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

One upon a time, there were two beautiful princesses. They both were kidnapped by a vicious king when they were young. The princesses were taken to a lake where they were abandoned on a small island. The princesses had to live there forever under the guidance of a terrifying lake monster.After some time, the wicked king and his court of wizards and fortune-tellers were overthrown. And everybody knew that a brave prince was destined to release the princesses from their imprisonment.When princesses came to know about the news, their lives were finally filled with hope. Out of the two princesses, the youngest one was more beautiful and pretty than the elder one. She had a hope that one day prince will come to rescue her. So, she patiently waited for him, making small decorations from the flowers and singing songs. However, the older princess did not enjoy having to wait. She thought that she had to do something to help the prince rescue her. She thought that the prince should at least know where she was.The elder princess started working to help the prince. She started making signals, building towers, digging tunnels and a thousand other things. However, the lake monster always tried his best to ruin her plans.As time passed, the elder sister felt insecure and uncomfortable. She knew that the prince would choose her younger sister because she was more beautiful. So, she thought there was no point in waiting for the prince instead she started making plans to escape from the island not worrying about the prince.Every morning she would prepare a different escape plan, but the monster would always do something to ruin her plan. She attempted every day to plan an escape but the monster used to ruin it every time. It became like a game of cat and mouse between the princess and the monster. The princess tried to plan a new escape every day which used to be more original and creative. And the monster used a different creative way to destroy those plans. They put so much effort and imagination in their plans that at the end of each day the princess and the monster would spend hours chatting like friends. They used to discuss how they had planned their strategy. At night they both would say Goodbye and the monster would go back to the watery depths.One day the monster said to the princess that he will allow her to go the next day. He said that she was a clever and brave girl. She did not deserve to remain imprisoned like that. But the next morning the princess did not try to escape. She sat beside the lake, waiting for the monster to appear. When the monster came, he asked, “Why have not you gone?” The princess replied, “I did not want to leave you alone. You are indeed scary, but you are clever too. You deserve something better than guarding the princesses. Why don’t you come with me?” The monster sadly replied, “I cannot. I can’t leave the island; I’m attached to it by a long chain. You will have to leave on your own.”The princess went to the monster and hugged him tightly. She hugged him so tightly that the monster broke into a thousand pieces. And from those pieces appeared a slim, smiling young man, with the same expression and intelligence as he had as the lake monster.So, it was the Prince that had been with them all along. The princesses did not know that for the prince to rescue them, first, they would have to rescue him. This was only possible because of the spirit and the positive attitude of the older sister.The prince at the end decided to marry the older princess, leaving the younger princess to her songs, beauty, and her sweetness. Moral:You don’t achieve things by waiting for them to happen; instead you must work hard to achieve them. The story teaches us the importance of taking initiative with a positive attitude to achieve what we want.

This is a story of lake, monster, prince and princess.Moral(s) of the story: hard work, smartness

