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

In the Motunui island, there lived a beautiful little girl named Moana. When kids of her age loved toys and chocolates, she had huge affection towards the ocean. She always loved the ocean. The other thing she loved was listening to Gramma Tala’s stories. From the stories, Moana’s favourite was the story about the trickster demigod Maui. In the story, Maui stole the heart of the mother island, TeFiti. Maui upset the balance of nature by stealing the heart according to Gramma.Little Moana’s affection and deep connection with the ocean scared her family. Her father, Chief Tui believed that the ocean was dangerous. Moana always felt a deep connection with all the creatures that belonged to the ocean. But the islanders were not allowed to sail beyond the bank. The ocean noticed the affection of Moana and gave a special gift to her. When her dad picked her, Moana dropped the gift. The gift was Gramma Tala. Someone else picked the gift dropped by Moana. She believed that the ocean’s real gift was the heart of TeFiti.When Moana grew up, she worked hard for her people and followed her father’s rules. But one day, when Moana turned sixteen, Gramma Tala took her aside and said that it was time for her to learn what she was meant to be. Gramma took her to a hidden cavern full of ancient canoes. Moana started drumming the canoes and she could feel the spirit of her ancestors who were the way-finders-voyagers on the ocean.The last wish of Gramma Tala was that Moana goes to the journey across the ocean and find Maui to restore the heart of TeFiti. By keeping the heart safe inside her necklace, Moana got ready to sail the ocean. Sailing on the ocean was difficult for Moana and it became worse when a storm hit the ocean.Moana met Maui the demigod when her boat reached on a faraway island. Maui was not as per the expectations of the Moana. He even stole Moana’s boat and tried to sail away. But the ocean made sure that Moana accompanied him. The ocean wanted them to work together.He promised her to return the heart of TeFiti only if she helped him in finding his magic fishhook. To get the fishhook, they had to pass Kakamora, an army of wild coconut-clad thieves. After that, they had to dive into the Lalotai, the kingdom of monsters. Moana smartly tricked a crab monster named Tamatoa and they recovered the missing fishhook.Maui taught Moana how to find way using the sun, the stars, the moon, and the ocean current to navigate. On the way to reach TeFiti, the journey became too difficult, Gramma Tala’s spirit returned and it said, “Know who you are meant to be”.After the long journey, they finally reached TeFiti. There they saw that the mother of the island was gone and instead there was a lava monster named, Te Ka. Maui and Moana tried hard but they could not defeat Te Ka. An idea stuck Moana and with all her courage she gave the heart to TeKa. The monster after receiving the heart remembered who she was meant to be. The monster was TeFiti. After receiving the heart, TeFiti bloomed once again. The world restored its balance.Moana and Maui’s journey together completed and they said goodbye to each other. Moana returned to her people. The little girl from the Motunui island now knew who she was meant to be. She was a daughter, a leader, and a way-finder. She was brave Moana. Moral:Be courageous and brave.

This is a story of Moana and courage.Moral(s) of the story: courage and bravery

Moana

Yesha Desai

Ollie is a five year old girl who lives by the sea in a small fishing village. She loves the ocean with her whole heart and she loves the animals in it, even more.Everyday she would go fishing with her father and meet new fish. The dolphins adored her, the sharks and whales loved her and the octopuses always wanted to hug her.In short, everybody loved it when Ollie came to meet them and Ollie was just as happy to do the same.However, after some time she noticed that not enough animals came to meet her. The seahorses rarely showed up with their children, the whales were very few in numbers, the sharks would not be as friendly. Gradually, the fish showed up in such little numbers that even her father was worried.Ollie thought that they did not visit her because she did something wrong. One day she sat in a small cove and frowned, wondering what went wrong.That was when a turtle washed up to the shore. By the faint whining, Ollie immediately knew that the animal was in pain. She ran to the turtle and found that he was covered in trash, he was trapped.She immediately took the plastic from his face, untangled whatever was stuck to his legs and helped him breathe. Finally, when the turtle was safe, she breathed a sigh of relief. The turtle thanked her and smiled at her but it was a sad smile.She slowly asked the turtle what happened and he sighed, “The ocean is not safe for us anymore, especially not near the shore. There is human waste everywhere.” “Is that why you all don’t come to visit me anymore?” asked Ollie worried.The turtle nodded, “We can barely swim near the shore. There is plastic and plastic. The pollution kills us. I would have died today if it were not for your help.”Ollie had tears in her eyes thinking about the ocean’s residents’ misery and so she promised the turtle, “I will fix it. Or at least I will try. I miss you all, my friends and you deserve to be safe in your own home.”The turtle smiled sadly again before Ollie released him into the sea, “Thank you Ollie. We will surely visit you when it is safe for us. We miss you too.” Ollie waved him away and hoped that he stayed safe. Moral:Marine pollution makes it very hard for the inhabitants of the ocean to live. We must keep the ocean clean.

