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

According to the traditional significance, Thanksgiving is mainly celebrated to thank god for the good harvest. The god is praised through various hymns and prayers. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States, and around the same part of the year in other places. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated as a secular holiday as well. The main significance of the festival is that it is a festival of bondage between family members. The festival supports the idea of living, eating and praying together. The families come together and celebrate the oneness with delicious food. Special recipes are prepared and are rejoiced together with dance and other amusements. Elders of the family tell various stories to children. They are taught family values and respect for elders.&nbsp; The Bible's importance for Thanksgiving represents prayer, sacrifice, praise, and offering. Thanksgiving as an act of worship is a grateful expression to God.Thanksgiving is a harvest festival, but it is now celebrated in the United States together with Christmas and the New Year. Thanksgiving's popular belief in the USA emerges from the recorded 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts where the pilgrims first stayed when they first came to America. The Pilgrims and Puritans who in the 1620s and 1630s began to emigrate from England brought their religious tradition of Fasting Days and Thanksgiving Days to New England.&nbsp; When the 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County in 1619, it was remembered as a day of remembrance and celebration and a day of thanksgiving to God for the safe landing of their ships at the harbour. The First Thanksgiving had several days of celebration including the Pilgrim holidays at Plymouth in 1621 and 1623 and the Puritan holiday at Boston in 1631. In the American Revolution also, thanksgiving has relevance. Royal governors such as John Hancock, George Washington, and the Continental Congress issued several proclamations giving thanks to God. George Washington declared the first national thanksgiving in America on November 26, 1789 when he became the president of the United States.

This is a story of thanksgiving.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude

Thanksgiving

Ravina Sewani

Once, in a small village, there lived a wise merchant. He used to sell his goods in the market of a nearby town. He used to carry his goods there on the back of his donkey. The merchant was fond of the donkey and took care of him. But the donkey was lazy and did not want to work at all.To get to the market from the village, the merchant and the donkey had to wade across a shallow stream. One day, when the merchant had loaded a big sack of salt on the donkey’s back to carry it to the market, the donkey thought of a trick. They set off on their journey and soon came to the shallow stream. On reaching the middle of the stream, the donkey bent his knees and lowered his back so that the water level came up to the sack. The salt dissolved in the water and flowed out, making the donkey’s load very light. But, because of the donkey’s trick, the merchant had to suffer a heavy loss in his business.The next day, the merchant loaded a similar sack on the donkey’s back but this time, there was cotton in it instead of salt. On reaching the stream, the donkey thought of playing the same trick again. He bent down and water entered the sack. But, as wet cotton is heavier than dry cotton, the donkey’s load became a lot heavier than before. He had to carry this heavy load the rest of the way. Thus, because of the merchant’s cleverness, the donkey got the punishment that he deserved. Moral:You get what you deserve.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of donkey.Moral(s) of the story: betrayal

The wise merchant and the cheating donkey

Makar Sankranti is celebrated every year on the 14th of January. Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti means transition. Makar Sankranti indicates the entry of the sun into the zodiac sign ‘Capricorn'. Makar Sankranti is the only Indian festival that has been observed according to solar cycles (cycles of sun), while most other festivals are set by the lunar cycle (cycles of moon). It is the festival of harvest. It happens on the equinox on which the length of day and night is equal. The equinox marks the end of the winter season and the beginning of spring- the season of harvest. It is celebrated in many parts of India with some regional variations. It is known by different names and celebrated with different customs in various parts of India. In Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as ‘Pongal' which means ‘boiling over’ or ‘spill-over’. Just as harvested crop spills over in the collecting pot, it is hoped that prosperity will also spill over. The cow is well regarded in this festival because of its importance in agriculture. It is a four-day festival in Tamil Nadu, each day having its own significance. In West Bengal, it is known as ‘Poush Sankranti’ named after the Bengali month in which it falls. In Assam, it is known as ‘Magh Bihu' which is celebrated for almost a week. People of Assam make different varieties of rice such as shunga ritha, Tilpitha and some other sweets of coconut called large or laskara. In Punjab, Lohri is celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti which marks the end of the winter season and is a traditional welcome of longer days and sun’s journey to the northern hemisphere. In Gujarat, it is called ‘Uttarayan', where people enjoy the festival by flying kites in the sky and eating delicious food items. The festival lasts for two days, the next day i.e. 15th January is known as ‘VasiUttarayan'. ‘Undhiyu' and ‘chikkis' are the special festival recipes made on this day. The whole sky is filled with colourful kites and you’ll hear loud music and people dancing with full energy and enthusiasm on the terraces. The beauty of this festival is that though it is named differently in various regions, it has a common goal of celebrating the season of harvest and people worship the sun’s transition.&nbsp;

This is a story of Uttrayan and kite.

Makar Sankranti

One day, a man climbed up a tree. While climbing up, he did not realise how tall the tree actually was and kept climbing up. On reaching the top, when the man looked down, he realised that climbing down from the tree would not be as easy as climbing up. He could not think of any way of getting down without injuring himself seriously.He asked the people who were passing by to help him. But nobody could think of a way of bringing him down safely. Soon, quite a few people gathered around the tree and tried to help the man, but no one knew what to do. The man remained stuck on top of the tree.Just then, Nasiruddin, who was walking by, saw this scene and wondered what was going on. The people standing around the tree told Nasiruddin about the situation. “Oh!” Nasiruddin said, “I’ll get him down in no time.” He took a long rope and threw one end of it up to the man telling him to tie the rope around his waist.Everyone wondered what Nasiruddin’s plan was. When one of them asked him, Nasiruddin replied, “Just leave it to me. It’s a foolproof plan.”When the man on the tree had tied the rope tightly around his waist, Nasiruddin pulled the rope with all his force. As soon as Nasiruddin did this, the man fell down from the tree and hurt himself badly. The bystanders were shocked at this. They turned to Nasiruddin and asked, “What were you thinking? What kind of a silly plan was that?”Nasiruddin replied, “Well, once I did exactly the same thing and saved someone’s life.”One man asked him, “Is that true?”“Absolutely!” replied Nasiruddin, “The only thing I cannot remember is whether I saved him from a tree or from a well.” Moral:To act without putting much thought often ends up causing more damage than good.