The Lake Princesses 

Ravina Sewani

Billy was really excited today as it was the CIRCUS DAY and Billy loved going to the circus – all the animals and the people. It was so much fun!Billy along with his parents arrived at the huge red and white striped tent called the ‘Big Top’ at 8 o’clock sharp. The ringmaster shouted with his huge booming voice, ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!’The first act of the evening was of a man and a woman dressed in sparkly clothes balancing on a huge swing at the top of the circus tent. They flew through the air. “Ooooo!” shouted the people every time they flew. It was very, very exciting.Next came in six huge and fierce looking lions along with a man. Billy watched as the man put his head in the biggest lion’s mouth. ‘Ooooo!’ shouted the people in horror and amazement.Now was the turn for the clowns. They wore brightly coloured clothes – blue and yellow and red with spots of green. The clowns had painted their faces with different colours and they had red coloured nose and hair. They fell over, told lots of jokes and did lots of very silly things. “Ha, ha, ha!” laughed everyone in the audience – and Billy laughed too.Finally, in the end it was time for the act of the elephants. There were three enormous grey elephants and one smaller one. The small one balanced on one leg and did lots of tricks. Then it stopped and looked up at Billy. “Hello,” said Billy to the elephant. “I’m Billy.”“I’m Minny,” replied the elephant to Billy’s surprise. Then all of a sudden MInny ran towards the door and barged out of the tent and on to the streets of the town. All the people rushed out of the circus tent screaming, “Aagh! The elephant – it’s escaped!” “Help!” cried the ringmaster. “Minny the elephant has escaped!”Minny was very happy as it was the first time she had been out of the circus! She felt good to be free and loved running about in the streets of the town! She ran along the main street towards the main square. She saw the fountain in the middle of the square and climbed into the big fountain to sit down in the water.People tried to walk by but Minny sprayed water at them using her huge trunk! “Oh, this is much more fun than the circus!” cried Minny. After a while Minny decided to explore the town. She went into the big supermarket. The people in the supermarket started screaming on seeing Minny and ran out of the supermarket. Minny had a wonderful time – she helped herself to the bananas and scoffed a large chocolate cake, ten packets of biscuits and a large number of buns.After she had eaten to her full capacity, Minny decided to explore again so she went out into the street. In the distance, Minny saw a big house but there was something strange about it – there was a red light all around it.Minny walked towards the house and heard people in the house shouting and screaming. “Help!” they shouted. “Save us!” Minny rushed into the garden opposite the house where there was a big pond with lots of water. She put her trunk in the water and took in as much water as she could. Then she rushed over to the house and sprayed the house with water. She repeated spraying the water from her trunk many times to clear out the flames and fire.Minny could see a small boy standing at a window at the top. The boy quickly opened the window and Minny took him out of the house using her trunk. “Minny!” he cried. “It’s me!”“Hello, Billy,” said the elephant. “You saved me!” cried Billy. “You are the bravest elephant in the world!” Billy’s mother and father came rushing out of the house. They couldn’t believe what they saw! Billy and their house were safe because of an elephant. The next day everyone from the town gathered around the town hall. Minny, the elephant was honoured with a special medal. Billy rode around the square on Minny’s back, waving and smiling at all the people.They went slowly back to the circus to rejoin the other elephants. Minny was so happy that she never wanted to escape from the circus again. Moral:Use your freedom for the right purposes.

This is a story of circus and elephant.

CIRCUS ESCAPE

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was widely admired as a great statesman across the world. Most of the time he stayed busy shaping the future of India but still found enough time for children. From the very beginning, Pandit Nehru deeply loved two things, roses, and kids. Nehru saw kids as India's future, the nation's real strength. Nehru was the one who set up institutes such as AIIMS and IIT to provide India with better quality education. Pandit Nehru considered children as the asset of the country and always insisted on giving them love and affection. He was fondly known as ‘Chacha Nehru’ among children. He launched a plan to address the health of children, especially malnutrition and infant mortality, with support from the World Health Organization. A charismatic leader and a man of letters and poetry, Nehru left some great work to inspire generations. He once said, "Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow." While Universal Children's Day is celebrated on November 20th, it was in India that his birthday- 14th November, was chosen as Children's Day because of Nehru's love and passion for children.

This is a story of children day and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Chacha Nehru

