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.

Ravina Sewani

Once, a prince went on a hunting spree in a dense forest. He wandered the whole day in search of prey but did not come across a single animal, big or small that he could kill. By the evening he got very tired and thus, sat under a tree to take some rest. Just then, he saw a huge tiger coming out of the bushes and moving forward towards him. The prince was petrified and in order to save his life, he climbed up the nearest tree. When he reached the top of the tree, he saw a huge bear sitting on one of the branches. He started to tremble with fear as he thought that he would now surely be killed by either of the two wild animals. The bear calmed down the prince and said, “Don’t worry, my dear prince. This tree is my house and thus, you are my guest. I never harm my guests.” The prince believed in what the bear said and stopped panicking. The tiger also sat down under the tree and kept waiting for the prince to come down. Soon the sun set and there was darkness everywhere. The prince was terribly tired and, he fell fast asleep on the branch. When the tiger saw the sleeping prince, he said to the bear, “Do not give shelter to this prince. Human beings are our enemies. Push him down on the ground and let me make him my meal.”“No, I will never do such an evil thing.” said the bear. “Moreover, he is my guest,” the bear added.In the morning, when the prince woke up, he saw the bear sleeping beside him. The cunning tiger said to the prince, “Don’t trust this wicked bear! He is being nice to you only till the time I am sitting here. The moment I leave, he will kill you. So, I would advise you to push this bear down before me. I will eat him and let you go.”The selfish prince thought that it was not a bad idea to throw the bear down and save his life. So, he pushed the unsuspecting bear off the branch. The bear woke up with a jerk and caught hold of another branch and saved his life somehow. He cursed the prince for his selfishness and said, “It was indeed a mistake on my part to place my trust in a selfish human being like you.” Moral:Selfish people are only concerned about themselves. Even if someone is being good to them, they suspect something wrong and end up losing everyone in their lives.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of bear, tiger and prince.Moral(s) of the story: selfishness

The prince and the bear

Shina Utavani

Lord Ganesha had a younger brother named Karthikeya. One day they were playing in the forest. Lord Shiva and Parvati received a special fruit from gods. Lord Shiva decided to share the fruit with Parvati. But then, they realized that the fruit can be eaten by one person only. No one was ready to eat the fruit alone.At the same time, Karthikeya and Ganesha entered and asked them what was special about the fruit. Lord Shiva told them that the fruit was of immorality and supreme knowledge. To choose who will get the fruit, Parvati and Lord Shiva said that the first one who will revolve around the world three times and come back will get the fruit.Karthikeya took his vehicle, peacock and went off to take three rounds of the world. Ganesha was worried about winning the race as his vehicle, Mouse did not have wings. Later, he took a decision based on his wisdom. He asked his parents’ permission to revolve around them as he felt that his parents were his universe. Lord Shiva and Parvati were impressed by his decision. They allowed Lord Ganeshato revolve around them three times and won the race. Finally, Ganesh got the fruit. Moral:Use wisdom at the right time and the right place. Respect your parents; there can be no one as important as them in your life.

This is a story of Ganesh, Kartikey, mouse and peacock.Moral(s) of the story: knowledge and wisdom

Lord Ganesha And Karthikeya

Yesha Desai

Harry is a very sweet toddler who loves sweet foods a lot. He is often caught grabbing chocolates from the fridge, stealing candies from the jars within his reach or convincing his elder brother and grandparents to allow him one more sweet.He really does have a sweet tooth. One day he gets a massive pain in his teeth and his tummy. His mother gets him medicines for his tummy before they go to the dentist.The dentist checks his teeth and explains to Harry why he should not eat too many sweets.The dentist says, “Harry. You need to keep your teeth healthy. Here take Ms. Toothbrush with you.”“Ms. Toothbrush?” Harry asks.“Yes, Ms. Toothbrush. You have to brush your teeth with it after every meal. This will help remove germs from your teeth and keep them healthy. Ms. Toothbrush will protect your teeth.”Ms. Toothbrush was a new toothbrush with zig-zagged edges. She was blue in colour which was Harry’s favourite colour. She promised to help Harry to keep his teeth clean.From that day on, Harry brushed his teeth with Ms. Toothbrush after every meal and kept his teeth healthy.

This is a story of tooth and toothbrush.Moral(s) of the story: health and hygiene

