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

xSudama was a poor Brahmin man. He didn't have money to even feed his children. His wife once said to him with tearful eyes, "It doesn't matter if we are hungry, but at least we should be able to feed the kids enough."Hearing this Sudama was hurt. He said, "What can be done? We can't ask anyone for favours." Sudama's wife replied, "You're talking so often about Krishna. You've been saying you have a deep bond of friendship with him. He's the King of Dwarka, so why don't you go to him?"Sudama's financial condition was getting worse. He liked the idea of his wife and decided to go to Dwarka. He thought he must take something for his friend. Sudama's wife borrowed from their neighbour some rice and made a dish of rice snacks. Sudama took the rice snacks and left for the palace.Sudama was shocked when he saw Dwarka. The whole town was built with gold. He asked for directions for the palace of Krishna and finally reached there. When the palace guards saw Sudama looking like a solitary person, they asked, "Why did you come here?". Sudama replied, "I'm here to meet Krishna, my friend. Go tell him Sudama has come to meet you."The guards smiled when they saw the outfit of Sudama. However, one of them went and informed Krishna about Sudama’s arrival. After hearing Sudama’s name, Krishna stood up and ran to meet him immediately. Everyone was confused when they saw such a great King running barefoot to greet his poor friend.Seeing the riches of Krishna, Sudama felt ashamed of the rice snacks he carried with him and tried to hide the package, but Krishna snatched it from him. Krishna ate the rice and said, "In anything else, I have never tasted such sweetness."He stayed for two days at the palace but couldn't plan to ask for any favours from Krishna. Sudama left the palace on third day. On the way back home Sudama wondered, "What shall I say when my wife asks me what I have brought back?". When he approached home, he couldn't find his hut. His wife instead came out of a beautiful palace and was dressed in elegant clothes. She said to Sudama, "Look at Krishna's power; we've got rid of our misery.Sudama recollected the pure love of Krishna and tears rolled down from his eyes out of happiness. Moral:Friendship is all about love and respect. It should never be neglected due to richness and poorness.

This is a story of Krishna and Sudama.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

Krishna and Sudama

Once upon a time, there was a jar of fresh, clean water. Every drop of water in the jar felt extremely proud of being so pure and clear. Every day they used to congratulate each other on how clean and beautiful they were. One day, one of the drops was bored with the ultra-clean existence. He wanted to know what it feels like to be a dirty drop. The other drops tried to convince him but he did not agree and left the jar.Later on, when the drop came back after becoming all dirty, he turned all the other drops in the jar dirty too. They tried to get clean again but were not able to. They tried everything to shake off the dirt but failed. One day when someone dipped the jar in a fountain, a lot of clean water entered the jar and finally, the drops were able to regain their old transparency and purity. Now they realized that to stay clean and pure, they all need to stay clean even if they find it difficult. A single mistake by a drop could ruin the purity of everyone else.We face the same situation in real life. If we want to live in a jar of clean water, each one of us must have to be a clean drop. We should never be one of those dirty drops who make everyone else dirty. Moral:Never surround yourself with bad company. A single bad company can have a bad impact on your life.

This is a story of water.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The drop of water

Ravina Sewani

A long time ago, in a jungle there lived a deer, a mouse, and a crow. They were very good friends. They used to spend most of their time with one another and had their meals together. One day, a turtle came to them and said, “I’m all alone in the jungle. I also want to join your group and become your friend.”“You are most welcome to join our company,” the three friends said. The crow asked the turtle, “But what about your personal safety? You know that the jungle is full of dangers. Many hunters keep coming to the forest regularly. Suppose a hunter attacks, how will you save yourself?” The turtle replied, “That is the main reason why I want to join your group.” The four friends had hardly finished talking when they noticed a hunter approaching them. Quickly, to save their lives, the deer ran away into the forest, the crow flew high in the sky and the mouse darted into a nearby hole. Turtles, as we all know, are slow creatures. The turtle could not crawl away fast enough and the hunter trapped him in a net. Though the hunter was disappointed on not being able to catch the deer, he thought that it was better to at least have a turtle to eat rather than going hungry. The deer, the mouse and the crow were very worried to see the turtle getting trapped. They sat together to think of a plan for freeing their friend from the hunter. Together, they came up with a plan and started working on it. First, the crow flew high up in the sky to locate the hunter. He spotted him next to the river. Then, the deer overtook the hunter, unseen, and went and lay at a little distance, pretending to be dead. When the hunter reached this spot, he saw the deer lying on the ground. He thought that the deer must be dead. He was very happy at having found a deer finally. He thought that he would feast upon the deer’s flesh and sell its skin in the market for good money. So, he put the turtle on the ground and started moving towards the deer. As soon as the hunter left the turtle’s side, the mouse appeared out of a hole and nibbled off the net in which the turtle was trapped. The hunter, completely unaware of the animals’ plan, walked towards the deer thanking his stars. But, as soon as he came near the deer, the deer suddenly got up and bolted into the forest. The hunter was completely taken by surprise. Before he had time to react, the deer was gone. Dejected, the hunter went back to the place where he had set the turtle down. He was shocked to see that the turtle was gone! There was only a piece of nibbled net lying on the ground. By the time that the hunter was away, the turtle, freed by the mouse had crawled to the river and swam away. These strange occurrences were too much for the hunter. For a moment he thought that he must be dreaming. But the damaged, gnawed-through piece of net was evidence that all these things had truly happened. The hunter could not think of any explanation for these strange happenings other than that it was just a miracle. Scared out of his wits, the hunter ran away from the jungle as fast as he could.The turtle thanked his three friends for saving his life. Thereafter, the four friends lived happily. Moral:A friend in need, is a friend indeed.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story from crow, deer, mouse and turtle.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The four friends and the hunter

