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

Easter is an important festival for Christians. The festival is celebrated after three days of crucifixion of Jesus i.e. Good Friday. Crucifixion means killing someone by nailing the person across the cross. It is celebrated on Sunday and it is often known as ‘Easter Sunday’. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. Resurrection is a concept of living beings coming back to life after death. Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus coming back to life after he was hanged on the cross. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ was crucified on Good Friday. He was buried in a grave. On the third day, his disciples visited his grave and found out that the grave was empty. The day stands for the victory of Christ over death. The resurrection of Jesus is what ultimately makes him the ‘Son of God’. People celebrate Easter through various events and activities. Churches are decorated with flowers, lightnings, and candles. People visit the church and offer their prayers. Children decorate Easter Eggs with colours and sparkles. Various events are organised like Egg Hunt, Egg festival, etc. People prepare a variety of cuisines and celebrate the festival with their families. The tradition of Easter Eggs represents fertility and birth. It signifies new life, fertility, and rebirth. It is believed that the hard shell of the egg symbolises the sealed ‘Tomb of Christ’ and the egg's cracking represents his resurrection from death. Painted eggs or Chocolate filled eggs are common gifts exchanged at this festival. People light candles in the churches on Easter which represents that the life of Jesus is a guiding light to the world. They are lit to spread light and give hope.

This is a story of Easter and Jesus Christ.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

Easter

The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic written by the famous sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama's effort to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana. It also describes the challenges faced by Lord Rama, Laxaman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from “The Ramayana”.Laxman was devoted to Ram. He wanted to accompany him to the exile of the forest. His devotion was such that he even refused to take his wife, Urmila with him to the forest.Laxman’s wife, Urmila, wanted to follow her husband to the forest as Sita was leaving with Ram. But Laxman begged her to stay back saying, “I will be busy taking care of Ram and Sita and I will have no time for you. Please help me by staying back so that I do not have to feel guilty about you.” So, Urmila stayed back wondering how she could help her husband.On the first night in the forest, Laxman kept a watch while Ram and Sita went to sleep. That is when Nindra, the goddess of sleep approached him. Laxman requested her to leave him alone for fourteen years so that he could guard his brother and sister-in-law night and day. The goddess was impressed by his act and agreed. But the law of nature demanded that someone had to sleep on behalf of him to create a balance. Then Laxman asked her to consider Urmila for this. Nindra went to Urmila and asked her if she would like to take up Laxman’s sleep, to which she agreed.So, Urmila slept for fourteen years day and night, while her husband, Laxman, stayed awake in the service of Ram and Sita. They both sacrificed for protecting Ram and Sita. Urmila’s sacrifice had an impact on the war against Ravana. Meghnadh was the Ravana’s son and he was unbeatable. The man who had not slept for 14 years could only defeat him. Thus, Laxman was able to kill him because of the sacrifice of Urmila. Moral:This story teaches us to sometimes sacrifice our needs for the sake of our loved ones.

This is a story of Laxman, Ram and Urmila.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

Laxman Defeating Sleep for 14 Years

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata” which describes the reason why we call Karna ‘Danveer’Karna was on his death bed amidst the battlefield and was gasping for breath in his last moments. Lord Krishna was confused about Karna’s generosity and wanted to check it. He went to Karna disguised as a beggar. Karna was on his death bed and seeing the beggar asked him what he needed. Lord Krishna as a beggar said, “Lord, I need some gold for my daughter’s marriage”. Karna showed his helplessness to the beggar and said, “I am sorry but I have nothing to give you as I am on my death bed. I feel worse that I am not able to give you anything. But you can ask gold from my wife in Angadesh.” Listening to this the beggar said, “I cannot travel so far for gold, Lord. I thought you are kind and generous and would help me.”Karna felt very bad and decided to give him the golden tooth he had. Karna took a stone and broke his golden teeth. The tooth was bleeding with blood and Karna did not want to give blood covered teeth to the beggar. He was injured badly and could not move. He took his arrow and bowed it towards the sky. The next moment rain broke out and then he gave the cleaned gold teeth to the beggar. Lord Krishna was shocked to see Karna’s sacrifice. He was proved that there was no one as generous and kind as Karna. Lord Krishna came into his real form and said, “You will live in the hearts of people. You will be remembered for your qualities Daan (Donation) and Veer (Heroic). You will be remembered as ‘Danveer.”That is how Karna got his name ‘Danveer”.

