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

Taj Mahal, is not just the majestic monument of India, but it is a story about eternal love of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.&nbsp;Shah Jahan was born in 1592, initially called Prince Khurram. He was India's fourth Mughal emperor. Shah Jahan caught a glimpse of a girl selling silk and glass beads as he walked down the Meena Bazaar. It was love at first sight and the girl was Mumtaz Mahal, who was known as Arjumand Banu Begum during that time.At that time Mumtaz was 15 years old and Shah Jahan was 14. After meeting her, he went back to his father and said that he wanted to marry her. After five years, they were married. After Shah Jahan became the emperor, he honoured his wife with the title Mumtaz Mahal which means ‘Jewel of the Palace’. Shah Jahan even took her with him to military campaigns.While giving birth to their 14th child, Mumtaz Mahal died due to some complications. When Mumtaz was on her death bed, Shah Jahan promised her that he will never remarry and would build the richest tomb over her grave.After some time, Shah Jahan took the task of building the most beautiful monument in the memory of her beloved. The monument took 22 years to build and almost 22,000 workers were involved in the construction. The material for the construction came from all over India and Asia. When Shah Jahan died in the year 1666, his body was placed in the tomb next to Mumtaz Mahal.This magnificent monument is known as the ‘Taj Mahal’ and is been considered among the seven wonders of the world.

This is a story of Taj Mahal and Shahjahan.

Taj Mahal

In a schoolyard, there were many bright, shiny new buses lined in a row. The buses would leave the schoolyard early morning to pick up the children for school. Children enjoyed in buses and happily travelled on the buses. In the afternoon, the buses would take them back to their homes.In the schoolyard, at the back, there was an old school bus that was hardly noticeable. The bus looked very old and was no longer shiny and bright. No driver was ready to ride that bus because it looked ugly. So, every morning the old bus sat there and watched as the other buses left to pick up the children. The bus left very bad that it did not go to pick the children as other buses did.One day, one of the bright, shiny buses would not start. The mechanic informed the principal that the bus was broken. It would take a few days to repair it. The principal was worried about how the children would reach school.The bus driver, Herb, spotted the old bus at the back in the schoolyard. The bus driver questioned, “Hey, how about if I try this old bus?” The principal wanted to provide transportation for the kids anyhow. So, he agreed. The driver quickly filled the fuel in the old bus and tried to start the bus. The bus chocked, coughed and sputtered. After some time, the bus finally started. The old bus shook as its engine came to life.Herb took the old bus out of the schoolyard to pick up the children. The driver was happy that the bus got started. He loved taking the kids for the school. He had been doing it since he retired from the factory. He liked his job. Herb had been pretty lonely since his wife passed away. He loved his job because the job kept him busy and made him feel better.First Herb picked up the little boy who lived on the East Street. Herb liked him, he always made people laugh. The boy entered the bus and said, “OH! The old bus is finally out of the schoolyard.” Herb laughed.Next, the old bus and Herb picked up a boy who lived on the Seventh Street. He was well mannered and behaved nicely with everyone. When he entered the bus, he said ‘Hello’ to everyone and everyone liked him. The driver then took off to pick other children. They picked the sisters from the Oak Street.Then, they went to pick another girl. Herb stopped the bus for the little girl. The girl used a wheelchair so Herb got out of the bus and picked up the girl on the bus. Herb put the wheelchair beside her carefully. The little girl’s name was Becky and she felt very embarrassed. She always felt that she was different. Herb tried to make her feel better. He said, “Each one of us is different in our way.” Becky said sadly, “You are not different.” To which Herb smiled and said, “Yes, I am. You see, every morning, I get up and brush my teeth and then I put them in my mouth.” He clacked his dentures together to demonstrate for her. Becky laughed out loud. She felt comfortable with Herb.The old school bus felt very good and proud to be carrying the children again. The bus felt very good when the children laughed and talked to each other. The bus did not care that it was not bright and shiny anymore. The bus was happy to carry the children again. The bus wished that it could carry children every day.Herb carried the children back to their homes in the evening. For the rest of the days, the old school bus and Herb carried the children to school and then dropped them back to their homes. Herb and the school bus both were very happy.The principal got a call from the school-board saying that they had hired a new driver for the bus. The Principal asked about Herb and they replied that it was time for Herb to retire. The principal did not want to fire Herb, and he did not think that Herb would want to retire. The principal got an idea. He went to meet Herb the next day.He conveyed the message to Herb. He was very shocked and surprised when he heard about the new driver. He said, “I guess that means I am fired.” The Principal said but we can do one thing. He said, “We are going to fix this old bus and convert it so that the handicapped children can get on and off easily. Would you drive this bus?” Herb’s eyes sparkled with joy and he gave the principal a big smile. He said, “Yes, sir. I will!”The old bus was repaired and made into a new one. Herb was happy to see the bus. He took out the bus from the schoolyard on the first run. It looked beautiful. Herb took the bus and went to pick up the children.This time, Becky got onto the bus easily because of the new facility. Herb lowered the special new chair lift and she easily entered the bus. Becky was very happy as she could enter the bus onto her own. She smiled happily.The old bus and Herb were also very happy. Herb drew the bus for a long time and he also never felt lonely because of the bus. Moral:All of us are unique in our own little ways. We should try to overcome our problems with the support of our loved ones.

