Do you remember the stories that you read as a child? Moral stories can needn’t be serious, but they can be funny at the same time help your child learn something. We have compiled a list of 07 short moral stories that are inspirational, from India, and from around the world. <h3>1. The Boy Who Cried, Wolf</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_boy_who_cried%2C_wolf.webp_image_1638188646554.webp" width="359">There was a young boy whose father, a farmer, had asked him to take their herd of sheep grazing every day.One day, the boy was extremely bored as he watched over the sheep and so he cried: “Wolf! Wolf!”On hearing his cries, the villagers rushed to help him chase the wolf away and save the sheep.When they saw the grinning boy and realised he had cried wolf for his amusement, they scolded him and told him to not cry wolf!The next day, the boy cried out that the wolf was there. The villagers came, scolded him again, and left.Later that same day, a wolf came and terrorized the sheep.The boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help me.”But, the villagers assumed that he was pulling a silly prank again and did not come to his rescue. The sheep ran away and the boy cried.Moral of the story: Don’t lie or engage in foolish pranks, for no one will believe a liar even when he is telling the truth! <h3>2. The Golden Touch Of Midas</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_golden_touch_of_midas.jpg_image_1638188804006.jpg" width="365">A long time ago, there lived a king in Greece named Midas.He was extremely wealthy and had all the gold he could ever need. He also had a daughter whom he loved very much.One day, Midas saw a Satyr (an angel) who was stuck and was in trouble. Midas helped the Satyr and asked for his wish to be granted in return.The Satyr agreed and Midas wished for everything he touched to be turned to gold. His wish was granted.Extremely excited, Midas went home to his wife and daughter touching pebbles, rocks, and plants on the way, which turned into gold.As his daughter hugged him, she turned into a golden statue.Having learnt his lesson, Midas begged the Satyr to reverse the spell who granted that everything would go back to their original state.Moral of the story: Stay content and grateful for what you have. Greed will not get you anywhere. <h3>3. The Foolish Thief</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_foolish_thief.jpg_image_1638188856227.jpg" width="362">Once, a wealthy merchant came to King Akbar’s court to seek help from Birbal. He suspected that one of his servants had robbed him.On hearing this, Birbal thought of a clever plan and summoned the merchant’s servants.He gave each servant a stick of the same length. He told them that the thief’s stick would grow two inches by the next day.The next day, Birbal summoned the servants again. He noticed that a servant’s stick was two inches shorter than the others.He knew who the thief was.The foolish thief had cut the stick shorter by two inches as he thought it would grow two inches. Thus, proving his guilt.Moral of the story: Truth and justice will always prevail. <h3>4. Two Frogs With The Same Problem</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/two_frogs_with_the_same_problem.png_image_1638188962564.png" width="346">Once, a group of frogs was roaming around the forest in search of water. Suddenly, two frogs in the group accidentally fell into a deep pit.The other frogs worried about their friends in the pit.Seeing how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that there was no way they could escape the deep pit and that there was no point in trying.They continued to constantly discourage them as the two frogs tried to jump out of the pit. But keep falling back.Soon, one of the two frogs started to believe the other frogs — that they’ll never be able to escape the pit and eventually died after giving up.The other frog keeps trying and eventually jumps so high that he escapes the pit. The other frogs were shocked at this and wondered how he did it.The difference was that the second frog was deaf and couldn’t hear the discouragement of the group. He simply thought they were cheering him on!Moral of the story: People’s opinion of you will affect you, only if you believe it to be so. It’s better to believe in yourself. <h3>5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_milkmaid_and_her_pail.jpg_image_1638189037353.jpg" width="348">There was once a milkmaid named Patty.She milked her cow and carried the two pails of milk she fetched on a stick and set out to sell the milk at the market.As she was walking to the market, she began to daydream about what she would do with the money she fo for the milk.She thought of buying a hen and selling its eggs and she planned on becoming wealthy.She dreamt of buying a cake, a basket of strawberries, a fancy dress, and even a new house with the money she would make selling the eggs and the milk!In her excitement, she forgot about the pails she was carrying and began to skip.Suddenly, she realised that the milk was spilling down and when she checked her pails, they were empty.Moral of the story: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! It is important to focus on the process of achieving success and not just success alone. <h3>6. The Elephant Circus</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/elepahnt_circus.jpg_image_1638189224771.jpg" width="361">Once upon a time in a circus, five elephants performed circus tricks. They were kept tied up with weak rope that they could’ve easily escaped, but did not.One day, a man visiting the circus asked the ringmaster: “Why haven’t these elephants broken the rope and run away?”The ringmaster replied: “From when they were young, the elephants were made to believe that they were not strong enough to break the ropes and escape.”It was because of this belief that they did not even try to break the ropes now.Moral of the story: Don’t give in to the limitations of society. Believe that you can achieve everything you want to!<h3> </h3>7. The Elephants And The Mice<img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/1_xvfat_v8xumqnkx7-3jcka.png_image_1638189285226.png" width="350">In an earthquake-hit village abandoned by humans, a colony of mice lived. Near the village was a lake, which was used by a herd of elephants.The elephants would have to cross the village to go to the lake. Thus, one day, as they walked through, they trampled a lot of mice.The leader of the mice met with the elephants and requested them to take a different route to the lake. He promised them that their favour would be returned in the time of their need.The elephants laughed. How could such small mice help these large elephants in any way? But then, they agreed to take a different route.Not so long after, the mice heard that hunters had caught the herd of elephants and were tied in nets.Immediately, they rush to rescue the elephants. They gnawed through the nets and ropes with their sharp teeth.The leader of the elephants repeatedly thanked the mice for their help!Moral of the story: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Make sure you help your friends out whenever they need it. They should always be able to count on you. That’s all folks!We hope children like these short yet interesting stories with morals that we have read growing up!There are more and more stories with morals on <a href="https://www.beeparenting.com/s/moral-stories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bee Stories</a>.