This is a story of Karan and Krishna.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

Karna as ‘Danveer’

Once, Claudia, the cloud was out with her friend Sun. She was very happy. It was a beautiful day and the birds were singing their hearts out. Claudia was very happy that she got a chance to spend time with her friend. She enjoyed Sun’s company.They both were having a good time. Suddenly, the wind started blowing. Due to the wind, Claudia started moving. The wind was pushing her from side to side. Claudia shouted at the wind, “Why are you blowing so strongly? You are pushing me away.” The wind replied, “I have to blow intensely.”The Claudia shouted, “But why would you do that? I do not want to move from here, I am having a good time.” The wind answered, “Because I have to help the seed of the plants to travel from one place to another so that new plants can grow. Because of me, the windmills can move, and humans can get their electricity.”The cloud understood that to help others you need to sacrifice. Claudia understood that even if she could not stay still for a while, it was to help other people. Moral:Sometimes you need to sacrifice to help others.

This is a story of cloud and wind.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

The cloud and the wind

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata” about Karna and his generous nature.&nbsp;There was a boy named Karna who was very kind and generous. He Duryodhan’s (eldest Kaurava) best friend. Karna used to help people in need. He never denied helping anyone. Karna had a routine of going for a bath to the riverbank every morning and offer his prayers to Sun-God. While returning, if he met a needy person, he would always give something to that person.&nbsp;Lord Krishna was aware of the generous nature of Karna. Once Arjun and Lord Krishna were having a conversation about Karna. Lord Krishna was impressed by Karna’s kindness and he was praising his generosity. Lord Krishna even said that he had never seen anyone as generous and kind as Karna. Arjun was amazed to hear that. Arjun argued saying that his brother Yudhishthir was also very generous. Lord Krishna said, “Yes he is but not as generous as Karna. Let me prove it to you that Karna is the most generous.” Arjun agreed.They both went to Yudhisthir the next morning. It was a rainy season. Yudhisthir saw Lord Krishna and Arjun and welcomed them both. He said, “I am pleased to see you. What brought you here early in the morning?” Lord Krishna replied, “Actually, some important construction work has to be undertaken immediately and we do not have enough wood. We need some wooden logs for that.” Yudhisthir called his servants and told them to bring the best quality wood for construction. After a long time, one servant came back and said that due to monsoon, the wood had become wet and they cannot use that for construction. Yudhisthir was helpless and expressed his helplessness to Lord Krishna and Arjun. After that Arjun and Lord Krishna went to Karna.Karna welcomed Lord Krishna and Arjun with great respect and love. He also inquired about their well-being. Then, Arjun expressed their urgent need of wooden logs for the construction. Karna immediately asked his servant to fetch some wood for construction. The servant took a lot of time to return. Karna was waiting for his servant. After some time, the servant returned saying that due to rain, the wood had become wet. After hearing this, Karna went inside his room and did not return for a long time. Lord Krishna and Arjun decided to go inside as he did not return for a long time. When they entered Karna's room, they saw him cutting the legs of his bed. He had already cut many pieces of his furniture. Looking at him cutting his furniture, Arjun asked, “Karna, why did you cut off your artistic sandalwood furniture?” He replied, “There is no other greater gief for me than to send away a person in need, empty-handed. This furniture can be made again but it was important to fulfil your urgent need.”Arjun was surprised to see the generosity of Karna. He said to Lord Krishna, “Karna is really very generous, I have never seen someone as kind as him”. This is one of the examples of Karna’s sacrifice and generosity.&nbsp;&nbsp; MORAL:Friends, you just read about the generosity of Karna. Karna gave away his armour and earrings, which he had received as a blessing at birth. However, we are never willing to give even the smallest of our possessions to others. From this, we must learn that we too should be ready to sacrifice our things for the sake of the ones in need.