This is a story of bus, driver, school and wheelchair.Moral(s) of the story: inclusivity, kindness and optimism

The Lonely School Bus

Yesha Desai

Eli the elephant woke up early in the morning for her first day at school. She was very excited to go to school for the first time so she blinked away her sleep and got ready quickly.“Rise and shine!” Her mother said from the kitchen as she prepared food for Eli. Eli jumped around the house as she was beyond excited. Her mother asked her to calm down as Eli’s clumsy self broke a vase.She quickly ate her breakfast and went to her bus stop. Hurriedly, she climbed into the bus and left for school. Her mother proudly waved.Eli made many friends in her bus and was very excited. When she reached school she met her teacher Ms. Pot, the Hippopotamus. She welcomed Eli with a warm smile and ushered her inside.As everyone settled down, Eli looked around her class in awe. The teacher asked her where Eli’s bag was and Eli looked around. She could not find it and almost started crying.But just in time, her mother arrived with Eli’s school bag. Eli realised that in her excitement and hurry, she left the bag at home. Moral:Often times we mess up because we are too excited to focus. In times like those, we still must have a calm mind.

This is a story of elephant, school and school bag.Moral(s) of the story: patience

Eli the elephant

Tam was a very jolly and good child. He was good at everything but he had only one problem. He never did anything in time or order. He had no routine and would often always be on his toes.Like every morning, today he woke up late, skipped morning exercises and prayers and hurried to school while eating breakfast on the way.Because he missed the bus, he had to run to school which was very far away.When he reached there, he was wound up and tired.He was shocked to see the gates to be close and asked the peon what was wrong.The peon told him that the school was closed due to a strike.He ran back home, disappointed. When he got home he was hungry and tired. He asked his father, “Did you go to work and come back because of the strike?”His father shook his head, “I did not go. The news about the strike was in the paper.”Tam felt betrayed, “You knew about the strike and did not tell me?”His father replied, “How could I? You left in such a hurry.”That was how Tam realised to do his things on time and have a proper routine. Moral:Having a routine helps you be organised and makes your work more effective.

This is a story of father, school and son.Moral(s) of the story: routine importance

 Importance of routine

Ravina Sewani

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	

There was once a tennis ball. He was very lonely as he could not find his home. The lonely ball was very sad. The ball knew there were many balls just like him so he decided to search more balls that looked like him. He thought that it would be easy for him to find his home if he met a tennis ball.At first, he went to a basketball court and there he saw a huge ball. He knew that this was not his home. The ball was very big and was brown. The ball thought to himself, “This is not my home, I should look somewhere else”. So off he went.The lonely ball went ahead to search his home. Next, he went to a baseball field. The tennis ball saw a ball lying on the field. The ball was the same size as him but was white. The tennis ball thought, “I am yellow and the ball lying on the ground is white.” He knew it was not his home. He decided to look somewhere else.The ball then went to a football field. He saw the ball and was again disappointed. “This is not my home; the ball does not look like me,” he said. He was tired. It was evening already and the sun was about to set. The lonely ball could not find his home. But he decided to again go somewhere else. He thought he would find his home one day. He said to himself, “I can do it. I have to look somewhere else.” The lonely ball did not lose hope and decided to try again.Next, he went to a badminton court. The place was very weird for him because shuttlecocks were lying in the court instead of balls. But the rackets looked familiar to him and he thought that he was closer to his home. He decided to look in different courts.He went to a court next to it and saw balls that looked just like him. He saw rackets lying on the floor. He was happy and filled with joy. He had finally found his home! The lonely tennis ball was no longer lonely. He was back home. The ball made some new friends and played with them. They called him Freddie. Freddie was very happy and satisfied. He happily played tennis with his friends. Moral:Never lose hope.

