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

Once upon a time, there was a very clever fox that lived in the forest. One day, the fox was hungry. He really wanted to eat something sweet, like a cookie. Just then, he saw a crow sitting on a branch. The crow had a cream biscuit in his beak which he had snatched away from a little boy. The fox’s mouth started watering on seeing the biscuit. He started thinking of a way of getting the biscuit for himself.The fox said to the crow, “Dear crow, the lion king told me that you sing beautifully. But I have never heard your voice. Will you sing a song for me?” The crow was so pleased on hearing the fox’s flattering words that he immediately opened his beak and began, “Caw, caw, caw.” As soon as the crow opened his beak, the cream biscuit fell down. The cunning fox immediately munched it up and went off.The next day, the fox came across the crow again. This time, the crow had a piece of cake in his mouth. The fox also wanted that cake. He said, “Dear crow, please forgive me about yesterday. Your song was so sweet and I really wanted to hear the whole song but I spotted a rabbit nearby so I ran away. Please sing that song for me again.” But the crow had understood the fox’s trick. He flew off towards his nest with the piece of cake in his beak. After keeping the cake safely in his nest, he returned to where he was sitting and began singing loudly, “Caw, caw, caw.” The fox could not bear to listen to the crow’s voice and ran away.This story tells us that we cannot fool someone every time. Moral:You can never fool anyone more than once.

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

The fox and the cream biscuit

Once there was a dog. He wandered from door-to-door. One day he stole a place of meat from a butcher’s shop. He ran away with it.He ran out of the town. There was a stream close by. It was a good place for him to enjoy the piece of meat. When he was passing over the plank, he saw his reflection in the water. He thought it was another dog with a larger piece of meat. He was very greedy. His mouth watered. He wanted to get that piece also.He barked at the dog in the water. When he opened his mouth, his own piece of meat fell into the water. He was very sad. He repented over his folly. But it was too late.Moral: Greediness is always punished.

This is a story of dutch, dog and water.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness and greediness

A greedy dog

Yesha Desai

Once, Akbar asked Birbal to find four fools in his kingdom and being them to him. Birbal was amused at the Emperor’s wish and said, “Jahanpanah, it is not a difficult task as this world is full of foolish people. All I need is a few days.” Akbar readily granted Birbal’s request and gave him a few days' time to look out for the fools in his kingdom.Having taken permission from the Emperor, Birbal started looking for the fools. One day, he saw a man carrying a large plate full of clothes, sweets and other expensive gift items. Out of curiosity, Birbal asked the man, “My dear man, for whom are you carrying so many costly gifts?”The man replied, “These gifts are for my wife! She has left me and married someone else and now she has just been blessed with a baby boy. So, I have bought all these gifts for her.”When Birbal heard the man’s reply, he thought of him as the ideal candidate to present before the Emperor. Birbal asked him to appear in the royal court whenever he called him.Soon after, Birbal saw another man who was clumsily sitting on a buffalo and carrying a bundle of grass over his head.Birbal asked him, “Why are you carrying this bundle over your head?”The man replied, “Sir, my buffalo is pregnant. Don’t you think it would be cruel on my part to load this heavy bundle of grass on her at this time? I care about her very much and that is why I am carrying the bundle of this grass over my head.”Birbal could not help smiling and asked the second man also to appear in the royal court at a given time.Next morning, Birbal called both the men to court and presented them to Akbar as the biggest fools in the kingdom. Akbar asked, “But these are only two fools. I had directed you to bring four fools to me. Where are the other two?”Birbal folded his hands and said, “I beg your pardon , Alampanah, the third fool is none other than you, who asked me to bring these fools to you and the fourth fool is me, who has brought these fools to you.”The Emperor burst out laughing at Birbal’s humorous reply and commended him for his ready wit. Moral:There is no lack of fools in this world

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

Four fools

One day Mulla Nasiruddin was going somewhere when he met a man who was carrying a large milk can. The man wished Mulla Nasiruddin and said, “Mullaaji, I have a problem. Would you be kind enough to provide me a solution?” Mullaa Nasiruddin willingly consented to hear him out as he was eyeing his big container of milk.The man said, “Whenever I get up in the morning, I feel intoxicated. My head spins around and I feel as if I have a hangover. I don’t understand what could be the problem.”Mullaa Nasiruddin asked, “Hmm! This is a serious problem, indeed! Let me think. What do you generally eat or drink before you go to sleep?”The man said, “I drink a big glass of milk.”The Mullaa said, “Now, I have found your problem! The milk that you drink in the night causes the intoxication.”The gullible man asked, “How is that, Mullaaji?”Mullaa explained to him, “You drink milk before sleeping. In your sleep, when you toss in your bed, the milk gets churned. It turns into butter. When butter gets churned, it turns into fat. Fat gets churned, it turns into sugar. Then the sugar gets churned and turns into alcohol. So, finally you wake up with alcohol in your stomach in the morning, and that is why you feel intoxicated.”“So what do I do?” asked the man in simplicity.The clever Mullaa said, “The solution of your problem is very simple. Don’t drink milk! Here, give it to me.” Mullaa took away the milk can from the man and walked away from there.The poor man stood there bewildered. Moral:A gullible mind cannot see through the wickedness.