A long time ago, in a jungle there lived a deer, a mouse, and a crow. They were very good friends. They used to spend most of their time with one another and had their meals together. One day, a turtle came to them and said, “I’m all alone in the jungle. I also want to join your group and become your friend.”“You are most welcome to join our company,” the three friends said. The crow asked the turtle, “But what about your personal safety? You know that the jungle is full of dangers. Many hunters keep coming to the forest regularly. Suppose a hunter attacks, how will you save yourself?” The turtle replied, “That is the main reason why I want to join your group.” The four friends had hardly finished talking when they noticed a hunter approaching them. Quickly, to save their lives, the deer ran away into the forest, the crow flew high in the sky and the mouse darted into a nearby hole. Turtles, as we all know, are slow creatures. The turtle could not crawl away fast enough and the hunter trapped him in a net. Though the hunter was disappointed on not being able to catch the deer, he thought that it was better to at least have a turtle to eat rather than going hungry. The deer, the mouse and the crow were very worried to see the turtle getting trapped. They sat together to think of a plan for freeing their friend from the hunter. Together, they came up with a plan and started working on it. First, the crow flew high up in the sky to locate the hunter. He spotted him next to the river. Then, the deer overtook the hunter, unseen, and went and lay at a little distance, pretending to be dead. When the hunter reached this spot, he saw the deer lying on the ground. He thought that the deer must be dead. He was very happy at having found a deer finally. He thought that he would feast upon the deer’s flesh and sell its skin in the market for good money. So, he put the turtle on the ground and started moving towards the deer. As soon as the hunter left the turtle’s side, the mouse appeared out of a hole and nibbled off the net in which the turtle was trapped. The hunter, completely unaware of the animals’ plan, walked towards the deer thanking his stars. But, as soon as he came near the deer, the deer suddenly got up and bolted into the forest. The hunter was completely taken by surprise. Before he had time to react, the deer was gone. Dejected, the hunter went back to the place where he had set the turtle down. He was shocked to see that the turtle was gone! There was only a piece of nibbled net lying on the ground. By the time that the hunter was away, the turtle, freed by the mouse had crawled to the river and swam away. These strange occurrences were too much for the hunter. For a moment he thought that he must be dreaming. But the damaged, gnawed-through piece of net was evidence that all these things had truly happened. The hunter could not think of any explanation for these strange happenings other than that it was just a miracle. Scared out of his wits, the hunter ran away from the jungle as fast as he could.The turtle thanked his three friends for saving his life. Thereafter, the four friends lived happily. Moral:A friend in need, is a friend indeed.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story from crow, deer, mouse and turtle.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The four friends and the hunter

Yesha Desai

A pet shop owner had put several animals up for a sale and as expected, a lot of children soon gathered around.A girl came up to the shop owner and asked him the prices of different cats that he had in his shop.The girl frowned because she did not have so much money and the shopkeeper smiled since he knew the girl from around the neighborhood, “It is alright child, you can pay me back later.”The shopkeeper took the girl to see all the animals.All the puppies and birds around them made eager noises, except for one.Toby, a stray cat, hid in his box, away from prying eyes.The girl asked the shopkeeper, “What is wrong with him?”The shopkeeper slowly brought Toby out and the cat whined before sadly limping away.The girl looked with determination, “Sir, I want to take Toby home.” and handed the little money she had to the man.The man shook his head, “Child, you do not have to pay for him. It is alright. I can give him to you for free as no one wants a limping, mean cat. People keep returning him.”The girl shook her head, “No. His worth is just as much as the other animals. His physical status does not matter and neither does the fact that his previous owners could not understand him.”“But, he won’t be able to play with you like the other kittens. He won’t be able to run fast or anything.”The girl smiled and showed him her metal leg. “Good, because I cannot run fast either.”Toby was brought to a home where his human played with him while considering his physical limits. The girl would always be very thoughtful of Toby’s needs. In return, the girl found companionship in Toby.Toby lived happily ever after, with a girl who loved him and understood him. He was never returned back to the shop. Moral:We are not meant to fit in with everyone. Sometimes we just need people who understand us.

This is a story of cat and pet store.Moral(s) of the story: understanding

Toby- The Cat

Tara was always very concerned about the way she looked. She always wondered why she wasn’t as thin as the other girls or as tall as the other girls.Her friends tried to assure her that it didn’t matter, but Tara didn’t listen. One day when she was very sad, she cried about it to her mother. Her mother took her to the kitchen and said, “Here, I will make Dosa!”Tara’s face immediately lit up because it was her favourite dish. She noticed her three tiny Dosa were of different shapes. Not round at all. Once she was done, Tara’s mother asked her if she noticed any difference in her food. Tara replied, “The Dosas are unevenly shaped, Ma.”And her mother smiled, “Yes, but was there any difference in how yummy they were?” Tara shook her head.Her mother patted her daughter’s head and said, “Just like your food did not taste different because of its shape, what you have to offer and how valuable you do not depend on the way you look.” Moral:The way you look is not everything, and you can be just as valuable by being you.

