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

Five hundred years ago, there lived a girl namedNandiniwith her parents and two old brothers in Raigadh. She belonged to a poor family. Sun King was the ruler of the village. Once, they came to know that the health of the king’s son which was not well since birth, had worsened. The Sun King was worried about his son’s life. The court magician said, “The only hope for your son’s life is the water from the Magic Lake. The magic lake was situated at the end of the earth. In the end, the sky dips so low that it touches the lake’s water and it has the magical healing power.”The Sun King announced that whoever could bring him the water from the magic lake would be rewarded. For the Nandini’s two older brothers, it was the opportunity to save the king’s son. They begged their parents to let them go to find the magic lake. Their father said that the end of the earth is very far, and it would take a lot of time to reach there. Her mother said that there would be a lot of danger in the way to reach there. The only thing the brothers said was, “But our prince will die without the water from the Magic Lake. We must try.” Eventually, the parents agreed and Nandini’s brothers embarked on the journey. They travelled for months, trekking through various mountain ranges. After crossing each mountain range, they thought they would reach the magic lake after that. But that did not happen.The brothers were exhausted and tired. One of them said, “We are not going to find the Magic Lake.” "Look, the harvest is coming, and our parents need us back at the farm. Let's take some water from this mountain lake back to the prince. Who knows? We're far from Raigadh. Maybe the water will help cure him." They were confused but filled the jar full of the mountain lake water, sealed it, and presented it to the Sun King at the castle. But when the court magician poured their water into his flask, it sizzled and evaporated in a flash. The court magician frowned, "My magic flask holds only water from the Magic Lake.” He said, "This water is fake. These men are imposters!". The Sun King was angry and said, "How dare you try to trick the royal family! Throw them in prison!" LittleNandini felt very bad about the news that her brothers were put in jail but she was happy that at least they were alive.Nandini decided to go on the journey to search for the magic water. Her parents did not allow her to go. But she requested her parents by saying that it was the only way to save her brother’s life. Her parents at last agreed and her mother gave her a bag of toasted nuts and a Lamb (her pet)to keep her company. She went on the journey to find the magic water. She did not want to risk her pet’s life so she asked him to go back home after one day.She was sitting under a tree. She took out some nuts from her bag to eat. On the tree, there were various birds. She offered some of the nuts to them as well. The birds were happy for her kindness and they decided to help her find the magic lake. They gave the girl, a feather from each of their wings and told her that those feathers held magic powers. They also told her to hold all of them together like a fan and that would take her where she wished to go. Nandini was also advised that the lake was guarded by three terrible beats, but that she should not worry because the feathers would help her.Nandini then reached a beautiful lake within a few seconds with the help of the feathers. When she reached there, she realised that she left her bag behind including the flask to fill the water. She kept the feather fan on her lips and wished for the flask. Suddenly there appeared the flask. Before the girl could fill the flask with the water, she heard a menacing sound behind her. She looked around and saw a giant crab who told her to leave the water alone. Nandini took the magic fan up to her lips and the crab fell asleep. As she went ahead, she saw a giant snake coming towards her. She got very scared. She quickly took the magic fan and the snake disappeared. Again, she heard the tail of a giant alligator before she could fill the water. Nandini again used the magic fan and the alligator fell asleep.Now that she had faced the three terrible beasts, Nandini was free to fill the water. She filled the water and took the magic fan and wished to be in the palace. She arrived in the room that was occupied by the king, queen, and prince. She put a few drops of water onto the prince’s lips. He immediately began to recover.The king was very happy and asked Nandinito wish for anything she wanted. She asked for three things. First, she asked for her brother’s release. The king released them immediately. Second, she wanted her parents to be no longer poor. The king agreed to give them land, house, and enough money. Thirdly, she asked that the magic fan to be returned to the birds. As soon as she made this request, the fan lifted itself and went out of the castle.Nandini asked nothing for herself. The king requested her to stay with them. She kindly denied as she wanted to go back home to her parents. Then, she lived peacefully and comfortably with her parents. Moral:Always be courageous and never give up. Family should always be our priority.

