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

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is known by many names but ‘Iron Man of India’ remains the most popular. Vallabhbhai Patel was a man of his words. As a child, he was very humble but still, the signs of his strong character and determination were reflected. Numerous incidents made him the iron man of India. He was strong mentally and physically. During his childhood, many incidents made him earn the reputation of the Iron man. Once he had a boil on his armpit and in those days, there was a man in his village who used to cure that. To cure the boil, the man used to heat an iron rod and put it on the boil area of the body. Vallabhbhai Patel too went to the man to cure his boil. Putting the iron rod was painful and so the man did the process slowly as Sardar was a kid. But the young Patel asked the man to do it fast as the rod will become cold. Then he did not wait for the man to do that lashing and took the rod and did it himself. That was when young Patel stunned everyone in the village. He was tough and he was hard working. He borrowed books from lawyers and within a time limit of two years, he completed his studies. He was physically very strong from his tender gaze. As the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India, he took up the task of integrating the princely states into the Republic of India at the request of Mahatma Gandhi. With his strong personality and belief, Sardar Patel managed to achieve the impossible task of unifying India. This strong personality will be forever known as the ‘Iron Man of India’.

This is a story of Sardar Vallabhbhai.

Iron Man of India - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Vallabhbhai Patel was born in Nadiad village of modern-day Gujarat to Zaverbhai and Ladbai on October 31, 1875. His father Vallabhbhai, served in the Queen of Jhansi's army while his mother was a spiritual woman. He started his academic career in the Gujarati medium and later on shifted to the English medium. He completed his high school in 1897. He married Jhaverba in 1891. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel went to England in 1910 to pursue his degree in law. He came back to India in 1913 and started his law practice in Godhra. He was a strong critic of the British government and its laws and chose not to work for the British. Sardar shifted his practice to Ahmedabad. He became a Gujarat Club member where he attended Mahatma Gandhi's lecture. Gandhi's words had a profound impact on Vallabhbhai and he soon followed Gandhian ideals to become the charismatic leader's devoted follower. He led a major "No Tax Movement" in 1918, which encouraged farmers not to pay taxes after the British insisted on tax after the Kaira floods. The peaceful movement forced the British government to return the land to the farmers. His determination to bring together the farmers of his area brought him the title of 'Sardar'. Patel continued his unwavering support to Gandhi whenever he conducted any movement. From Salt satyagraha to the Quit India movement, Sardar Patel was always there to support Mahatma Gandhi.&nbsp; Patel became the first Home Minister and also the Deputy Prime Minister after India gained independence. Through effectively merging about 562 princely states under the Indian Empire, Patel played a very crucial role in post-independence India.&nbsp;The India that we see today is the product of efforts put in by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Atal Bihari Vajpayee apart from being a great leader was also a great orator. He was known for his public speaking abilities. His speech was full of enthusiasm and encouragement, establishing himself as one of India’s greatest orators.Atalji was from a family of poetry enthusiasts. He had an early exposure to various Kavi sammelans where he started developing an interest in writing, poetry, and speaking. His interest in politics and poetry likings helped him carve a niche for himself in the Lok Sabha where he gave some of the most impactful speeches.Poetry, humour and wonderful speech helped Atalji in winning the hearts of people. He used this skill to answer or dodge questions from the press. When Atalji gave a speech in 1957 in parliament, Jawaharlal Nehru was impressed and even said, “This young man will become the Prime Minister of India one day”. This became true and Atalji Ji served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms.The man of his words was awarded the Bharat Ratna in the year 2015. It was Atalji’s exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India.

This is a story of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee- a Skilful Orator

Ambedkar Jayanti is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. It is celebrated every year on 14th April. He is considered as the ‘Father of Indian Constitution’. He was known as a Dalit icon who dedicated all his life working for the upliftment of untouchables, women, and labourers. The day is celebrated to honour the contribution made by him towards the nation and its people. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was famously known as Babasaheb Ambedkar. He was a social reformer, politician, and jurist. He contributed largely to eliminate social problems like caste restrictions and untouchability. He fought for the rights of socially backward people and Dalits. He wanted to uplift their lives and provide them their rights. He was appointed as India’s first law minister in the cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was also awarded Bharat Ratna, which is India’s highest civilian award, in 1990. Dr. BR Ambedkar was born on 14th April 1891. Throughout his childhood, he faced stigmas of caste discrimination. His family was seen as ‘untouchable’ by the upper classes. He faced a lot of discrimination because of his caste.When Dr. BR Ambedkar was appointed as the chairman of the constitution drafting committee, he emphasised on the construction of a virtual bridge between all classes of the society. He was successful in receiving support from the Assembly in introducing reservations for scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes in government jobs, education, and civil services. Ambedkar Jayanti is celebrated to honour Dr. BR Ambedkar for his contribution and hard work. He was the one who worked really hard to remove caste discrimination and untouchability.

