.

Janmashtami

India gained independence from the Britishrule on 15th August 1947. Since then every year, 15th August is celebrated as Independence Day in India to commemorate India’s freedom from the 200-year-old British government. The struggle for India’s independence began in 1857 in Meerut. Later, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, in the 20th century, the Indian National Congress launched an independent movement. After a lot of struggle and hard work, on August 15th, 1947, colonial powers were transferred to India. India’s struggle for freedom was a long process and witnessed the sacrifice of many freedom fighters. This day remarks the bravery of our freedom fighters. It reminds us of the sacrifices made by our forefathers, freedom fighters and leaders to free our motherland.&nbsp; For India, 15th August is a day of her re-birth. On 15th August 1947, India’s first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru unfolded the tricolour flag of the nation. On this day, people pay homage to leaders who fought for the freedom of the nation. Flag hoisting ceremony along with various cultural programs are organised at various places on this day including schools and colleges.

This is a story of Independence day.

Independence Day

Dussehra is one of the major Hindu festivals which is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm. This day observed the killing of demon king Ravana by Lord Ram.Dussehra is also known as Vijayadashami. It is celebrated at the end of Navratri every year. The word Dussehra is derived from two Sanskrit words- ‘Dasha’ and ‘hara’ which means defeating the ten demons.The day also observes the end of Durga pooja. People remember the victory of goddess Durga over the buffalo demon Mahishasur. Durga is celebrated for nine days and the tenth day is dedicated to Durga as Vijaydashmi.On the day of Dussehra, huge effigies of Ravana are made and set on fire. The burning of Ravana signifies the victory of good. Plays of Ramleela are organised on this day to pay a tribute to Lord Rama. Moral:The festival signifies the victory of good over evil and teaches that truth always wins. It also teaches us to never be egoistic.

This is a story of Dussehra, Ram and Ravan.

Dussehra

Lohri is a harvest festival celebrated every year on 13th January. It is an important festival for Punjabis. The festival is widely celebrated by people living in North India.&nbsp; For the festival, huge bonfires are organised in various places and people gather around it to offer their prayers. They throw puffed rice, sweets, popcorn into the flames of the bonfire and offer their prayers. The festival is celebrated to observe the new harvest season. It is termed as the festival of farmers in north India. On this day, agriculturists show their gratitude towards Almighty for a good harvest season and seek blessings for their future. The festival is celebrated with much pomp and show. In this festival, it is a tradition to eat Gajak, Sarson da saag with Makki di roti, ground nuts and jaggery. It also a tradition to eat ‘til rice’. The important food item of Lohri is radish which can be harvested between October and January. In some of the places of Punjab, about 10 to 15 days before Lohri, groups of young and teenage boys and girls go around the neighbourhood collecting logs for the bonfire.&nbsp; Women sing folklore named ‘Sunder Mundriye’ on this day. The song is associated with a story from Akbar’s rule. It is a tale of a man named Dulla Bhatti, who lived in Punjab during the Akbar’s reign. The man used to rescue girls from being taken forcibly to be sold in slave markets. He saved those girls and arranged their marriages to the boys of the villages. Among all the girls, two of the girls’ names were Sundari and Mundri. The folklore Sunder Mundriye came from their names. The song is sung to commemorate this story. The celebrations are accompanied by traditional Punjabi dance forms - "gidda and bhangra".

Lohri

India celebrates Republic Day on 26th January every year. On 26th January 1950, India truly experienced freedom from British rule. It was the historic day when constitution of India was officially enforced. It had replaced the Government of India Act, 1935 into the governing document of India. After that India became a secular, sovereign, and democratic nation. National holiday has been declared on this day by the Indian Government. The Constitution was adopted by the Indian Constituent Assembly on 26th November 1949 and it came into effect on 26th January 1950.&nbsp;Dr. Rajendra Prasad, on 26th January 1950 took the solemn oath as the first president of India. India was functioning under the laws enacted and implemented by the British until this day. The country did not have a permanent constitution, instead its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935. Drafting committee with Dr. B R Ambedkar as a chairman was appointed to draft a permanent constitution on 28th August 1947. The constitution of India consists of basic principles according to which India is to be governed. The Indian Constitution is the longest constitution in the world because of its handwritten uniqueness with 25 parts containing 448 articles and 12 schedules. The original copies of the constitution are still preserved in helium-filled cases in the library of parliament house.

festival 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.

Santa's Beard

Guru Purnima

Durga Pooja

The Christmas That Santa Almost Missed

Janmashtami

Independence Day

Dussehra

Lohri

Republic Day

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