This is a story of brother, king, lake and magic.Moral(s) of the story: courage

The Magic Lake 

Once upon a time, there was a girl who thought her life was miserable. She did not know what was going on in her life. She was tired of struggling and fighting all the time. She was tired of dealing with all her problems. One day, she complained about her struggle to her father. Her father was a chef; he took her to the kitchen. He placed three pots filled with water on high fire.Once the water started boiling, he placed a potato in the first pot, egg and ground coffee beans in the second and third pot respectively. He then waited for the water to boil. Her daughter impatiently waited wondering what her father was doing. After twenty minutes, he took out potato and egg out of the pot and placed them in different plates. He placed the water with the coffee beans in a cup.He then asked her daughter what she noticed. She replied, “A potato, egg and coffee beans.” Her father told her to look closer and touch the potato. She did and noticed that they were soft. He then asked her to break the egg. She saw the boiled egg after pulling off the shell of the egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee from the cup. The rich aroma of the coffee brought smile on her face.Then, she asked to her father the reason behind doing this activity. He replied that the potato, egg and coffee beans each faced the same problem- the boiling water. However, each reacted differently. The potato went in strong and hard but in boiling water it became soft and weak. The egg was weak with a thin layer protecting its liquid until it entered the boiling water. After, keeping it into the boiling water, the inside of the egg became strong. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were put into the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.Her father then asked her, “Which one are you? How do you respond in your difficult times? Are you a potato, egg, or a coffee bean? Moral:In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is how you choose to react to it and what you make out of it. Life is all about leaning, adopting and converting all the struggles that we experience into something positive.

This is a story of coffee, daughter, egg, father and potato.Moral(s) of the story: confidence and struggle

The struggle of life

Nishita Sanghvi

Minku was a very mischievous child. He loved doing everything that annoyed people around him, although he was as innocent as any other child doing everything only for fun.There were complaints from school too regarding Minku's behaviour. Nevertheless he would never listen.Minku's mother loved making candles, she would paint them beautifully, but Minku would spoil all of them before they dried. Despite being given continuous warnings, Minku just would not listen.She realized that the time had come to find a way to teach her son a lesson. Usually she would place the candles somewhere within his reach but this time she placed it on top of the cupboard where his hands would not reach. His mother warned him to not try and reach the candles but as all would have guessed he would not give up, he went on to reach for the candles placed high up. And as his mother had expected, he fell. But before he could hit the ground, she held him. Minku was obviously terrified and he burst into tears. He hugged his mother and promised to listen to others next time.Moral:Obey your elders.

This is a story of mother, school and candle.Moral(s) of the story: obedience

Mischievous Minku

Yesha Desai

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

Once upon a time there was a little kid. He had to attend his school which was far away from his home. In order to reach there, he had to cover a long distance by walking. He also had to cross the forest which came on his way. The kid was afraid to cross the forest as he was alone. So, one day he spoke to his mom about his fear.His mother wanted him to overcome his fear. So, she told him that he had a cousin named Kanha, who herds cattle in the forest. She told him to shout his name and cross the forest without any fear.The next day when the kid was crossing the forest, he shouted Kanha with the hope that he would come to help him. Suddenly, a boy appeared before him and said his name was Kanha. He walked with him until they reached at the end of the forest.Every day after that, the boy would shout Kanha, and he would come to help him cross the forest. After some time, the boy became fearless. One day his mother asked the boy about his fear. The boy described the whole story to his mom.The mother was truly surprised after hearing the story. She eventually discovered that the boy who was accompanying her son was actually Lord Krishna. The mother realized that Lord Krishna helped her son in crossing the forest. This was possible because of his unwavering faith. Moral:Nothing is impossible for someone who has actual faith in God. God can help us in our difficult times and could give us strength.

This is a story of Krishna and mother.Moral(s) of the story: faith and fear

Faith over Fear

It was raining heavily, and the glass was splattered with the huge drops of water. Robbie said to his mom, “I want to go outside and play, Mum.” His mom did not know how to answer Robbie’s question so, she said, “When is it going to stop raining?” Due to heavy rain, Robbie was not able to go outside and play. Her mother replied, “I am sure it will stop any time now, Robbie. Why don’t you come and help me make some cookies?”Robbie was tired of making cookies. He did not want to play with his toys anymore. He was bored watching television. He wanted to go outside and play. Robbie said to his mum that he did not want to make cookies and ran into the living room. He threw himself on the couch and sighed, “I just want to go outside.” His mum, seeing him sad said she had an idea. She said, “Robbie, why do not you go upstairs and put your rubber boots on and your raincoat and rain hat too.Robbiegot up and asked, “Has it stopped raining?” Her mum replied, “No, but there is no reason you cannot go outside and play in the rain. Would you like to do that?” Robbie replied, “Yes, Mum. I want to go outside and play, even in the rain.” He ran to his bedroom and put on his red rubber boots. They fit snugly over his tennis shoes and would keep the water out when he splashed in the puddles. He wore his raincoat. It was red just like his hat. “I am ready, Mum,” he said.Her mum said to him to wait and she opened the closet and picked up a bright yellow umbrella. She gave the umbrella to him and opened the front door for him. The rain was pouring down. Puddles were all over the grass, streets, and sidewalks. Robbie went outside and opened the umbrella and stood in the rain. The water fell all around him, bouncing off the umbrella. He enjoyed splashing in the deep puddles. Water flew everywhere.Robbie’s mum stood at the window and watched her son having fun. She remembered her childhood days when she was a little girl. She loved to splash in the puddles when she was a little girl. She dressed in her yellow raincoat and rubber boots and opened the front door and went outside. Robbie was shocked to see her mother. His mother asked him, “Can I splash in the puddles with you?” He was very excited and happy to see his mother. He replied immediately, “Yes, Mum. Come and play with me.”They both enjoyed the rain and played for a long time. They jumped in the puddles and splashed on each other. They had the best time together. Robbie was glad that it rained so that he got a chance to play with his mum in the rain.