This is a story of Ambedkar Jayanti and BR Ambedkar.

Ambedkar Jayanti

Following is a story about Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is known as the “Father of the Nation”. He led the non-violence movement in India and helped India in getting freedom from the British rule. This is a particular incident from Gandhiji’s school days in South Africa.Gandhi was in his first year in high school. One day, the education inspector was supposed to visit the school. Generally, an educational inspector visits the school to see if the education of the school is proper or not. The education inspector, Mr. Giles visited the school. He came to Gandhi’s class and dictated five words in which every student had to spell it in their books. Gandhi had misspelled one of the words. The word was ‘Kettle’. The teacher of the class saw Gandhi’s mistake and signalled him to look from the neighbour’s book. Gandhi was a little surprised to see that because he thought the teacher was supposed to supervise against copying.Even though the teacher advised Gandhi to copy the spelling from the neighbour’s book, Gandhiji did not look in his. The result was that all the boys except Gandhi spelled all the spellings correctly. Only Gandhi was the one that could not spell it correctly. The teacher later even tried to make fun of him because he did not follow his instructions. Gandhi always followed his principles and copying from others was against his principles. He could never learn the art of coping. Even after the incident, Gandhi never disrespected his teacher. He always treated the teacher with respect and honour. For him, to respect elders was more important than to judge them due to their actions. Moral:Never change your principles by getting influenced by someone.

This is a story of educator, Mahatma Gandhi and school.Moral(s) of the school: cheating

Gandhi at school in South Africa

Book Author

Much of Jawaharlal’s childhood was spent in the Palatial Building named Anand Bhawan spread on 16 acres situated very close to the University of Allahabad. So Nehru described his childhood as a "sheltered and uneventful one".Nehru received most of his primary education at home by many English teachers. Out of them only one managed to influence him. His name was Ferdinand Brooks—a part-Irish, part-Belgian theosophist. Under him Nehru became interested in Science and Theosophy. Nehru started taking interest in Theosophical Society at age thirteen by family friend Annie Besant. However, his interest in theosophy did not continue and he left the society shortly after Brooks departed as his tutor. Jawaharlal with Children / YouthChacha Nehru as the children fondly referred to him, was fond of both children and roses. In fact he often compared the two, saying that children were like the buds in a garden. They should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they were the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow. He felt that children are the real strength of a country and the very foundation of society. He was the ‘beloved’ of all the children who gave him the endearing name of ‘Chacha Nehru’. He started to wear a rose on his jacket after a child pinned one on it. He always said that children were "future of bright India". On his birthday, he used to have the children at his place to play and enjoy together. So he asked not to have any holiday for his birthday after his death but let the children enjoy the way they want. Nehru chacha’s birthday is celebrated as ‘Baal Din’. Nehru had invited all the newly elected MPs (Member of Parliament) of his party for a dinner held in the lawns of Teen Murti house. During dinner Nehru saw that some poor family children had climbed the boundary wall. They were sitting on it looking at the guests who were having dinner. So he took his plate and went to the wall and gave it to a young boy. Immediately all the MPs also gave their dinner plates to the children! On October 2, 1957, during the Ramlila celebrations in Old Delhi’s Ramlila Ground, Nehru along with some foreign delegates was watching the fireworks. Some sparks fell on the tent in which they were standing and it caught fire. A Boy Scout assigned to Nehru’s stand, grabbed Nehru’s hand and pulled him towards the dais. Then he climbed onto one of the poles, and with his scouts’ knife cut off the burning portion of the tent. This boy was Harish Chand Mehra. On February 4, 1958, a special programme was organised to honour Harish Chand and he was presented the award by Nehru at Teen Murti Bhawan. Nehru said that Harish needed no introduction, as he was himself an eyewitness to the whole account. He said it would be better if we could have more children of undoubted courage.Japan’s zookeepers had killed most of Tokyo’s wild animals to prevent them from escaping during World War II air raids. In 1949, Nehru delighted Japanese children by presenting Ueno Zoo with an Indian elephant.