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

07 Must Read Short Moral Stories For Children

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

Shina Utavani

One day, the river thought to herself, “Do, I need to keep flowing all my life? Why can’t I stop and rest for a little while?” She was a bit upset and thought to discuss it with the mountain. She went to the mountain and shared her thoughts and asked for advice.After hearing her thoughts, the mountain just laughed and said, “Look at me! I am standing here in the same place for ages!” To which the river replied, “You are firm and fixed in one place. How can you get tired? Look at me, I have to move all the time. I don’t get to rest even for a single minute”.“That is how you see it, but I get tired of standing here”, said the Mountain. He further added, “Every day, I see the same trees and the same patch of sky. Sometimes, I wish only I could run like a river. I would visit new forests and villages. I would water their fields, give life, and be deeply loved by all.”The river was shocked to hear the mountain’s reply. She always thought that his life was perfect. The river said, “That is so strange! Your life is so peaceful and comfortable, yet you feel this way!” To which the mountain replied, “You do not get it, my sister! The river is worshipped by everyone.” He added, “You flow for the sake of others. You give away so much, you offer whatever remains to the sea.”The river realised her worth and said with great enthusiasm, “You are right, my brother! The true purpose of my life is to give life to others. Thank you for your kind wisdom. She gushed away with a loud gurgle feeling very happy and her newfound positive energy. Moral:Stay happy with whatever you have. Everyone has a different purpose in their lives.