Ms. Toothbrush

Once in a forest, there was a huge pond. In the pond, there lived a flock of cranes. All the cranes used to catch fishes from the pond and spent their lives happily. There also lived a cunning fox in the forest. His name was Tricky. He also visited the pond to catch fishes. Whitey, one of the cranes helped Tricky to catch fishes. Gradually, Whitey and Tricky started talking and became best friends. They used to talk, chat, eat, and play together.One day, Tricky invited Whitey to his place for dinner. He wanted to give a treat to Whitey for helping him. It was a Sunday evening and Whitey dressed up and left for the Tricky’s house. Whitey took some grapes with him. Tricky welcomed his friend to his house. They both were talking and suddenly the aroma of soup filled the place. Whitey was very hungry and could not resist the aroma. Tricky called him inside for the dinner.Tricky played a prank with Whitey. So, he poured the soup into two plates. Whitey who was excited to taste the soup was shocked as the soup was on the plate. Tricky enjoyed the soup while whitey could not drink the soup as it was on a plate. Whitey was very upset and returned home with an empty stomach. He decided to teach Tricky a lesson.Whitey met Tricky the next day and said, “I am delighted by the way you treated me. Let’s meet for dinner at my place today in the evening.” In the evening, Tricky arrived at Whitey’s house. Both of them talked for some time. Whitey also had prepared the soup and the aroma filled the place. Tricky’s mouth watered.Whitey went in and came with soup in two deep long jars. He placed the jars on the table. Tricky was shocked when he saw the jars. Tricky tried to drink from the jar but as soon as he bent, the jar got stuck in his mouth. He tried to remove the jar but the jar was stuck tightly on his mouth. He ran here and there and finally the jar broke.Tricky said, “Sorry, Whitey. Please forgive me. From now, I will not play any pranks and will be a good friend.” Moral:One should not try to make fun of the other’s limitations.

This is a story of crane, forest, fox and pond.Moral(s) of the story: carelessness and ignorance

The Fox and the Crane

Once there lived a pig in a farm. His name was Henry. The pig was very passionate and ambitious. The biggest ambitious of the pig was to fly like a bird. He thought if birds can fly, he can fly too. He said to himself, “Birds can fly because they have wings but humans can also fly and they do not have wings. If humans can create artificial wings, I can also do it.”An idea stuck into Henry’s mind. He imagined himself flying like a bird. Henry started collecting bird’s feathers. He used to collect feathers dropped by any bird. Soon, he had enough feathers. He thought that the feathers would help him in flying in the sky like a bird. He then started preparing for the next step of his plan.One day, one of Henry’s friends Mousey saw him doing something secretly. Mousey saw henry applying glue to something. Mousey went to henry and asked him what was he up to. Henry said that he was doing a great invention and that he will fly just like a bird. The Mousey told henry that it was not possible, but henry did not listen to him and continued with his invention.Mousey told everyone about Henry’s invention and everyone gathered to see Henry flying up to the sky. Mousey shouted, “Henry, please do not do this. You will die, you fool! I will not let you do this, Henry, stop!”. Henry shouted, “Do not stop me Mousey, go away!” and pushed Mousey away. The poor Mousey fell on the ground.Henry began to fly with his feathers. He applied the utmost force to the feathers so that he can fly. But instead of going up, he was coming down. Henry was very scared. Henry now understood why Mousey was telling him not to do so. But it was late for Henry as he was already in the sky. Henry lost all his balance and fell on the ground with a bang.Henry lost his life because he fell on the ground miserably. Mousey also lost his life because Henry pushed him very hard. Both of them lost their lives. Henry lost his life because of his foolish wish and Mousey lost his life because of his foolish friend. Moral:If people don’t listen to good advice, let them find the hard way.

This is a story of pig.Moral(s) of the story: friendship and idiot

The pig has wings

There was once a boy who always treated his mother horribly, shouting at her, insulting her. It didn't matter to him how sad he made her.One day, without knowing how, he woke up in an immense and lonely place. He was sitting on a rock from which four huge pillars rose up into the sky, appearing to support the entire world.He was all alone, but soon an enormous flock of crows with beaks made of steel landed on the rock, and set about violently chipping away at it.After the crows left, a mysterious door in one of the pillars opened, and through it came a charming and pretty girl. "Have you come to help us? That's great! We need all the people we can get."The boy was puzzled, and spotting his confusion, the little girl explained, "So you don't know where you are? This is the centre of the Earth. These pillars support the whole planet, and this rock keeps the pillars in place.""And how can I help you?" said the boy, confused. "Well, to help look after the rock, of course. Anyone can see by your face that you're the best person for the job," answered the girl,"The birds you saw are only increasing in number and if we don't look after this rock it will eventually crumble and everything will come crashing down.” "And what do you see in my face?!" exclaimed the boy, surprised. "I've never looked after a rock in my whole life!" "But you'll learn how, even if you've never done it. Here, look in this mirror," said the girl, holding one in front of the boy's face.The boy could clearly see he now had the face of a bird, and his nose was gradually turning into steel. There he stood, shocked and worried, not a word passing his lips. "All those crows used to be children like you and I”, explained the girl, "but they decided not to look after the rock. Now that they're older they've turned into evil birds; all they do is destroy the pillars now. Up to now, you haven't done much to look after it, but now that you know, will you help me to preserve all this?"She said all this with a smile, taking his hand in hers.The boy still didn't quite understand all this. He looked closely at the pillars and could see that each one was made of thousands and thousands of little figurines, representing the best virtues: sincerity, effort, honesty, generosity...Closely inspecting the ground beneath him, he could see that the enormous rock was made up of little instances of children showing respect to their mothers, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and old people.What the crows were trying to do was cover over these instances by carving out scenes of shouting and insults. Next to his feet, he could see his own little carving, representing the last time he shouted at his mother. That image, in such a strange place, made him realise that the only thing keeping the columns standing was respect. Respect was sustaining the world.The boy, filled with regret, stayed there and looked after the rock for many days. He carried out his task joyfully, going without sleep to repel every crow attack. He carried on until, exhausted by his efforts, he collapsed; completely spent.When he woke he was back in his bed at home, and he didn't know whether it had all been a dream. However, what he was now sure of was that no crow would ever again get the chance to carve a picture of him shouting at his mother.Moral: It is only respect with which we can go forward in life.