Much of Jawaharlal’s childhood was spent in the Palatial Building named Anand Bhawan spread on 16 acres situated very close to the University of Allahabad. So Nehru described his childhood as a "sheltered and uneventful one".

Jawaharlal Nehru’s Childhood

As a child, Chandra Shekhar was very brave and fearless. Once in Diwali, he fired the colour match stick in his palm. His palm was burnt badly so he thought that his father will be angry so he left home and ran away to the jungle!As a child he attended the village school but did not take much interest in studies and used to roam around and play with tribal boys, using bows and arrows as toys. The village life somehow did not interest him and one day he left without informing his parents. He was fourteen at the time. His worried parents were relieved when they received a letter from their son telling them that he was in Kashi, studying Sanskrit in a pathshala (school).We all know the famous court incident when just 15 year old Chandra Shekhar told the judge that his name is Azad and his house is prison! He was sentenced blow of whip. When he was getting blow on his back, he kept shouting slogans like “Bharat Mata ki Jay”, “Mahatma Gandhi ki Jay”. After this incident, he was known as Azad! Chandra Shekhar Azad’s Message for YouthChandra Shekhar Azad has inspired the young generation with useful messages. He said, “Don't see others doing better than you, beat your own records everyday, because success is a fight between you and yourself.”He said, “If yet your blood does not rage, then it is water that flows in your veins. For what is the flush of youth, if it is not of service to the motherland.”“A plane is always safe on the ground but it is not made for that. Always take some meaningful risks in life to achieve great heights.”

As a child, Chandra Shekhar was very brave and fearless. Once in Diwali, he fired the colour match stick in his palm. His palm was burnt badly so he thought that his father will be angry so he left home and ran away to the jungle!

Chandra Shekhar Azad’s Childhood

Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the former Prime Minister of India. He had served as the prime minister for three terms. The term was not for consecutive years. In fact, for the first time, he was the Prime Minister only for 13 days. Even in the next term, he could not serve for the whole tenure. But for the third time, he served for the full term i.e. 1999 to 2004. He was the first person to serve as the Prime Minister without being a member of the Indian National Congress.He was born to a middle-class family in Gwalior on 25th December 1924. His father, Krishna Vajpayee was a school teacher and a poet. His mother, Krishna Devi was a housewife. He completed his schooling from Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Gwalior. He graduated from Victoria College and completed his masters from DAV College, Kanpur. He studied M.A. in Political Science.Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first Swayam-Sewak to become the prime minister of India and the first non-Congress Prime Minister to complete a full term in office. His long and winding political career was replete with ups and downs, spanning more than five decades in public life. His oratory skills were also appreciated by everyone. His famous speech at Lok Sabha in 1996 during his 13-day BJP government rule was his most riveting speech.

This is a story of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Haider Ali.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Dr. BR Ambedkar is considered as the ‘Father of Indian Constitution’. He was known as a Dalit icon who dedicated all his life working for the upliftment of untouchables, women, and labourers. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was famously known as Babasaheb Ambedkar. He was a social reformer, politician, and jurist. He contributed largely to eradicate social problems like caste restrictions and untouchability. He fought for the rights of socially backward people and Dalits. He wanted to uplift their lives and provide them their rights. The new Congress-led government, after India's independence on August 15, 1947, invited Ambedkar to serve as the nation's first minister of law and justice, which he accepted. He was appointed Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution on 29 August and was appointed by the Constituent Assembly to write the new Constitution of India. Ambedkar had studied the constitutions of about 60 countries and was considered as a Constitutional expert. After being appointed as the chairman of the Drafting Committee, he emphasized on the construction of a virtual bridge between all classes of the society. He was successful in receiving support from the Assembly in introducing reservations for scheduled castes, and scheduled tribes in government jobs, education, and civil services. As a chairman of the Constitutional Committee, he gave shape to our country of a complete Sovereign, Democratic and Republic based on adult franchise. Dr. Ambedkar’s contribution to the Indian Constitution is undoubted of the highest order. Indeed, he deserved to be called the “father or the Chief Architect” of the Indian Constitution.

freedom fighter 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.

Iron Man of India - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Atal Bihari Vajpayee- a Skilful Orator

Ambedkar Jayanti

Gandhi at school in South Africa

Jawaharlal Nehru’s Childhood

Chandra Shekhar Azad’s Childhood

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Father of Indian Constitution – Dr. Ambedkar

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