This is a story of Karana, Arjuna, Yudhisthira and Krishna.Moral(s) of the story: kindness and sacrifice

Daanveer Karna

Book Author

As a child, Chandra Shekhar was very brave and fearless. Once in Diwali, he fired the colour match stick in his palm. His palm was burnt badly so he thought that his father will be angry so he left home and ran away to the jungle!As a child he attended the village school but did not take much interest in studies and used to roam around and play with tribal boys, using bows and arrows as toys. The village life somehow did not interest him and one day he left without informing his parents. He was fourteen at the time. His worried parents were relieved when they received a letter from their son telling them that he was in Kashi, studying Sanskrit in a pathshala (school).We all know the famous court incident when just 15 year old Chandra Shekhar told the judge that his name is Azad and his house is prison! He was sentenced blow of whip. When he was getting blow on his back, he kept shouting slogans like “Bharat Mata ki Jay”, “Mahatma Gandhi ki Jay”. After this incident, he was known as Azad! Chandra Shekhar Azad’s Message for YouthChandra Shekhar Azad has inspired the young generation with useful messages. He said, “Don't see others doing better than you, beat your own records everyday, because success is a fight between you and yourself.”He said, “If yet your blood does not rage, then it is water that flows in your veins. For what is the flush of youth, if it is not of service to the motherland.”“A plane is always safe on the ground but it is not made for that. Always take some meaningful risks in life to achieve great heights.”

As a child, Chandra Shekhar was very brave and fearless. Once in Diwali, he fired the colour match stick in his palm. His palm was burnt badly so he thought that his father will be angry so he left home and ran away to the jungle!

Chandra Shekhar Azad’s Childhood

Ravina Sewani

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.Betal told another interesting story, as King Vikramaditya carried him on his shoulders.Many years ago, there lived a king named Badsa. He was a great ruler and was loved by all his subjects. He had a son named Agni, who was wicked and had many vices. Unlike his father, he would not make a good ruler. This worried Badsa very much.One day, while the king was holding court, Agni burst into the room and announced, “I feel I am ready to take over the throne. You are old and I suggest you step down. If you do not, I will form an army to overthrow you.”Badsa was a peace-loving man and knew his son would go to great extents to take the throne. Ashamed that he was giving up the throne to his son without a fight, he denounced his title and decided he would spend his life in the forest in meditation.Meanwhile, in his kingdom, Angi tormented his subjects and the kingdom grew very unhappy.One day, as Badsa sat in meditation, he heard an old woman sobbing loudly. When he asked what the matter was, she replied, “I have only one son and a demon has vowed to eat him tonight!”Disturbed by what he had just heard, Badsa offered to sacrifice himself to the demon.The old woman and her son tried to convince him to change his mind but the king was adamant to help her out.As per his plan, when the demon arrived later that night, Badsa offered himself. The demon did not think twice before quickly eating the king. Thus, the old woman’s son was saved.Here, Betal asked King Vikramaditya, “What do you think of the old king’s sacrifice?”King Vikramaditya thought for a moment and then replied, “There is no sacrifice here. This was not a selfless act by the king. He felt guilt for leaving his subjects at the hands of his unworthy son and offered himself to the demon in the hope of achieving moksha.Betal replied, “I think you are right in your judgement. But since you have spoken, I will fly back to my peepul tree.”Saying this, Betal flew away, leaving King Vikramaditya to draw his sword and chase him once more. Moral:Always be ready to take accountability of your actions.

This is a story of king, demon, salvation and Vikram Betal.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