One fine morning two friends set out on a boating trip. They sailed the boat in the calm sea and talked merrily. Soon they were far away from the shore.All of a sudden, gusty winds started blowing. The sea became rough. The boat tossed up and down in the stormy sea.Luckily, the two friends saw a plank floating on the sea. So they jumped into the sea and caught it. But the plank was too small to bear the weight of two.“You are a married man. You must live for your wife and children. I am single and so you must take the plank and go,” said one friend to the other.“But you have your mother and sister. Who will take care of them?” argued the married man.“Indeed you!” said the young man and let off the plank. He soon drowned in the sea.After the storm was over, the married friend reached home safely. He took care of his friend’s mother and sister. Moral:True friends share each other’s joys as well as sorrows.

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

The Two Friends

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

Once upon a time, there lived two friends namely a Camel and a Zebra in a jungle. They both were very different. The Zebra was very proud of his appearance and looks. He always thought that Camel was very ugly. One day, the Camel asked Zebra, “Hey Zebra, let’s go out and play in the mud.” The Zebra replied, “No, Camel, I do not want to play in the mud. You go if you want. My white and black coat could get dirty in the mud.” So, the camel went alone in the mud.In the evening, the Zebra was passing by the Camel’s house. The Camel called Zebra and asked, “Have I done something wrong, Zebra?”. The Zebra replied, “No, Camel. I am just very busy.” The Camel could not understand why Zebra was ignoring him. He felt very sad.After a few weeks, there was a severe drought in the area. There was no rain in the jungle for the whole season. There was no water and everything began to dry up. The birds cried because they had no water to drink. The tortoises were sad because the lakes had no water. Everyone was sad.The Zebra was also very thirsty. He saw donkey carrying some water on its back. The Zebra asked donkey for some water but the donkey rudely said, “No”. Zebra felt very bad by the harsh words of the donkey. Soon, Zebra saw his best friend, Camel. “I am very thirsty, there is no water. I think I will die.” said Zebra. The camel said, “Nothing will happen to you as long as I am here.”The Zebra was surprised to see that the camel was not affected by the drought. The Camel said, “The ugly thing you see on my back is a hump. It stores water. The amount of water it stores can be used for almost a month.” The Zebra was shocked by what the Camel had told him. The Zebra was very thirsty and was getting out of breath.As the camel promised him to provide water, he decided to take Zebra to a place that had water. The camel said, “I am the ship of the desert. I know how to find an oasis.” The Zebra asked, “What is an oasis?” The camel replied, “It is the place in the desert that has water. Only we can smell it.” They both left to find an oasis in the desert.On their way to find the oasis, there was a huge dust storm. The Camel told Zebra to hide under him. The Zebra quickly went under the Camel. The storm did not affect the camel. Zebra was shocked to see that. The Camel again said, “My huge ugly eyelashes help to protect my eyes from the dust. Also, my skin is pretty thick.”While walking on the hot sand, Zebra’s feet began to burn. Zebra said to Camel, “My feet are burning due to the hot sand. Your feet are not burning?”. The Camel replied, “Not at all! My rounded feet and long legs help me to walk on the hot desert sand. If you cannot walk on the sand, hop on my back. I will carry you.” The Zebra was shocked by the qualities of Camel. Zebra sat on the Camel’s back and they went to find the water. After some time, they found an oasis and the Zebra drank water to his fullest to quench his thirst. Moral:It is not always the good looks and appearance that are important. It’s the quality you have that matters.

