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.

Once upon a time, there was a little kid named Shankar. He belonged to a very poor family. One day, he was passing by the forest carrying some woods. On his way, he saw an old man who was very hungry. Shankar wanted to give him some food, but he did not have food for himself. So, he continued on his way. Further, he saw a deer sitting under a tree. The deer was very thirsty. Shankar wanted to give him some water, but he did not have water for himself. So, he continued on his way. Then, he came across a man who wanted to make a camp but did not have enough woods. Shankar decided to give him some of his woods. In return, the man gave him some food and water. Instead of keeping the food and water for himself, Shankar went to the old man and gave him some food. He then rushed to the thirsty deer and gave him some water. The old man and the deer were very happy. Shankar then happily went back on his way. However, one day Shankar was walking by, and he suddenly fell down from the hill. He was in pain and it was difficult for him to even move. There was no one around to help him. After some time, an old man saw Shankar. He was the same man whom Shankar had helped before. The old man quickly came and pulled him up the hill. He had many wounds on his legs. The deer whom Shankar had given water saw his wounds. He quickly went to the forest and brought some herbs. The herbs helped Shankar to cover his wounds. All were happy that they could help each other. Moral:&nbsp;If you help others, they will also help you. The more you want to help others, the more they will want to help you.&nbsp;

This is a story of deer.Moral(s) of the story: helpfulness and kindness

An act of Kindness

Shina Utavani

A group of flowers used to live together in a garden. The flowers included Sunflower, Cactus, Daisy, and Cosmos. All the flowers were very small and they were growing gradually.After some time, the flowers bloomed beautifully one day and everyone had a flower on them except cactus. The cactus did not have any flower on it. All the flowers started teasing him. They all started making fun of cactus. The sunflower said, “Hey Look, Cactus looks so ugly. She does not have a flower on her.” Everyone started laughing. “You do not come close to me. You make me look ugly,” said the cosmos. Tulip said, “I am grateful that I am not a cactus.” The daisy said, “You look so ugly, cactus.”The cactus felt very bad and sad. All the plants were very rude to her. All these comments made cactus very sad. She wanted to look like them. She started applying different things to look like them.After a few months, the summer season started approaching and the garden began to dry up. The hot weather had dried up the garden. There was no water and all the flowers except cactus were suffering due to the hot summer. Cactus saw all the flowers suffering due to the hot weather, she asked them, “Are you guys okay?” They all said they were dying out of thirst and that they will die because of the hot weather.Sunflower said, “Cactus, the hot weather is affecting all of us but not you. How come you are not affected by the water? Do you not feel thirsty?” The cactus said, “I have long roots that spread out just under the groundwater. And without leaves, my body releases very less water in the atmosphere so I can store a lot of water.”Seeing the flowers dying because of thirst, the cactus decided to help them. She said, “I can help you all, I have some water.” Sunflower felt very bad and said, “I am sorry Cactus. We treated you so bad and still, you are willing to help us.” The cactus replied, “It is okay. I am doing what I know is right.” Everyone apologized to cactus and felt guilty. Cactus helped everyone and saved their lives. Everyone thanked cactus for saving their lives.They all stopped teasing her after that day. A fairy was watching all this from above and was impressed by the good deed of cactus. She decided to reward Cactus for its kindness. She came and moved her magic wand and the cactus got a beautiful flower. The cactus was very happy to finally have a flower just like the other plants. After that, all the flowers lived happily together in the garden. Moral:Do not make fun of others. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

This is a story of cactus, cosmos, daisy, plant, summer, sunflower, tulip and water.Moral(s) of the story: kindness

Kind Cactus

Ravina Sewani

A Serpent had succeeded in surprising an Eagle and had wrapped himself around the Eagle’s neck. The Eagle could not reach the Serpent, neither with beak nor claws. Far into the sky he soared trying to shake off his enemy. But the Serpent’s hold only tightened, and slowly the Eagle sank back to earth, gasping for breath.A Countryman chanced to see the unequal combat. In pity for the noble Eagle he rushed up and soon had loosened the coiling Serpent and freed the Eagle.The Serpent was furious. He had no chance to bite the watchful Countryman. Instead he struck at the drinking horn, hanging at the Countryman’s belt, and into it let fly the poison of his fangs.The Countryman now went on toward home. Becoming thirsty on the way, he filled his horn at a spring, and was about to drink. There was a sudden rush of great wings. Sweeping down, the Eagle seized the poisoned horn from out his savior’s hands, and flew away with it to hide it where it could never be found.Moral: An act of kindness is well repaid.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