This is a story of Milk and Mulla Nasruddin.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

Milk for the Mullah

Once upon a time, a weaver called Mantharaka lived in a small town near the forest. One day, while he was working on his handloom, the wood of his loom snapped. He decided to go to the forest and bring some wood to repair his loom. So, he took a sharp axe and set off towards the forest.In the forest, the weaver came across a strong and healthy Shinvashapa tree. The weaver thought that the wood of this tree will be sturdy and decided to cut it and use it for his loom. The weaver raised his axe and was just about to bring it down on the tree when he heard a voice speaking from inside the tree, “Stop! Please leave this tree. It is my home. Please don’t cut it.”The weaver replied impatiently, “So what? Go and find another tree to live in. I have to repair my loom. Otherwise how will I weave cloth and sell it to feed my family?”The voice spoke again, “If you spare this tree, I will grant you a wish. Ask for whatever you want.”The weaver considered the offer. Then he said, “Alright. But I want to consult my wife and my friends. I will come later and ask for my wish.”“Fine,” the voice replied.The weaver returned to the town. There he met the barber who was his close friend. He told the whole story to the barber. The barber said, “That is splendid, my friend. I think it would be wise to ask for a whole kingdom. Once, that is granted to you, you can become the king of the kingdom and you will have all kinds of riches and luxuries. And then maybe you could think of making me your prime minister.” The barber’s thoughts flowed on along that line.The weaver said, “That’s an idea. But let me consult my wife too.”So, the weaver went to his wife and told her all about the tree and also about the barber’s advice. His wife was pleased to know about the tree but she did not like the barber’s idea. She said, “That is a silly wish to ask for. Everyone knows that kingdoms are such sources of trouble. You will be surrounded with worries —looking after your people, fighting battles, etc. It is better that you ask for something that can benefit us. Why don’t you ask for two more arms and one more head? That way you will be able to weave more cloth and sell more cloth in the market and thereby earn more money.”The weaver liked the idea and went to the tree. He expressed his wish for another pair of arms and one more head. The wish was immediately granted. The weaver grew one more head and one more pair of arms. He was full of excitement and joy and started walking back towards the town. But when the people of the town saw him, they thought that he was some kind of a monster. They were afraid of him and pelted him with stones and sticks until he died.The barber heard about this incident and was deeply grieved for the fate of his friend. Moral:Do not be a fool and follow anyone’s advice blindly. Listen to the advice, use your brain and analyse whether you should go ahead with the advice given to you or not.

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

The devata and the weaver

One day an idol-maker hired a donkey to deliver an idol of a goddess to a rich customer. The idol was a beautiful piece of excellent workmanship. The donkey was loaded with the idol. As the donkey walked along the road, many people on the way stopped to admire the idol. Some people bowed in respect to the idol.The stupid donkey thought that all the admiration and respect were for him. So he proudly stopped in the middle of the road and began to bray loudly. Gentle words and actions of his master failed to induce him to keep quiet and move on.At last the master beat him hard with his stick. The beating thrashed the false pride out of the donkey. He came back to his senses and walked on dutifully. Moral:A nod for the wise and a rod for the fool.

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

The Donkey and the idol

Shina Utavani

One upon a time, there was a lake near the forest. In the lake, there lived a crab. The crab had a best friend Swan who also lived near the lake. They both were great friends and lived happily in the forest.One day, the snake came to live near the lake. The snake would eat the swan’s egg and would create many problems for the swan. The swan was very scared. So, he went to Crab and said, “My dear friend, I am facing trouble because of the arrival of the snake. It eats all my eggs and I cannot even fight with him. I am very scared, please help me.” Near the lake, there also lived a mongoose. The crab had a plan. He said, “I have an idea, my friend. We will get some fish from the lake and throw them one by one from the snake’s house to the mongoose’s house.”Swan and Crab collected some fish from the lake and scattered them in a row from the snake’s house to the mongoose’s house. After throwing the fish they immediately went to their home. They waited for the mongoose to step out of his house. As soon as the mongoose came out, he saw fish on his door. He took the fish in his hand and started eating them. He started eating all the fish and followed the trail. As soon as he went ahead to eat the fish, he reached closer to the snake’s house. After some time, he reached the snake’s house.He said, “My enemy is here, I must kill it.” The snake and mongoose got into an ugly fight and in the end, the snake was killed. The swan and crab were very happy.The next day, the mongoose was very hungry, so he decided to eat more snakes. As soon as he reached near the lake, instead of snakes, he saw Swan’s eggs. The mongoose immediately grabbed the swan’s egg and started eating them. He liked them and decided to come there every day. The swan and the crab became helpless. By their foolish action, they had invited a new enemy which was more dangerous than the previous one.They were left with no option but to leave their homes. They always remembered the lesson that mongoose had taught them. Moral:Thoughtless actions lead to disaster.