This is a story of a mother, daughter and delicious dosa.Moral(s) of the story: self-love

The Story Of A Dosa

Many years ago, the Bodhisattva was born as a parrot. The parrot used to live on a fig tree ever since he was born. Many other parrots also stayed on the fig tree. The little parrot enjoyed staying with them.On the fig tree, the parrot made his home and lived there since birth. When the parrot was growing up, the tree was still young and strong. Many delicious and sweet fruits grew on the tree. The parrot used to enjoy eating those fruits. The branches of the fig tree were also thick with many leaves. The leaves provided good shelter during the harsh weather. The tree provided many things to the parrot. The tree also loved the company of the parrot who had made its home in it.The parrot stayed with that tree for a long time. But as time passed, the fig tree grew old. The tree stopped growing fruits and the leaves fell off the tree. The tree was only left with the wood. There was nothing else on the tree. But even then, the parrot never left the tree. The parrot stayed in the old fig tree. While all the other parrots left the tree, this parrot decided to stay there with the tree.After seeing everyone leave for a better life, the tree asked the parrot, “Why have you not left for a better life as everyone did?” The parrot said, “You were with me since I was born. You fed me for many years and you have provided shelter to me for years. Why would I leave you?” The parrot did not know that the questions were being asked by Sakka, the God Indra.After hearing the parrot’s answer, the Sakka was impressed by the answer. Sakka said, “Your answer has impressed me and I will grant you a wish. Tell me what do you want?” The parrot wanted the fig tree, to have its leaves and fruits back. The parrot said, “Bless him with the ability to grow fruit all year long.” The Sakka was even more impressed and fulfilled the parrot’s wish at once. Moral:True friends never leave your side, even when the going gets tough.

This is a story of parrot and tree.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

Parrot and the Tree

Once upon a time, there lived a woodpecker and a lion. One day, the lion hunted a big bison and sat down to devour it. It so happened that while having his meal, a big bone got stuck in the lion’s throat. He was not able to remove it and was in great pain.A kind hearted woodpecker lived nearby. He offered to help the lion. He, however, told the lion that he would only take out the bone if the lion promised not to eat him while removing the bone. The lion gladly agreed and opened his mouth in front of the woodpecker. The woodpecker hopped inside the lion’s mouth, stretched his head deep inside the lion’s throat and easily pulled out the bone. The lion kept his promise and let the woodpecker fly away to safety after taking out the bone.Soon the lion recovered completely and made another kill. The woodpecker also thought of joining the lion and asked for a small share of meat. To his utter disappointment the lion blatantly refused to share his meal and said, “How dare you ask me for more favours? I have already done so much for you!” The woodpecker did not understand what the lion was talking about. The lion then clarified, “You should be thankful to me that I did not gobble you up when you were taking out the bone from my throat. Now do not expect anything else from me and go away.” The woodpecker said to himself, “It was indeed a mistake to help such an ungrateful creature!” Moral: The wicked are always ungrateful. Some people have the tendency to turn a blind eye towards all the kindness they have received.

This is a story of lion, woodpecker and Jataka tales.Moral(s) of the story: helpfulness and kindness

The Woodpecker and the Lion

Once upon a time, a bear was living in a jungle. He admired the moon shining up in the sky. One night, he was looking up at the sky and thought of giving a birthday present to the moon. But he did not know the Birthdate of the moon. He was not even sure what gift he would give to the moon. So, he decided to have a little chat with the moon. He decided to ask the moon what it would like to have for a present and so the bear went up into the mountains to get close to it. When the bear said “Hello” to the moon, his voice echoed back. The bear thought the response was coming from the moon. Because of the echo, everything the bear said was repeated back to him. The bear asked the moon, “What do you want for the birthday?” His voice echoed, and he thought that the moon was asking him what he wanted for the birthday. So, he replied that he wanted a hat. The same sentence was repeated because of the echo and the bear thought that the moon also wanted a hat for his gift. Now, bear knew what he wanted to gift the moon for his birthday. That night bear put the hat in a tree where the moon could find it. As the moon sneaked through the branches of the tree, it appeared that the moon was wearing the hat. The bear saw the moon wearing the hat and was pleased.The next morning, the hat fell out of the tree and to the bear’s doorstep. The bear believed that the moon had left it there as a present for him. The wind blew the hat away, the bear chased it, and when he could not find it, he decided to go to the mountain and talk with the moon. The bear told the moon, “I still love you” and the moon, of course, replied with the same.

rani laxmibai 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 Lake Princesses

CIRCUS ESCAPE

Chacha Nehru

The four friends and the hunter

Toby- The Cat

The Story Of A Dosa

Parrot and the Tree

The Woodpecker and the Lion

Happy Birthday Moon

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