This is a story of mountain and river.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude

The Mountain and the River

Yesha Desai

Two deer named Beauty and Brownie lived with their father and mother and great herds of deer in a forest. One day their father called them and said, “Dear children, the time has come for the corn in the fields to ripen. It is a time of great danger for us as when the corn is ripening in the fields, the hunters set their traps there to catch us. It will be best for both of you to go away for a while. Each one of you must also take a small herd of young deer with you and keep it safe.”The children asked their father, “Dear father, will you not be accompanying us?” The father replied, “No, there is enough food for me and your mother here! We will stay back with some old deer. But you must leave with the young deer as there is not enough food for all of us. At the hills, you will find plenty of food to sustain yourselves till the time, the corn in the fields is harvested and it is safe to return.” He further instructed them, “Remember to travel by night, because the hunters will see you if you go by day. And you must not take your herd near the villages where hunters live.”So Beauty and Brownie both took one herd of young deer and bid adieu to their parents. Beauty remembered his father’s instructions word by word and always travelled at night. He never allowed any deer of his herd to go near any villages. But Brownie was completely oblivious of his father’s advice. He fearlessly travelled in the daylight and when he saw a village, he led his herd right past it. The hunters were able to clearly spot Brownie’s herd, and they killed many deer from his herd.When the crops had been cut, the deer started returning to the forest. Beauty proudly came back with all the deer of his herd while Brownie could bring back only a few.That is why it is said, we must never ignore the advice of our elders. Moral:We should not ignore the advice of our elders.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of deer.Moral(s) of the story: obedience

Beauty and the brownie

Nishita Sanghvi

In a kingdom, a king was very fond of eating meat of deer. He had in fact kept a herd of deer in his garden where he would feed them and ultimately eat them.However, the eldest deer was spared for the time being as she was going to have a baby. She had requested the king that after her baby was born she would become the King's next meal.As this was agreed upon, it was now the turn of the next deer to serve the king but this deer was really scared. So, the deer with the baby decided to go instead as she could not see another baby in tears.When the king saw the pregnant deer, he asked, “Why are you here instead of the younger deer?” To which she said, “The younger one is too scared and I feel that to save my baby's life, I cannot take someone else's baby's life.”On hearing this, the king felt ashamed of himself. He not only spared the deer's life but decided to stop eating meat altogether.Moral- Kindness begets kindness.

This is a story of Deer and king.Moral(s) of the story: kindness

The kind Deer

In a village lived Madhuril. She was a poor carpenter's daughter who did not have too many toys, hence she would stand outside the toy shop longing to get at least some of them.Her father did take notice of this and felt really dissapointed as he felt he was not able to fulfill his daughters wishes. Even the shopkeeper would see Madhuri's sad face and feel bad for her, but none could do anything.It was then Madhuri's mother who thought of a great idea, that they could pay for her toy over a period of time and as mischells luck would have it, the shopkeeper also agreed.It was a doll that Madhuri had her eyes on. Finally her dream came true and the doll was given to&nbsp;her. She would play with the doll day and night not realizing the time, and also carry the doll wherever she went though her mom had advised her not to.A fun fair took place every year in the village where all the kids would really enjoy. As usual Madhuri's doll accompanied her. The fair had lots of games, rides, and food for the kids, it also had shopping for the elders. So it kept all ages quite busy. However in the midst of this commotion someone picked up the doll.Hell broke loose for Madhuri, she could not find the doll anywhere. She realized now that it was difficult to find her doll in the fair. She was terribly disappointed; she wished so badly she had left it at home. She felt so bad that she went back to search for her doll starting at the toy shop.Fortunately a lady with her child came to the toy shop, she recognized Madhuri as she had seen her at the fun fair holding the same doll as her daughter. She asked Madhuri, “Why are you looking so sad?”. Madhuri replied, “Because I lost my only favourite doll.” The lady then realized what she had picked up by mistake was Madhuri's doll. She said “Come to my place, I shall give your doll back”. Madhuri was really amazed to hear this. At the lady's place she saw her doll and another one that looked exactly the same, “Oh! What a coincidence!”, uttered Madhuri, “they both are the same”.She not only got her favourite doll back but also made a friend.

This is a story of doll, mother and father.

What a coincidence!