King Badsa and His Son

Vallabhbhai was a brave and brilliant student. He had leadership skills since his school days. There was one strict teacher in his school who used to use stick to punish the students. One day he fined a student. That student could not pay the amount so the teacher did not allow him to attend the class. Vallabhbhai thought this as a harsh injustice so he asked all the students to go on a strike. He arranged for students to sit in a nearby place. The strike continued for three days. Then the principal had to settle the matter by asking that teacher to be polite with the students.One teacher had a shop of stationary items so he was insisting the students to purchase stationary items from his shop. Vallabhbhai thought this as a wrong practice by a school teacher so he asked the students to boycott that teacher. He used to travel everyday along with his friends for school at N K High school and other people used to go Petlad for work. On the way there was a big stone that was hurting to the people they were going through that way. He noticed that people get hurt but no one is thinking or making any effort to move that stone away from the walkway. He decided to move that stone away from the way. Other friends and people kept going while he stopped there and moved the stone by himself. He had idea of helping people of this country at his early schooling days. Once, Child Vallabhbhai had a boil in the armpit. He went to the village barber and asked him to remove the boil with a hot iron. The barber was hesitated to put the hot iron rod on Vallabhbhai’s boil. Then he himself took the iron from the barber and without fear put on the boil. Thus he was fearless and brave since his childhood. Sardar Patel with Children / YouthWhen Sardar Patel was India’s Deputy Prime Minister, his grandson Bipinbhai visited New Delhi with some friends. They had come by night train. When they were taking breakfast with Sardar, Sardar asked them the reason to come to Delhi. His grandson Bipinbhai told that they have come to enjoy the vacation. Sardar asked them to move around in the city only for a day and then return back in the night train! He did not want anybody taking care of these boys and then expecting from Sardar in return. Once, Sardar went to a college to address the students. Some students insisted to stand only at certain place. Sardar mentioned in his speech, “I have heard of stubbornness of kings, stubbornness of children but for the first time I saw stubbornness of students!” This way he clearly taught a lesson to the students without scolding them. Once, some students came to invite Sardar for a lecture. He clearly told them that they should be ready to listen bitter truth from him and he will never speak sweet words of praise to appease the students. Thus he was not of the opinion to appease students to guide them for a true path but he believed to use hard words whenever required!

Vallabhbhai was a brave and brilliant student. He had leadership skills since his school days. There was one strict teacher in his school who used to use stick to punish the students.

Sardar Vallabhbhai patel’s Childhood

One day a pencil and eraser were doing some work. The pencil had to do some important work. The pencil was busy with her work. While doing the work, pencil lost its balance and there was an unnecessary line on the paper. She asked the Eraser, “Hey, eraser, please erase the line.” The eraser came quickly came and started cleaning the line. While erasing the line, the eraser was doing it quickly as the pencil had to do some important work. Due to the speed, the page was torn down by the eraser. Seeing this pencil got very angry. She said, “You cannot do one thing properly.” Eraser got upset and went away.Pencil continued doing its work. After some time, the pencil noticed a photo that was hanging on the wall. In the photo, the pencil and eraser were posing and they both were very happy. The eraser was very big in the photo. The pencil noticed that the size of the eraser and thought that the eraser was becoming smaller day-by-day. Pencil realized that the eraser was losing its existing by cleaning her mistakes. She felt very bad for being rude with the eraser. She decided to apologize.She went to the Eraser. The eraser was very sad. The pencil said, “Hey, eraser, I am sorry. I am sorry for being rude to you. You were the one who always helped me in cleaning my mistakes.” The pencil further said, “Because of me, you are losing your existence. You are becoming smaller in size. I am sorry you get hurt because of me.” The eraser replied, “That is okay. It is my job to clean your mistakes. I have my powers because of you. You do not need to feel bad.” The pencil said, “But you lose a part of yourself every time you erase my mistakes.”The eraser replied, “I was made to help you every time you did something wrong. Even though one day, I know I will be gone, I am happy with my job. So please, stop worrying! I will not be happy if I see you sad. But please do not be mad at me if I commit any mistake.”The pencil said, “Never, I promise. I will make sure you do not suffer because of me.” They both were in tears but they both understood each other’s value.The pencil realized the sacrifice of the eraser and its powers. She took extreme care of the eraser and made sure that the eraser did not have to suffer. Both of them realized that they are nothing without each other. Moral:Treat your loved ones with kindness.

This is a story of eraser and pencil.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

sacrifice 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.

Easter

Laxman Defeating Sleep for 14 Years

Karna as ‘Danveer’

The cloud and the wind

Daanveer Karna

Chandra Shekhar Azad’s Childhood

King Badsa and His Son

Sardar Vallabhbhai patel’s Childhood

The Pencil and The Eraser

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