This is a story of ocean, sea and turtle.

The sad turtle

There was a newly born ship called Hilda. She was new, talented and beautiful.But there was one problem due to which she had never travelled before. Hilda was scared of sailing in the ocean. She was scared that she would not be able to stay afloat and would sink.This is why Hilda always stayed in the docks. She wished to be as brave as the other ships, she wished to play in the waves of the ocean, to chase after the sun, to laugh with the dolphins but she could not.One day a new Captain came to the dock. He looked at Hilda once and was absolutely mesmerised. He wanted to take Hilda into the sea.Hilda looked at him sadly and refused, thinking he would go away like all other skippers did.But this Captain sat besides Hilda and said, “Why won’t you sail?” Hilda replied embarrassed, “Because I am scared.”The skipper smiled, “There is little to be scared of, you are amazing and need to be confident in yourself. If you face any problems I will always protect you.”Hilda was not so convinced so the sailor said, “How about we go a little into the sea and then come back? We can repeat this everyday until you are comfortable.”Hilda excitedly agreed.At first she was very timid and unsure if she would be able to sail. But the skipper was always there to encourage her. In the beginning they went slowly, and not very far. Later, Hilda slowly gained confidence and was ready to venture further. The skipper was very proud of her!That is how Hilda slowly built confidence in herself and one day she finally finished a whole trip with many happy passengers. She was no longer scared and she had faith in herself. Moral:Sometimes we only need someone to trust in us so that we can trust in ourselves.

This is a story of ocean, ship and water.Moral(s) of the story: courage and trust

The ship that was scared at sailing

The Sun and the Moon were best friends once upon a time. As they were always together there was no concept of the night. No one in the world knew anything about the night. They did not know anything about sleeping. The children played the whole day without feeling sleepy. One day, the Moon and the Sun were passing by and saw the ocean. The ocean was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. The ocean enjoyed the Sun’s warmth and Moon’s beautiful face. She loved the moon more than the Sun. Whenever Moon was around, she created waves and tides in excitement. This made Sun very jealous.One afternoon, as the Ocean slept, the Sun did something terrible. He slowly lifted the Moon and threw him against the wall of the sky! Instead of breaking like glass, the Moon created millions of sparks that could not go out. He called the sparks “stars.”The Stars knew what the Sun had done to the Moon. The stars were very angry at the Sun and decided to attack the Sun. The stars formed an army and went on to attack the Sun. Before they could attack the Sun, the Ocean stopped them and asked, “Where are you going little stars?” The stars replied, “We are going to destroy the Sun!”The Ocean did not want either the Sun or Moon to be hurt or destroyed in a fight. She loved them both. So, she made a quick plan. She told the stars she had an idea. She called the Moon and the Sun. She told them to share their time with her. The Sun would visit her in the day, and the Moon at night. Both were very happy with the idea. This made the Ocean happy too. The Stars followed the Moon every day, to protect him from the Sun.From that day onwards, people saw the Sun in the day and the Moon at night. Moral:Fighting is not the solution to every problem.

This is a story of moon, ocean and star.Moral(s) of the story: ego and respect

Stars guarding the Moon

Once Sage Durvasa cursed all the gods and all of them lost their powers. They were powerless and deprived of all the fortunes. The gods went to seek help from Lord Vishnu. He suggested them to churn the ocean to retrieve nectar that can help them become immortal and regain their lost glory.The gods partnered with the demons to combine their strength for churning the ocean. They used Vasuki, the serpent as a churning rope and the mount Mandara as the churning staff. Lord Vishnu took the Kurma avatar and stood below mount Mandara, while the gods and demons churned the ocean.While churning the ocean, various gems and precious stones came out of the ocean. Along with them, ‘halahala’ poison came out from the ocean. Halahala was a dangerous poison that could wipe out all creation. The terrified Gods and demons approached Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu advised them to seek help from Lord Shiva, as he is the only one who could protect them. Lord Shiva, out of compassion, swallowed the poison. But he squeezed his throat to prevent the poison from entering into his body. Thus, the poison was stuck in Shiva’s throat and it was so potent that it changed the colour of Shiva’s neck to blue.The poison turns Shiva’s throat blue and hence he is also called Neelkanth, wherein Neel means ‘blue’ and Kanth means ‘throat’.

ocean 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.

Moana

The sad turtle

The ship that was scared at sailing

Stars guarding the Moon

Lord Shiva and the halahala poison

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