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 upon a time, there lived a Brahmin in a village. In reality, he was a conman. He performed religious rituals during the day time and robbed unsuspecting travellers during the night. He used to cheat people in various ways and steal money from them. Thus, by engaging in all sorts of criminal activities, he had accumulated much wealth. One day, a few merchants came to the Brahmin’s village from some other town. They sold all their belongings and purchased six large size diamonds from a local jeweller. The travellers knew that there was a risk of them getting robbed on their way back, so in order to save the diamonds, they swallowed them up.The Brahmin saw the merchants swallowing the diamonds and planned to steal them. He went to meet the merchants and became friends with them. The merchants thought of him as a simple and innocent Brahmin, and he soon won their confidence.When the merchants left for town, the Brahmin also offered to accompany them. There was a dense forest on their way where many cannibal tribes lived. These cannibals used to eat human flesh and could understand the language of birds and animals.Suddenly, the merchants and the Brahmin heard the cawing of the crows all around them. The Brahmin did not take long to understand that these were the trained crows of the tribals and they were informing them about the presence of diamonds with the merchants. Within no time, the tribals came out of hiding and surrounded them with sticks and spears. They frisked the merchants thoroughly but could not find anything. But the tribals trusted the information of the crows blindly and were convinced of the presence of wealth with the merchants, so they decided to kill each one of them.The Brahmin knew that his fate was sealed and he was bound to be killed by the tribals. So, he thought of making amends for his dishonest way of life and doing something to save the lives of the merchants. He thought that maybe sacrificing his life for a noble cause would earn him a place in the heaven.The Brahmin thus, said to the chief, “You kill me first. If you find the diamond in my body, kill all the merchants as well. But, if you do not find anything in my body, please spare their lives. The chief agreed to this and killed the Brahmin. He slit his stomach, but could not find any diamond. So, as per his promise, he allowed all the other merchants to go home.The cannibals returned to their village, wondering whether the crows had begun telling lies, or had they failed to interpret their language correctly. Moral:It is never too late to realise your bad deeds and take the responsibility for the same. Make amends for your unacceptable deeds and you might have a chance to be forgiven by others.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.Moral(s) of the story: forgiveness and repentance.

The Brahmin and the diamonds

A long time ago, there lived a Brahmin by the name of Deva Sharma with his wife. They were blessed with a son. The baby used to be alone for most of the time as the Brahmin went out to conduct religious rituals and the Brahmini got busy with the household work. The Brahmin, thought of buying a pet animal for the baby who would not only protect the child but also give him company when both the parents were busy. The Brahmini was reluctant but agreed to have a pet later. The next day, the Brahmin bought a mongoose for their child from the market. Soon, the Brahmin couple started loving the mongoose as their own child. Yet, the Brahmini sometimes feared that the mongoose could harm her son. After all, it was just an animal!One day, the Brahmini had to go out of the house to fetch water from the nearby pond. The Brahmin had also left early for the temple. With a little apprehension, she left the child with the mongoose. Soon after she left, a cobra entered the home. The mongoose sensed the danger to the Brahmin’s son and attacked the cobra. It fiercely fought the cobra and killed it.When the mongoose heard the footsteps of the Brahmini, it joyfully went out to greet her. The Brahmini was terrified to see the blood stains all over the mouth of the mongoose. She concluded that the mongoose had killed the child.Without a second thought, she threw a heavy box on mongoose which killed it instantly. The Brahmini stormed into the house to see the condition of her child. To her great surprise, she found her child peacefully sleeping in the cradle.Then she saw a snake torn into pieces lying near the cradle, she realized that the mongoose had saved her child. The Brahmini was full of sorrow and repentance at her hasty action. Moral:You must never act in haste. You will always have to repent for your action taken in haste. You must think twice before taking any action that cannot be undone.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.This is a story of mongoose and snake.Moral(s) of the story: repentance