This is a story of ball, house and tennis.Moral(s) of the story: hope

A Lonely Tennis Ball

Imli was a very happy and playful little puppy. She was nearing her six month mark and her human parents sent her to get trained to be a guide dog.Imli was very excited as at the school, she met other puppies like her. She had a set routine for her and loved all the work she got to do.They were under strict instructions to always follow the order of their trainer and follow the routine that was set for them. Only then could they become guide dogs, and Imli was determined to ace all the tests and make her parents proud.However, one morning on a daily run she encountered a thief stealing a purse from an old lady. Her trainer had veered her and the other pups away. However, Imli couldn’t just follow orders and felt bad for the old lady.She ran after the thief, breaking her schedule, and even though she was tiny, she slowly caught up to him.This was how Imli saved the day. Moral:Having a fix routine is a good thing as it helps you be more organized. It is like a shelter. However, shelter can also prevent you from seeing the sun, so you sometimes have to break your general routine to follow your goals.

This is a story of dog and school.Moral(s) of the story: routine importance

How Imli saved the day

Maya, the monkey, had very long, strong and silky hair. Maya’s mother oiled her hair and plaited it every single day. Maya was very proud of her waist length hair. She thought that her hair was better than everyone’s hair.She hopped across from one tree to another and showed them off.&nbsp;One day at school, she sat beside another monkey named Mint. Mint was a very shy and timid girl with short hair. She complimented Maya’s beautiful, shining hair and this pleased Maya greatly.Maya talked about how much care she took for her hair, how she combed it regularly and nurtured them. Looking at Mint’s short hair, she thought that Mint did not take care of her hair enough so Maya gave Mint some tips and told her to nurture her hair properly if she wanted her hair to be as beautiful as Maya’s.Mint attentively listened to what Maya said and thanked her for her tips, “Thank you Maya. I have always wanted long hair. I will definitely try to grow my hair with the tips you gave. I used to have long hair but they were destroyed due to my cancer medicines. Now, I am growing them again.”As Maya listened to Mint’s story, she felt horrible about herself. She should not have flaunted her qualities like this. She apologised to Mint for making her feel bad but Mint said she did not mind at all.That day Maya learned not to be too proud of her qualities. She learned to have humility.Moral:Pride does not allow us to see what others are going through. Be kind.

This is a story of friend, hair, monkey and school.Moral(s) of the story: pride

The pride and its result

It was not that Min had a big family. No, her family only included her mother, her father and herself. There was no need for a bigger house but Min always wanted a bigger house like all of her friends had.Her own house was pretty sufficient to meet her family’s needs but Min always just wanted to show off in front of her friends and have a bigger house. Sheconstantly whined about this to her parents and one day her wish came true when her mother got a promotion.Soon they moved to a house that had a huge garden, a treehouse and a lovely pink room for her. She was ecstatic.However soon after, despite all the luxury of the new house, it did not feel the same. She often found herself missing her old bedroom, her doodles on the walls of her old house, her mother’s cooking in the tiny kitchen.Now due to work, her parents were very busy and she did not get enough time with them.One day Min’s mother came home to see her crying and hurriedly went to calm her child. “What is wrong?” She calmly asked her little girl.Min sobbed, “Everything here is so new and I miss the old house. You and father are rarely home on time.” Her mother apologised for her absence and promised to make up for it.That weekend, Min planted saplings in the garden with her parents, decorated the treehouse, painted the walls of her room and baked cookies.Slowly, she came to love the new house just as much as she grew familiar with it and realised that it was never the amount of rooms in a house, the luxuries or the largeness of the house that mattered but the memories made and the love shared. Moral:Home is where the heart it. We soon realise that materialistic gains hardly matter, what does matter is the memories and love that we grow.

This is a story of child, father, garden, house, mother and plant.Moral(s) of the story: compassion and love

places 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.

Taj Mahal

The Lonely School Bus

Eli the elephant

Importance of routine

A shoe seller walks in the shoes of kindness

A Lonely Tennis Ball

How Imli saved the day

The pride and its result

Min’s house

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