This is a story of men, tree and Mulla Nasruddin.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

The man on the tree

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”.Ramayan is the Hindu Epic tale of India which describes the struggle of Lord Rama in rescuing his wife from the demon king Ravana. Lord Rama decided to build a bridge to reach Lanka in order to rescue Sita. This particular story describes the efforts put by the little squirrel in building the bridge.When the entire army of monkeys was busy making the bridge on the sea to reach Lanka to take Sita, a small squirrel living in the area watched the entire scene. Seeing them, the squirrel also wanted to contribute to building the bridge. But the squirrel was too small to even carry the sand or stone. So, the squirrel thought of an idea. It went to the sea and had a dip. Then, the squirrel rolled over in the sand. With the sand all over its body, it went between the rocks and rolled over it. She continued doing the process from sunrise till sunset. She did this for days effortlessly. No one noticed her for days.One day, a monkey noticed her and started making fun of her. He told her to stay away otherwise the rock would crush her. Everyone started making fun of her. The squirrel was in tears. Lord Ram happened to watch the actions of the squirrel. The squirrel was tireless and went on doing its job without any break until the project was completed. Lord Ram described to the army how the squirrel has worked as the connector between the two rocks. Lord Ram was pleased with the efforts of this little squirrel. He explained to all others the relevance of the squirrel and its sense of duty. He took the squirrel on his lap and showed his appreciation by moving his three fingers from head to tail. It is said that those are the three lines which we see today in a squirrel.Since then, the squirrels have carried white stripes on their bodies. Moral:No work is big or small. It is not the type of work that matters, but what you learn from working that counts. Never listen to people who tell you that the work you are doing is demeaning or would undermine your prestige.

This is a story of monkey, Ram and squirrel.Moral(s) of the story: effort

The Story of a Squirrel

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

One of the many disciples of Guru Ram Dass, the fourth Sikh Guru, was Arjun Dev who was always dedicated to the duties assigned to him.His duty was scrubbing the utensils and the other disciples asked him to also serve the Guru sometimes.Arjun Dev replied, “My work is of cleaning the utensils, I do upon Guru’s orders.”The others insisted that the Guru will not be pleased simply by this and that Arjun should serve the Guru too. They went quiet when Arjun replied, “My duty is to serve and obey, not please the Guru.’Time went on and the other disciples did not advice more. Arjun continued his work and the Guru’s health declined.When Guru Ram Dass died everybody wanted to know what was written in his will. Every disciple was so sure that they will succeed the Guru and inherit his fortune.When the ‘will’ was opened, Arjun Dev had been declared the successor.Everyone, particularly those who had high hopes, was surprised and some even questioned Arjun’s qualities.The wise men said, “In the Guru’s views Arjun Dev was the only deserving successor to him.” The disciples asked, “But he never said his prayers. He never took part in the religious discourses. He was only cleaning utensils. Nothing else did he do. Then where lies the justification in making him the successor.”The reply was that the eligibility for becoming the Guru’s successor is one’s innate faith, absolute devotion and discipline, as well as his knowledge and wisdom. Moral:Pleasing others does not take you far, being disciplined and completing the work given to you with devotion brings rewards.

This is a story of Guru Ram Das.Moral(s) of the story: devotion, discipline and hard work.

The Guru’s Successor

Raj was a very impatient child.He could barely focus at one task before launching himself towards another.One day, while watching a television show, he decided that he wanted to be a wrestler. So he told his grandfather, “I want to become a wrestler! What should I do?”His grandfather took him to a teacher. The teacher trained Raj in different wrestling moves. And even though the little boy was very enthusiastic, he could do hardly one thing before jumping onto another. Thus, he never properly practised his moves.Days passed yet Raj did not get better at his sport and he frowned at his grandfather, “I am not getting stronger. What will I do now?”His grandfather took him on a walk by the beach and pointed to the cliffs. “Do you know Raj, that the water breaks down these rocks?”Raj’s eyes widened, “Really? But these rocks are so big? How can the sea break them down?”His grandfather smiled and watched as Raj lightly splashed around in the water, “It takes many years, it does not happen overnight. Just like you cannot become a wrestler overnight. You need to be disciplined in your work and be patient. Then you will one day become capable enough to achieve your goals.” Moral:You need to be disciplined and hardworking to achieve your goal.

This is a story of grandfather, grandmother, rock, sea and water.Moral(s) of the story: discipline and hard work

The fruits of discipline

Once, Mulla Nasruddin was lying on his bed with his eyes closed when his brother-in-law approached him. ‘Are you asleep?” the brother-in-law asked Nasruddin. Nasruddin replied, “Why? What is it?”The brother-in-law said, “I wanted a loan of three hundred dollars. I was wondering if you could lend me the money.”Nasrudin replied, “Oh, in that case, let us return to your first question, ‘Are you asleep?’ and the answer to that is ‘Yes, I am asleep, so go away and don’t bother me.” Moral:It is important to learn when to say no and deflect from a situation you do not wish to be in.

This is a classic story from Mulla Nasruddin.Moral(s) of the story: samrtness

pixies 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.

Thanksgiving

The wise merchant and the cheating donkey

Makar Sankranti

The man on the tree

The Story of a Squirrel

Mother Teresa and why she left Albania for India

The Guru’s Successor

The fruits of discipline

Are you asleep?

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