Thrown in a large black iron frying pan.. in the deep sea of hot oil. Stuffed with spicy potato, green peas and coriander, and enveloped in pockets of white dough ... I and my companions were strained out brown and piping hot... We landed on a big aluminium tray... We saw the greedy glares of the crowd that gazed at us...Some waiting for us some rushed towards us.... calling out 'Samose aa gaye garma garam Samose, '... While my fellow mates were taken away... A couple of them were in pav while some were sold off with spicy green and sweet red chutney... Then... there came a dirty looking peasant who hungrily stared at me with his preying eyes...He removed an old ten-rupee currency note from his old ragged jhola and bought me... Wrapped up in a newspaper I was in his ragged cloth jhola... Until he settled near a tea stall...Sat, ordered a cutting chai and got me out of his humble slob... opened the newspaper in which I was wrapped up and took a chunky bite accompanied with s hot sip of masala chai and fried salty spicy green chillies... Within minutes I was gobbled up guzzled down with hot tea... The peasant burped.. with his stomach full and drowsiness in his droopy eyes. He slept under a huge banyan tree after brunching upon me... I said to myself...I am a modest samosa ...I am in demand among all the classes of the society...I am one of the tastiest, the quickest yet cheapest modes of satisfying the hunger of people on the go... I am the samosa.

The Story of Samosa

Ravina Sewani

Long ago, in a small village there lived an old woman who owned a black baby elephant. The children in the village called her Granny, and they had nicknamed the elephant as ‘Granny’s Blackie.’Granny’s Blackie was a very friendly elephant and used to give joy rides to all the children. The children also loved him dearly and shared their food with him. The old woman used to do stitching and tailoring work while Blackie used to enjoy the whole day with the children. Some years happily went past like this.One day Blackie wanted granny to accompany him to the woods. The old lady declined the offer, saying, “My dear, I cannot walk that far now. My health is deteriorating and I am no longer as active and energetic as I used to be some time back.” Blackie realized that Granny was growing feeble and older.He thought to himself, “This kind woman has looked after me for so many years. Now, it is my turn to repay the debt. I must find some work and start earning money for her.”Blackie set out to find some work for himself. When he was walking along the river’s bank, he saw a man who was looking troubled. He had some heavily loaded bullock carts standing in the middle of a river and his bullocks were finding it difficult to lug them. When he saw Blackie, he asked him to help his bullocks in carrying out the carts out of water. He promised to pay two silver coins for each cart that Blackie pulled out of the water.Blackie gladly agreed to help. He went into the river, and drew one cart after another across to the bank of the river. After completing his job, he went to take his money from the man. But, he saw that the dishonest man had given him only half the money he had promised.Blackie was really upset with the man’s dishonesty. He went and stood in the road and did not let the carts go past him. The man tried to get Blackie out of his way, but he did not budge an inch from his place. The man soon understood what the elephant wanted. He went back and gave Blackie the other half of the sum, as promised. He apologised to Blackie and put all the silver coins in the bag that Blackie was carrying around his neck.Blackie happily went home to give his first earning to his dear Granny. Blackie had been out since the morning, so Granny was getting worried for him and was waiting for him to return at the doorstep. When she saw Blackie coming back, she was overjoyed and asked him where he had been. Blackie narrated the entire story to her and put the bag full of silver coins in her hand. Granny was very proud of her Blackie! Moral:&nbsp;When you learn, teach. When you get, give. A life lived with a heart which is ready to give back, is a life full of satisfaction.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

This is story of elephant, grandmother and Jataka tales.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude and responsibility