The mongoose and the brahmin’s wife

Yesha Desai

One day, a young lion was roaming around in the jungle alone when he spotted a wolf in the bushes. The wolf also saw the lion and feared that if he tried to run away, the lion would surely kill him. So, he himself walked up to the lion and said, "Dear Sir, you look very kind! If you take me to your den, and let me live with your family, I will help you in doing your household chores." He added, “I have never seen such a majestic young lion ever before in my life and it would be a pleasure to serve you and your family.”This young lion had been repeatedly told by his father and mother not to make friends with any wolf. But he was impressed by the oily talks of the wolf and decided to take him to his den.The lion’s parents did not want their son to be hanging out with the wolf but there was little that they could do as the young lion had grown very fond of the wolf. They feared that someday the lion would land in trouble because of the wolf. And they were absolutely right in thinking so!One day the wolf had a strong craving to eat horse-meat. He approached the young lion and said with folded hands, "Sir, there is nothing that we have not eaten except fresh horse-meat. I have heard that it tastes divine.” The young lion was also tempted to eat horse-meat and asked the wolf to take him to the place where they could find some horses.The wolf took the lion to a pond where some little ponies came to bathe. The young lion hid behind a bush and catching hold of a fine pony, he ran back to his den.His father warned him, "My son, those ponies belong to the king! He has many skilful archers. If you steal another pony, you will endanger your life." But the young lion soon became addicted to the taste of horse-meat and started killing pony after pony. The wolf was also having a gala time savouring the juicy flesh of the young ponies with his friend.Soon the king heard that a lion was killing the ponies when they went to bathe in the river. He got a tank built inside the city to keep his ponies safe from the lion, but the lion somehow sneaked in the city and killed the ponies as they bathed in the tank. Then the king ordered his men to keep the ponies in the royal stables, thinking that the lion would not dare to enter the royal stables. But the lion went over the wall, and killed the ponies in their stables too.At last the king called the most skilful archer and ordered him to shoot down the lion. The next day, when the lion sprang over the wall of the royal stables, in search of a pony, he was shot by the archer. He called out to the wolf in pain, "My friend, help me!"The wolf was waiting for the lion to return with a pony, but when he heard his cry for help, he understood that the lion had been shot. Without wasting any time, he fled in the deep forest. The young lion breathed his last, repenting on not heeding to his parents’ advice.Moral: We must listen to our close ones’ advice and not trust someone blindly.One day, a young lion was roaming around in the jungle alone when he spotted a wolf in the bushes. The wolf also saw the lion and feared that if he tried to run away, the lion would surely kill him. So, he himself walked up to the lion and said, "Dear Sir, you look very kind! If you take me to your den, and let me live with your family, I will help you in doing your household chores." He added, “I have never seen such a majestic young lion ever before in my life and it would be a pleasure to serve you and your family.”This young lion had been repeatedly told by his father and mother not to make friends with any wolf. But he was impressed by the oily talks of the wolf and decided to take him to his den.The lion’s parents did not want their son to be hanging out with the wolf but there was little that they could do as the young lion had grown very fond of the wolf. They feared that someday the lion would land in trouble because of the wolf. And they were absolutely right in thinking so!One day the wolf had a strong craving to eat horse-meat. He approached the young lion and said with folded hands, "Sir, there is nothing that we have not eaten except fresh horse-meat. I have heard that it tastes divine.” The young lion was also tempted to eat horse-meat and asked the wolf to take him to the place where they could find some horses.The wolf took the lion to a pond where some little ponies came to bathe. The young lion hid behind a bush and catching hold of a fine pony, he ran back to his den.His father warned him, "My son, those ponies belong to the king! He has many skilful archers. If you steal another pony, you will endanger your life." But the young lion soon became addicted to the taste of horse-meat and started killing pony after pony. The wolf was also having a gala time savouring the juicy flesh of the young ponies with his friend.Soon the king heard that a lion was killing the ponies when they went to bathe in the river. He got a tank built inside the city to keep his ponies safe from the lion, but the lion somehow sneaked in the city and killed the ponies as they bathed in the tank. Then the king ordered his men to keep the ponies in the royal stables, thinking that the lion would not dare to enter the royal stables. But the lion went over the wall, and killed the ponies in their stables too.At last the king called the most skilful archer and ordered him to shoot down the lion. The next day, when the lion sprang over the wall of the royal stables, in search of a pony, he was shot by the archer. He called out to the wolf in pain, "My friend, help me!"The wolf was waiting for the lion to return with a pony, but when he heard his cry for help, he understood that the lion had been shot. Without wasting any time, he fled in the deep forest. The young lion breathed his last, repenting on not heeding to his parents’ advice. Moral:We must listen to our close ones’ advice and not trust someone blindly.

This is a classic story from Jataka tales.This is a story of lion.Moral(s) of the story: repentance

repentance 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 Brahmin and the diamonds

The mongoose and the brahmin’s wife

The Lion in Bad Company

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