This is a story of crab, egg, forest, lake, mongoose, snake and swan.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

The crab, swan and the snake

Once upon a time there was an old and blind vulture named Taradgava. He lived in the hollow of a tree near the bank of the river. Some other birds also used to live on that tree. They had a soft corner for Taradgava and brought food for him as well. In return for the birds’ kindness, Taradgava looked after their fledglings when they went out to gather food.One day a cat happened to pass that way. He heard the chirping of the young birds and tip toed near the tree in the hope of catching one or two. The fledglings sensed danger and started crying out loud. Taradgava, who was guarding the nests, screeched loudly and asked the cat, “Who goes there? Identify yourself! ”The cat thought that now the vulture would rip him apart but soon realized that he was blind. He immediately thought of a clever plan and said, “O wise one, I am a cat. It is indeed an honour to meet a mighty bird like you.”“A cat? You are not wanted here! Go away before I kill you,” said the vulture.“Please do not say so, dear sir! I have heard many tales about your wisdom and wit from the animals of the jungle. Hence, I have come from a long way to see you. Please accept me as your disciple and give me shelter.”Taradgava was immensely pleased on hearing the flattering comments of the cat, still he said, “O&nbsp;cat! I thank you for your generous words, but your presence spells danger for the young birds. The hunter and the hunted cannot live in one place. So, please leave!”The cat further tried to convince the vulture by saying, “O Wise One! These lovely little fledglings have nothing to fear. I am a vegetarian and have taken a vow not to touch meat.”Taradgava believed the cat and permitted him to stay in the hollow of the tree with him. For a few days the cat kept singing the praises of the old vulture and took great care of the fledglings. Soon Taradgava developed great faith in the cat. Now the cat started to show his true colours. When the birds were out hunting, the cat used to climb up the tree, eat a fledgling and hide the left over bones in Taradgava’s hollow. The poor blind vulture was clueless about the cat’s evil designs.It soon came to the notice of the birds that the number of their young ones was decreasing mysteriously. They started to investigate the matter. When the cat saw that the birds had been alarmed, he slyly left the place. The birds soon discovered a heap of bones and feathers in the hollow of the tree trunk where Taradgava lived. They jumped to the conclusion that the old vulture must have eaten their young ones. In great anger, they attacked the old bird and killed him. That was the end of gullible Taradgava. Moral:We must be careful of the people around us and the things they say. Trusting words of others can someday lead us to great troubles.

This is a classic story from Hitopadesha tales.This is a story of cat, vulture and foolishness.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

The story of the Vulture, the Cat and the Birds

Once, a pious Brahmin named Mitra Sharma, lived in a small village. He was called by many people to conduct religious ceremonies at their homes. On one such occasion, he was rewarded with a goat by a wealthy man for his services. The Brahmin happily put the goat over his shoulders and started the journey towards his home. On the way, three conmen saw the Brahmin with the goat.All of them planned to fool the Brahmin and take away the goat. They separated from one another and took different hiding positions at three different places on the same route on which the Brahmin was going.After some time, the first conman came out of his hiding place and asked the Brahmin in a surprised tone, “Respected Sir, what are you doing? I don’t understand why a religious man like you is carrying a dog over his shoulders?”The Brahmin was shocked to hear his words. He shouted back at him, “Are you blind? Can’t you see that it is not a dog but a goat?” The cheat replied, “Dear Sir, I beg your pardon. I told you what I saw. I am sorry, if you don’t believe it.” The Brahmin was furious, but calmed down after a while and continued his journey.The Brahmin had barely walked a distance, when the second conman came out of his hiding place and asked the Brahmin, “Sir, I see that you are carrying a dead calf on your shoulders. You seem to be a wise person. I wonder why you would do such an act of stupidity.” The Brahmin yelled at the top of his voice, “What? How can you mistake a living goat for a dead calf?” The second cheat replied, “Sir, I think you don’t know how a goat looks like. I just told you what I saw. If you do not believe me, please carry on.” Now, the Brahmin was a bit confused, but continued to walk further.Now it was time for the third cheat to meet the Brahmin. He walked towards the Brahmin and asked with a big grin on face, “My dear Sir, why do you carry a donkey on your shoulders? I am sure you are a jester or else why would you do such a foolish act.” This time the Brahmin did not say anything. The third cheat walked back triumphantly to his friends; he could see that their trick was working.The Brahmin was completely bewildered and stood frozen on the road. He thought that the goat gifted by the rich man was some sort of a ghost, because it first took the shape of a dog, then a dead calf and finally transformed itself into a donkey. The Brahmin got scared to such an extent that he dropped the goat on the road and ran away from there. The three conmen had a hearty laugh at the gullible Brahmin. They picked up the goat and feasted on it. Moral:One should not get blindly carried away by what others say. We must believe our own eyes rather than believing what other people say.

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

foolishness 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 fox and the cream biscuit

A greedy dog

Four fools

Milk for the Mullah

The devata and the weaver

The Donkey and the idol

The crab, swan and the snake

The story of the Vulture, the Cat and the Birds

The Brahmin’s gift

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