This is a story of earth and crow.Moral(s) of the story: respect

Pillars of earth and a boy

This is one of the most famous stories of Emperor Akbar and his witty courtier, Birbal. Akbar had a strange hobby of asking many interesting questions from his courtiers to amuse himself.One day, Akbar entered the royal court, settled in his royal chair, and asked his courtiers, “What punishment should be given to a person who pulls my moustache?”The prime minister said, “He should be beheaded!”The treasurer said, “He should be flogged!”The chief of the army said, “He should be hanged!”Everybody in the court suggested many extreme punishments for the culprit.“What do you think, Birbal?” the Emperor asked Birbal.Birbal kept quiet for a moment, and then said, “Huzoor, he should be given sweets!”“What, Birbal? Have you gone crazy? Do you know what are you saying?”Birbal replied politely, “I am not crazy, Jahanpanah! And I know what I am saying!”“Then how can you suggest that I should reward the person who pulls my moustache?” the Emperor asked in anger.Birbal again replied politely, “Because, Huzoor, the only person who can dare to do this is your grandson.”The Emperor was very pleased with Birbal’s answer and gave his ring to him as a reward. Moral:Even if the question is silly, you can manage the situation by thinking on your feet and giving a witty answer.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

Birbal’s sweet reply

The astrologer was flaunting his knowledge about the solar system and the earth’s shape.At one point Akbar said, “You say that the earth is round in shape, so if one travels in a straight line, then he will come back to the same spot from where he started the journey. Isn’t it?”“Yes, theoretically, it is correct Alampanah!”said the astrologer.“Why not in real life?” asked the king.“Because one will have to cross vast oceans, high mountains and dense forests to keep the path straight,” said the astrologer.“Well, that can be taken care of! Sail through the oceans, make tunnels in the mountains and use elephants to cross the forests,” suggested Akbar.“No sir, still it is not possible,” said the astrologer.“Why?” asked Akbar.“It will take many years to complete the whole journey,” replied the astrologer.“How many years, tell me?” asked Akbar.“I cannot calculate that! May be a hundred years or more,” said the flustered astrologer.“Don’t worry about that. I will ask my courtiers. They have an answer for everything,” saying this, Akbar looked at his ministers.Various answers came from the audience:“Impossible to calculate!”“Around 25 years!”“Fifty years or less.”“1000 days!”Everybody said something or the other but Birbal kept quiet.“Birbal, I did not expect you to be so silent. Do you have no answer for this question?” the Emperor showed his surprise at Birbal’s silence.“I was just calculating the time required to go round the earth,” retorted Birbal.“And did you get the answer?” asked Akbar.“Yes, I did! It will take just one day,” said Birbal.“Just one day! Birbal, it is Impossible! I wonder how you even came up with that answer. In one day, we will not be able to cross the territories of our own kingdom,” Said Akbar. “It is possible, Alampanah! Provided you travel at the speed of the sun,” said Birbal with a smile. Moral:Even if the question is silly, you can manage the situation by thinking on your feet and giving a witty answer.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.This is story of wisdom.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

Back to square one

Once a rich old lady asked a well-known artist to paint her portrait. The artist worked hard on the portrait for many days. When the portrait was ready, he invited the lady to his studio.The old lady came to the studio. She had her pet dog with her. She was very fond of the dog. She believed that it was the cleverest little animal in the world.The lady showed her portrait to the dog. “Look, Tomy darling,” she said, “Here is your mistress.” But the dog showed no interest.The wealthy lady turned to the artist and said, “I don’t want this portrait. It does not look like me at all. Even my clever animal cannot recognize me in the portrait.”The artist was a man of worldly wisdom. He knew about the strange ways of wealthy people. So he did not argue. He simply said, “Madam, please come again tomorrow. I will make the portrait look so real that your dog will wag its tail and lick it.”The next day the lady visited the studio again. The dog wagged its tail and ran to the portrait. It licked it with great interest.The lady said, “How wonderful! How beautiful! My Tomy likes the portrait and so I, too, like it. Please wrap it up.” The artist asked for a big price and she paid it willingly.The artist had a hearty laugh at her back. He had rubbed the portrait with a juicy piece of meat. Its smell had made the pet dog lick it. Moral:Use your wisdom to judge the situation properly and act accordingly.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

rana ratan singh stories

Kids moral stories help in improving their imagination & relate to real-world life. Here are age-specific bedtime stories for children by renowned storytellers.

The prince and the bear

Lord Ganesha And Karthikeya

Ms. Toothbrush

The Fox and the Crane

The pig has wings

Pillars of earth and a boy

Birbal’s sweet reply

Back to square one

The Rich Lady and the Artist

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