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

Bihu is a festival celebrated in Assam in the month of January. The festival is a celebration of the change of the seasons. It is also known as the Harvest festival. In Assam, most of the people are associated with agrarian (cultivation of land) activities. Most of the people’s occupation is agriculture. This festival marks an important phase of farming in Assam. The word ‘Bihu’ is originally derived from the word ‘Bishu’. It means that people ask for prosperity from God for the harvesting season. ‘Bi’ in the word Bihu means to ask and ‘hu’ means to give. Both these words combine to form the name Bihu.&nbsp; The festival is celebrated for seven days wherein each day holds a significance. The first day of the festival is called ‘Raati Bihu’. On this day, all the women gather beneath an ancient tree or open field, surrounded by burning torches. The men participate mostly in ceremonial activities wherein they play Pepa (buffalo hornpipe) or Toka (it is a musical instrument made of split bamboo). The second day of the festival is known as ‘Goru Bihu’. On this day, livestock is washed with a combination of symbolic herbs. Then they are decorated with new garlands and harnesses. The cattle of the village are served various food items. The third day is known as Manuh (human) Bihu, where people take a bath with black gram and turmeric paste. They seek blessings from the elders. A traditional Bihu dance is performed by people, which is an important part of the festival. The fourth day of the festival is known as Gosai (God’s) Bihu. People worship idols after cleaning their homes. Varieties of food items are made such as Pitha, Ladoo, Khaar, and Xaak. The fifth day is called ‘Kutum Bihu’. On this day, people usually visit their relatives. They spend the day together.&nbsp;The sixth day is known as ‘Senehi Bihu’. This day symbolises love. People meet their beloved and give them gifts and celebrate the bond they share. The last day of the festival is known as ‘Mela Bihu’. This day involves a lot of celebrations. Fairs are organised in different parts of the state and people enjoy by participating in various activities.

Bihu

Chetichand is a Sindhi festival and is celebrated by Sindhis around the world. This festival commemorates the birthday of Sindhi Patron Saint Jhulelal. It is the New Year’s Day for Sindhis. Jhelelal is also known as Ishtadeva Udero Lal. The name Jhulelal became famous because as a child, Uderolal’s cradle (jhula) would swing on its own. That is the reason he was known as Jhulelal. He played an important role in providing justice to Sindhis. He was the man of miracles. To honour his deity, Sindhis celebrate this festival. The festival is celebrated on the first or second day of the Sindhi Chet month of Chaitra month in the Hindu calendar. The festival is similar to other Hindu festivals like Gudipadwa celebrated in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh. Saint Jhulelal was born during the 10th century in Sindh, Pakistan. At that time, Sindh was under the rule of Sumras. Sumras was tolerant of all other religions. However, a tyrant named Mirkshah was threatening Sindhi Hindus to convert into Islam or were forced to death. All the Sindhis prayed to the river God to protect them from the forced conversion. They worshiped for forty days and finally, their prayers were heard. River God promised them that a divine child would be born to save them from the tyrant. The child was known as Saint Jhulelal. This day is considered highly auspicious and is celebrated with great pomp and show. The water is worshipped on this day. People prepare delicious food items on this day. Sindhis also come out in a festive procession where they sing and dance to their folklore in front of the idols of Jhulelal.

This is a story of Chetichand and Jhulelal.

Chetichand

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

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

Alihusen Momin

Muharram is the first month of the Islamic Calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year. The English meaning of Muharram is “Forbidden”. This festival is the period of recalling and mourning the martyrdom of the Hazrat Imam Hussain (grandson of the prophet Mohammed) by Shia Muslims. Sunni Muslims, on the other hand, celebrate the festival to observe the victory of Moses over Egyptian Pharaoh. Hussain Ibn Ali was the famous figure for Shia Muslims and was considered as a member of Muhammad’s household. According to history, he refused to accept the Islamic rules once by the Yazid. He started revolting against him which gave rise to the Karbala battle during which he was beheaded, and his family members were imprisoned.&nbsp; According to Sunni Muslims, it is the day when Moses got the victory. Moses was a religious Islam leader, who was propagating the religious teachings among people all around the world. He got victory on the tenth day of the Muharram over the Pharaohs of Egypt. They observe fasts. Sunni Muslims celebrate Muharram as the day when Prophet Moses (Moosa) fasted on that day because Allah saved the Israelites from their enemy in Egypt. Both the communities of Muslims celebrate the festival with completely different ideologies. Shia Muslims keep fast for the whole month as well as celebrate the day by beating themselves with sticks and rods to commemorate all the sufferings of Hussain Ibn Ali.

Muharram

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

Pallavi Hota

Mogu, a panda lived on the hills with his family. He was always a happy lad. His favourite festival was Christmas. Every year he eagerly waited for Santa to get him gifts. And his favourite time of the year was back.He went to the market and got every possible thing to decorate the house. This time, he got a huge Christmas tree out of excitement. With that, he bought a new pair of socks to write his Christmas wishes and put them inside the socks. He decorated the entire house and baked cakes. It was time now, so he went to sleep and waited for Santa to deliver his gifts. He woke up in the middle of the night and found no gift around him. He became really sad and went to his dad and sulked. His dad realised that he had forgotten to keep the gifts under his bed and felt upset. He asked Mogu to wait for a while and assured him that Santa had not forgotten but a little late in delivering the gifts. He then dressed up and appeared in front of Mogu singing, ìHo! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! and handed him all the gifts that he had wished for. To Moguís surprise his dad was Santa and delivered him gifts every year. He was happy and rejoiced knowing that his dad loved him so much.

This is a story of panda, Santa Claus and Christmas.Moral(s) of the story: happiness

Christmas Wish

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

Navratri is a nine-day-long festival celebrated in various parts of India to worship the nine forms of Goddess Durga. It is the biggest Hindu festival which falls in the months of Spetember/October/November. The festival is celebrated with great mythological significance. The reason behind celebrating the festival is to worship Goddess Durga and to celebrate the victory of good over evil. Goddess Durga killed the demon Mahishasura in a battle of nine days. The Goddess killed the demon king effortlessly in nine days. To celebrate the victory of good over evil, this period of nine days is celebrated as ‘Navratri’. The nine days are celebrated to worship Goddess Durga for her power and strength. The nine nights of the festival are divided into three phases. The first three days of the festival are dedicated to Goddess Durga. The next three days are dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of prosperity). The final three days are dedicated to Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of wisdom and art). This festival is celebrated differently in different states of India. In Gujarat, the festival is celebrated with great pomp and show. The state is famous for its celebration of Navratri. For all the nine nights, people perform Dandiya Ras and Garba to celebrate the festival. People wear colourful traditional dresses- Chanya Choli (girls) and Kediyu (boys). Every evening of the festival, an aarti is performed in front of the idol of the Goddess. Before the puja, people indulge in traditional dance. It is the longest dance festival celebrated in Gujarat. In West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Bihar, Navratri is known as Durga Puja. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Bengali ladies wear their conventional red saree and traditional outfits. People offer their prayers to the idols of Goddess Durga.

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.

Bihu

Chetichand

Dussehra

The Christmas That Santa Almost Missed

Muharram

Guru Purnima

Christmas Wish

Santa's Beard

Navratri

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