This is a story of mother, rain and son.Moral(s) of the story: happiness

Fun in the rain

Ravina Sewani

In a small village of GeneroCity, there lived a granny. Her family visited her after a long time and they decided to go out for brunch. Her toddler granddaughter was the centre of all the attention. The little girl had never eaten a pancake before so the entire family was excited about it. They went to a fancy restaurant and ordered every kind of pancake available at the restaurant.Each of the family members took turns digging in and also feeding it to the baby, who loved them. There was a lovely environment at the table and lots of smiles. There was a gentleman sitting at a nearby table and he was eating his breakfast alone quietly, in the corner. He frequently looked over and smiled at the lovely family.&nbsp;Suddenly, the granny of the family had a great idea. She dug out a smile card and snuck up to the waitress. She explained to her that she wanted to pay that man’s bill anonymously and that instead of the bill could the waitress please give him the smile card.After the gentleman left, the waitress came over and told the granny that he had passed the smile card on and paid for another table before he left. How great!Not only that though the waitress then came back later and told them that the second table had now paid for someone else and passed the smile card on too! The granny couldn’t believe it when the waitress came back and told her that the third table had done the same thing.What was really amazing though was that by the time the family had left, half the room had ended up paying for a different table!&nbsp; Moral:One good turn begets another.

This is a story of family, grandmother and pancake.Moral(s) of the story: generosity and kindness

 Pay it forward

Once, in a little village near Guwahati, there was a big park. In the middle of the park, there was a huge wood and, in that wood, there was a dark and gloomy lake and, in that lake, there lived a Monster called Monstruto.Monstruto was very dangerous. He had eaten all the monsters who used to live in the lake and all the children who used to go near the lake. And due to this reason, the monster had a big round tummy. The tummy of the monster was so big that when he moved, it scraped along the bottom of the lake. He used to hold the branches of the trees around the lake so, he could move easily. Due to this, all the branches of the trees were broken and were touching the water.Monstruto was left with nothing more to eat. He had eaten all the monsters and no children used to come near the lake as they were scared.One day, a group of children was playing football near the lake. One little boy kicked the ball so hard that it landed near one corner of the lake. The hungry Monstruto saw the round thing near the corner of the lake and thought of eating it. The monster went to the corner of the lake and holding on to the branches of the trees, he swallowed the ball at once.The monsters and children who were inside the tummy of the Monstruto started playing with the ball. They began to play the game of the football and one monster kicked the ball so hard that it blew up. The air inside the ball began to escape and the monster’s tummy began to get bigger and bigger until it exploded. Due to this, all the monsters and the children came out of the Monstruto’s tummy. All the children that came out from the tummy went to their parents running and to tell them what had happened.The Monstruto’s tummy was not big and round anymore. It did not touch the ground and he was thin. He could walk around easily without grabbing the branches of the trees. The best thing was that there were many more monsters in the lake. So, Monstruto used to play with them and have fun.Monstruto decided that from now onwards he would never eat any of the monsters or children.

This is a story of child, football, lake and monster.Moral(s) of the story: cooperation and friendship

The lake monster 

Pallavi Hota

There was an ant who lived on a hilltop with his friend. He was very hardworking. He went on collecting food for the future requirement, while his friend slept all day and did no work. His friend asked the ant why he is always busy collecting so much food. The ant said the food was for future requirements because bad times never knock before coming. His friend laughed it off and went back to sleep.Winter arrived and there was snow all over and his friend had no food. He was starving and crying out for help. The ant helped him and gave him some of his food. His friend thanked him and realised his mistake. The winter passed and summer arrived. The ant again started collecting food. This time his friend also joined him. He said that he suffered and realised how important it is to be prepared for bad times. Both of them collected food and worked hard together. Moral:You reap what you sow.

This is a story of ant and friendMoral(s) of the story: hard work, laziness

relationship 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 Magic Lake

The struggle of life

Mischievous Minku

Importance of routine

Faith over Fear

Fun in the rain

Pay it forward

The lake monster

The Ant and His Lazy Friend

More like this

Bee Suggestions

About Bee