Granny’s Blackie

The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic written by the famous sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama's effort to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana. It also describes the challenges faced by Lord Rama, Laxaman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from “The Ramayana”.Laxman was devoted to Ram. He wanted to accompany him to the exile of the forest. His devotion was such that he even refused to take his wife, Urmila with him to the forest.Laxman’s wife, Urmila, wanted to follow her husband to the forest as Sita was leaving with Ram. But Laxman begged her to stay back saying, “I will be busy taking care of Ram and Sita and I will have no time for you. Please help me by staying back so that I do not have to feel guilty about you.” So, Urmila stayed back wondering how she could help her husband.On the first night in the forest, Laxman kept a watch while Ram and Sita went to sleep. That is when Nindra, the goddess of sleep approached him. Laxman requested her to leave him alone for fourteen years so that he could guard his brother and sister-in-law night and day. The goddess was impressed by his act and agreed. But the law of nature demanded that someone had to sleep on behalf of him to create a balance. Then Laxman asked her to consider Urmila for this. Nindra went to Urmila and asked her if she would like to take up Laxman’s sleep, to which she agreed.So, Urmila slept for fourteen years day and night, while her husband, Laxman, stayed awake in the service of Ram and Sita. They both sacrificed for protecting Ram and Sita. Urmila’s sacrifice had an impact on the war against Ravana. Meghnadh was the Ravana’s son and he was unbeatable. The man who had not slept for 14 years could only defeat him. Thus, Laxman was able to kill him because of the sacrifice of Urmila. Moral:This story teaches us to sometimes sacrifice our needs for the sake of our loved ones.

This is a story of Laxman, Ram and Urmila.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

Laxman Defeating Sleep for 14 Years

Once there were two dairy shops owned by two brothers. Both the brothers were very good businessmen and worked very hard.However, one of them always profited more than the other. The other was always confused as to how that was possible.One day he decided to ask his brother, “Brother, how is it that we both sell the same things at the same price and yet you earn more than me? We both work equally hard, so why is it?”The brother replied, “Because I wake up early in the morning and open my shop early.”The man understood his mistake. Dairy products are usually needed early in the morning and thus more customers are available in the morning.He decided to wake up early and work harder too. Moral:Waking up early and getting to work gives you a headstart at the day and is always profitable.

This is a story of brother and morning person.Moral(s) of the story: routine importance

The story of two brothers

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.The ruler of Kishanagar had an extremely beautiful daughter, named Sona. As she was the only child, she enjoyed a lot of freedom. She was intelligent, well read and skilled in the use of weapons. When she reached a marriageable age, the king started looking for a suitable partner for her. The princess coveted to marry a man more skilled than her in every respect. So, she asked her father to make an announcement that she would marry only the person who would be able to defeat her in a fight. The king was very proud to hear his daughter’s views and made announcements in every state, inviting princes to his kingdom.Thinking that it would be very easy to defeat a young woman, many fighters and princes from all over the country came to take the challenge, but none could succeed. As the princess was taking on the suitors one after another, among them was Uday Varma, the prince of Ayodhyapuri. He watched the fight every day, by joining the crowd. He carefully observed her way of fighting. Within a few days, Uday Varma learnt all her strategies, and was fully prepared to fight her and as anticipated it did not take him long to defeat the princess.Uday Varma proudly told the king and the queen that he was able to defeat the princess by closely observing her fighting strategies. On hearing this, the princess suddenly said, “Dear prince, I know that you have defeated me, but I cannot marry you.”The king was surprised by his daughter’s decision and asked her the reason for the refusal. The princess turned towards Uday Varma and asked whether he knew the reason or not. Uday Varma thought for a while and said, “Yes you are right! We cannot get married.” Saying so, he walked away from there.The king and queen were surprised to see Uday Varma accepting Sona’s decision without any argument. They were unable to understand the whole situation.Betaal thus concluded the story and asked King Vikramaditya, “Why did Uday Varma quietly accept the decision of the princess? Tell me Vikram, if you do not speak even if you know the answer, your head will split into pieces.”Vikram replied “Uday Varma had learnt the art of warfare from Sona, just as a student learns it from his teacher. Both of them agreed not to marry each other because they understood that in Bhartiya sanskriti, it is immoral for a teacher to marry his or her student.”Vikram had rightly answered Betaal’s question. Since he had spoken again, Betaal flew back to the tree. Vikram with his sword in his hand, went after the Betaal once again. Moral:Live by your morals throughout your life.

jeans 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 Mountain and the River

Beauty and the brownie

The kind Deer

What a coincidence!

The Story of Samosa

Granny’s Blackie

Laxman Defeating Sleep for 14 Years

The story of two brothers

A Promise Not Kept

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