This is a story of Aesop fables and eagle.Moral(s) of the story: helpfulness and kindness

The Serpent and The Eagle

Once, there was a poor boy who made a living by selling various objects from door to door. This was the way he earned money to pay for his school. One day, as he was selling the objects, he felt very hungry and weak. He felt that he couldn’t walk even a few steps. He decided to ask for food at a house. He knocked on the door and was stunned to see a beautiful young girl open the door. With much hesitation, he asked the girl for a glass of water.The young girl understood his condition and offered him a huge glass of milk. With an astonished look, the boy drank the milk very slowly. “How much do I owe you for this milk?” he asked her. The girl replied, “I do not want any money for this.” The boy thanked the girl from the bottom of his heart and left the place.Years passed by. The young girl grew up. In her youth, unfortunately, she fell ill and was diagnosed with the rarest kind of nervous disorder. Many experienced doctors were baffled at her condition, and she was admitted in the city hospital with the most advanced facilities. Dr. Kevin, a renowned neuro-specialist was called in by the hospital to examine her. Even with his extraordinary expertise, Dr. Kevin found the girl’s illness very hard to cure. However, with perseverance and hard work that lasted months, he was finally able to get the disease under control. With careful medication and monitoring, the girl was completely cured in the end.Everyone praised the doctor, but the girl was quite worried about how much the hospital bill would come to. Her family had just a little money kept away in the bank, which was by no means enough to pay for such a long treatment in that reputed hospital. The girl was given the hospital bill finally. With trembling hands, she opened it. She was stunned to see that the bill had been crossed out and cancelled, and there was a note underneath signed by Dr. Kevin.“Bill paid years ago with a glass of milk!” Moral:One good turn begets another.

This is a story of karma,Moral(s) of the story: benevolence, helpfulness and kindness

A glass of Milk

Sunny was upset today and was walking down the road when he saw an old man sitting on a chair. He was a seller of second-hand shoes. Sunny thought he looked at least 70 years old. The old man seemed so tired and nobody was buying his shoes. Sunny wanted to give him something but he had not brought anything with him.Then, a little girl came towards the old man. Sunny heard the child say, "Grandfather, may I polish your shoes?" That old man took pity on her, smiled and he gave her a shoe to polish.The girl said, "I polish the shoes because I need money to buy a new school uniform for my brother”.Sunny heard this and tears came to his eyes. The old man answered, "Oh, little girl. Just stop doing this. Come with me and I will buy you a uniform." Then they walked to a market and Sunny followed them. The old man bought her a uniform. The girl was so happy. She said, "Thank you so much for doing this. May God bless you." Then she left, leaving the old man smiling.The old man walked away from the market, but Sunny stopped him. He whispered in the old man's ear, "You are a hero! Thank you for your kindness!" As Sunny walked away, he glanced back and could see the old man still smiling.Sunny was blown away by the kindness he had just seen. Someone who had so little themselves, was able to show such incredible generosity! Amazing! Sunny's sadness had completely disappeared, chased way by the light of this kind act.Sunny began realizing that he had a lot to be thankful for. He hoped, that some day even he would be ableto show his appreciation for what he has by following the example of the old man who only had a little, but shared it so beautifully with someone who had nothing. Moral:One act of kindness inspires many others. It does not matter how much you have. If you choose to give, you are wealthy by your heart.

This is story of shoe, girl. sailor and school.Moral(s) of the story: generosity and kindness

A shoe seller walks in the shoes of kindness	

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.&nbsp;Once a monk visited Gandhiji’s Sabarmati ashram. His name was Swami Satydev and he spent the entire day at the ashram. He expressed the wish to stay there for the rest of his life.The monk told Gandhiji that he liked the work he was doing in the Ashram. He then said, “I would like to stay here in the Ashram and do the work.” Gandhiji replied, “You can stay in the ashram but you will have to put away your saffron robes and have to dress like others in the ashram.”The Swami did not like the idea to change his attire. He said, “But I am a Monk (sanyasi)!” Gandhiji explained, “I am not asking you to leave sanyas. You can continue with it. Sanyas is a state of mind and dress has nothing to do with it.”“The problem with wearing orange robes in the ashram is that the people will not allow you to do work out of respect for your robes, instead they will serve you, and that would be contrary to the principles of this ashram. We are here to serve, not to be served,” said Gandhiji. The swami was lost in deep thoughts. After some time, he decided to join the ashram. Moral:Serving everyone is the best way to live.