This is a story of camel and zebra.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The camel and the zebra

Once, in a little village near Guwahati, there was a big park. In the middle of the park, there was a huge wood and, in that wood, there was a dark and gloomy lake and, in that lake, there lived a Monster called Monstruto.Monstruto was very dangerous. He had eaten all the monsters who used to live in the lake and all the children who used to go near the lake. And due to this reason, the monster had a big round tummy. The tummy of the monster was so big that when he moved, it scraped along the bottom of the lake. He used to hold the branches of the trees around the lake so, he could move easily. Due to this, all the branches of the trees were broken and were touching the water.Monstruto was left with nothing more to eat. He had eaten all the monsters and no children used to come near the lake as they were scared.One day, a group of children was playing football near the lake. One little boy kicked the ball so hard that it landed near one corner of the lake. The hungry Monstruto saw the round thing near the corner of the lake and thought of eating it. The monster went to the corner of the lake and holding on to the branches of the trees, he swallowed the ball at once.The monsters and children who were inside the tummy of the Monstruto started playing with the ball. They began to play the game of the football and one monster kicked the ball so hard that it blew up. The air inside the ball began to escape and the monster’s tummy began to get bigger and bigger until it exploded. Due to this, all the monsters and the children came out of the Monstruto’s tummy. All the children that came out from the tummy went to their parents running and to tell them what had happened.The Monstruto’s tummy was not big and round anymore. It did not touch the ground and he was thin. He could walk around easily without grabbing the branches of the trees. The best thing was that there were many more monsters in the lake. So, Monstruto used to play with them and have fun.Monstruto decided that from now onwards he would never eat any of the monsters or children.

This is a story of child, football, lake and monster.Moral(s) of the story: cooperation and friendship

The lake monster 

Yesha Desai

wThe first time Abdul Kalam went to school, he met a loud little boy. He was the son of the villager's prime Pujari. His loud, outgoing personality and Kalam's shy self were opposite but they soon became best friends. Between playing and homework, they became inseparable. In school they always sat together.&nbsp; One day, it was announced that they will be having a new maths teacher. Kalam and his friend were very excited because they loved maths. Next day, the new teacher arrived. He was very intelligent and was also a very good teacher. But he had one problem. He had a problem with Abdul Kalam, a Muslim boy, being friends with a Hindu Pujari's son. He asked Kalam to go and sit behind. Kalam did not understand the discrimination but he agreed. This went on for a few days and the Pujari's son did not like this one bit. He wanted to spend time with his friend, he saw no difference. He did not feel like he was above his friend because of his birth. Similarly, Abdul could not understand why he was not allowed to spend time with his best-friend. After all, what does religion matter? One day, both the children told their parents about this teacher. Their parents confronted the teacher and explained that all religions are equal and no one is above anyone, they do not have a problem with their children being friends. The teacher finally apologised to the children and learnt his lesson.

This is a story of Abdul Kalam and equality.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

Abdul Kalam and the lesson of equality

There was once an eagle living in a jungle. He met fox and they both became friends. Their friendship grew stronger and they became best friends. They decided to build their homes next to each other. The fox lived near the bushes so eagle decided to build its nest near the bushes. They lived happily.After some time, both of the friends had their children. They adored and loved their children. One day, the fox wanted to go hunting. She left its cubs in the bushes and left in search of food. She said the cubs that she will be back soon. On the other side, the babies of the eagle were crying out of hunger. They were very hungry. The eagle did not have any food to feed her babies.The eagle tried searching for food but could not find anything. The eagle saw fox’s cubs playing near the bushes. The eaglets were crying out of hunger so she decided to feed one of the cubs to her children. The eagle went near the bushes and picked one of the cubs and fed her babies. She gave her friend’s baby to her children to eat. When the fox returned, she saw the eagle feeding her child to her babies. The fox was shocked and quickly went to the eagle. “What have you done?” said fox while crying. She was heartbroken and hurt. She was in extreme pain and said, “You have done very wrong with me eagle, you have cheated a friend, a good friend.” The fox took her cubs and left to never see the eagle again.The fox, even after being cheated by a friend, never wished for any harm to her friend. The fox was a good friend. But God had his plans.One day, the eaglets were very hungry and the mother eagle did not have anything to feed them. She decided to go to a nearby village to hunt. She thought she would surely find something there. She left for the hunt. There she found a dead goat. She took that and quickly flew back to her babies. When she came back, she was shocked to see the nest. The nest had caught fire and her babies were inside the nest. She pulled them out but it was too late. The poor eaglets were hurt badly and one of them even died. The eagle was heartbroken and in pain.At that moment, the fox was passing by. She saw the eagle’s nest. Looking at the eagle she said, “God has punished you for betraying a dear friend.” The fox left the place with a heavy heart. She did not wish for her friend to suffer but this was her justice. God had punished the one who did wrong to others. Moral:We should never betray other friends.

This is a story of eagle and fox.Moral(s) of the story: betrayal and friendship

friendship 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.

Krishna and Sudama

The drop of water

The four friends and the hunter

The Two Friends

The Christmas That Santa Almost Missed

The camel and the zebra

The lake monster

Abdul Kalam and the lesson of equality

The Eagle and the Fox

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