This is a story of Mahatma Gandhi and his life's philosophy.Moral(s) of the story: empathy and kindness

We are here to serve, not to be served

Yesha Desai

Mother Teresa was born with the name of Anjez Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in the (then) Ottoman Empire. Before she was a Saint, she was a little girl with such kindness in her heart that awed others constantly. Her father was deeply involved in the Albanian community politics, her family was deeply religious and they were fairly wealthy. But little Anjez wanted something more. Her father died when she was little, she turned further towards God in her grief. They had donated massive amounts of money in the wake of his death and she realised that helping people made her happy. From early childhood, she had been deeply fascinated by the work of missionaries. She knew that there were lots of places around the world that were very unfortunate and had lots of sad people and she wanted to help them. By the age of 12 she was convinced that she wanted to commit herself to a religious life and help people. At the age of 18 she left her home to join the Sisters of Loreto. She came to India in 1929 in Darjeeling where she learnt Bengali. When she took her religious vows she took the name of the patron Saint of Missionaries, Spanish spelling (Teresa). She loved her teaching job and loved how she got to guide children on the correct path. But in 1943 came the famine of Bengal. It left a lot of people in poverty and distress. She wanted to help them so badly and so she began missionary work. This is how she changed from Sister Teresa to Mother Teresa.&nbsp;She lived in India for the rest of her life and helped the unfortunate by living with the unfortunate. In 2016, by the Pope she was called Saint Teresa of Calcutta.

This is a story of Mother Teresa.Moral(s) of the story: benevolence and kindness

Mother Teresa and why she left Albania for India

A woman made roti and sabzi for her family everyday. One day she saw a man outside her kitchen window. He looked poor and hungry. So she gave him a few freshly made, hot roti and sabzi.After that, he started coming to her house, asking for food everyday.Soon, the woman grew irritated because she felt like he was leeching off of her. One day she decided to refuse to give him any food. She decided to send him away but when he appeared, she changed her mind. How could she send away a person in need when she could help him.Immediately, she gave him food as she did everyday and he smiled and went away. After some days, the man came to her twice a day and despite her irritation, she kept her mouth shut and gave him warm roti every time. After all, she was a good woman who had resources to help the man, so she knew that it was only morally correct to do so.This went on for many months and then the man suddenly stopped coming. At first she felt a little relief but after some time, she was a little worried for him. One day when she was out in the village, she asked some people if they had seen the man but she received little response.That was when a poor little girl came up to her and told her that she knew the man she was looking for. The woman frowned, “How do you know that man?”The little girl said, “He went to many houses in the village everyday to collect food for children like me so we would never go hungry.”The woman was shocked. So, that man was not just a lazy person who conveniently begged for food rather than working. “What happened to him? I have not seen him in quite some time.” She asked.At that the little girl smiled sadly, “ He had been sick for a while before his death but he always put others before his own convenience.” Moral:Help the ones in need. You never know how far your help reaches.

This is a story of beggar and roti.Moral(s) of the story: benevolence and kindness

The hot roti

Once upon a time a woman received a cap from a wizard. The wizard told her that it was a magic cap. “What sort of magic does it do?” The woman asked the wizard.The wizard smiled, “You would have to see that for yourself.” The woman took the cap and walked away with it.When she put the cap on her head she heard, “Give me back my food! You cat, give me back my food.”She looked around but there was no one but two cats fighting with each other. She ignored it, thinking that she was imagining the voices.She walked ahead and near a lake she heard, “Ugh these fishermen. I won’t die today.” She frowned because no one was around. What was happening?She walked some more and then a dog came in front of her, “Please give me some food human.” She was shocked. Was it the dog speaking?The dog barked a reply but she could understand it, “Yes. It was me.” The woman realised that all along, these were the voices of animals and she could understand them because of her magic cap.Not only could she understand what they were saying but even they could understand her.The woman decided to use this gift to help animals whose needs could not be understood. She pledged to create a better life for them.

This is a story of cap, cat, dog, goblin, pixies, troll and wizard.Moral(s) of the story: kindness

kindness 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.

An act of Kindness

Kind Cactus

The Serpent and The Eagle

A glass of Milk

A shoe seller walks in the shoes of kindness

We are here to serve, not to be served

Mother Teresa and why she left Albania for India

The hot roti

The magic cap

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