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.

Pallavi Hota

Harry was a mischievous clown who loved playing with the children of the town. Every day before his show, he used to go to the park and hide all the things that the children got with them to play. He called it his version of the hide and seek. He gave one free ticket to his show to the child who found the maximum number of missing items.One day on being asked why he did so, he said that he is still a child and his grey hair, and tiny hands and legs make him look old. He loved playing with the children. He feared that the children wouldnít want to play with him, which is why he offered one free ticket to one of them. He said that there was once a magic show in his village, and the magician turned him into an old man. He did not want anybody to make a fool out of him, thatís why he decided to be a clown. The children said that they loved him the way he was and he did not have to make anything up to play with them.The childrenís love made him realise his worth and he accepted that no matter how he looks, he will be loved by people through his actions and ways of treating them. Moral:People will love us if we accept ourselves the way we are.

This a story of clown, amusement park and magic.Moral(s) of the story: acceptance

The Mischievous Clown

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 ìThe Mahabharata.On the ninth day of Mahabharata war, Duryodhana approached Bhishma in his camp. He was suspicious of the grandsire's dedication to the fight. Duryodana felt that Bhishma was not doing his best , as he was carried away by his affection for the Pandavas. Duryodhana felt anxious about the result if Bhishma continued to fight half-heartedly. So Duryodhana wanted to rouse Bhishma to his full fury, even if it meant hurting the old man.Approaching Bhishma, Duryodhana remarked that Bhishma was waging a half-hearted fight. Stung by these remarks, Bhishma gave his word that he would rout the Pandava army and kill all the Pandavas. When Draupadi heard this, she was afraid. She prayed to her Lord Krishna. As soon as she thought of Krishna, he appeared before her. Krishna asked her to follow him. He took her through the battlefield. The battlefield was an awful sight with bodies scattered everywhere. They finally reached a tent.Suddenly, Krishna told Draupadi, ìSister, please remove your sandals. They are making a lot of noise.î Draupadi removed her sandals. Just at the entrance to the tent, Krishna whispered to Draupadi, ìPlease go in and fall at the feet of the old man whom you can hear pacing up and down inside.She did so accordingly. Bhishma was surprised to see a lady fall at his feet and he blessed her, ìMay you live long with your husband. Who are you? What can I do for you? Why are you here at this hour?îDraupadi got up asking Bhishma to promise protection to her husbands. When she got up, Bhishma recognized her. He was stunned, ìDraupadi, Is it you? How did you come here?î Draupadi replied, ìKrishna brought me here. I came here to seek your blessings.î Bhishma recognized Krishna at the door. ìKrishna, please come in. What is it that is hanging on your shoulders? It looks like sandals.î Krishna replied quietly, ìOh yes, they are Panchali's footwear. They were making a lot of noise. So I took them with me.îDraupadi was mortified to see this. She said, ìOh Lord! Great calamity will fall on me by this act of yours.î Krishna replied, ìWhat is wrong with a brother carrying his sister's sandals? By the way, did you take his blessings?îBhishma replied, ìShe did not ask for it. I gave it on my own. Krishna, why do you worry about your devotees? You do not even mind carrying their footwear. Who can equal you in protecting the devotees? When you are with the Pandavas, what do they have to fear?îDraupadi replied, ìGrandpa, we were terrified to hear your promise to Duryodhana.î Bhishma said, ìWhat can the oath of this insignificant person do before Krishna, the God incarnate. He is on your side. No harm can befall you.î Thus succeeding in their mission, Krishna and Draupadi took leave of Bhishma.

This is a story of Draupadi and Krishna.

Krishna's concern for the Devotees

Ravina Sewani

Once, a weaver named Somilaka lived in a town. He was a very good weaver. The cloth he wove was fine, soft and beautiful. Even the king praised his work. In spite of this, Somilaka somehow could never earn much money. The other weavers who were not very good at their job were also richer than Somilaka. This depressed Somilaka very much. He thought of trying his luck in another town, but even there he did not meet with much success. In the end, Somilaka was so frustrated that he decided to commit suicide. He made a noose out of a rope and put it around his neck, tying the other end of the rope to a tall tree. He was just about to hang himself when he heard a loud voice coming from heaven, “Wait, don’t commit suicide. I am God. I am pleased with your talent and good work so I have decided to grant you a wish. Tell me what you want.”Somilaka was astonished. He said, “I want wealth.”God replied, “But you don’t need more wealth than what is required to keep you clothed and fed. What will you do with more wealth?”Somilaka answered, “I still want more wealth. A wealthy man is respected by everyone, even if he does not spend his wealth.”God said, “Alright. I will grant your wish. But first, you must go to your native village and visit two traders who live there —‘Secret Wealth’ and ‘Useful Wealth.’Somilaka did as he was told. First, he decided to meet ‘Secret Wealth.’Somilaka paid a visit to the house of ‘Secret Wealth.’ ‘Secret Wealth’ did not give him a cordial welcome, instead he seemed annoyed. His wife served food to Somilaka in a broken plate and banged a glass of water next to him on the floor. Somilaka did not say anything. He just thanked ‘Secret Wealth’ and his family and left.Next, he went to visit the other trader—‘Useful Wealth.’ ‘Useful Wealth was very happy to see Somilaka and welcomed him warmly into the house. All his family members were also very cordial to Somilaka. They served him delicious food and made comfortable arrangements for him to spend the night.Next morning, Somilaka saw the king’s servants bringing money for ‘Useful Wealth.’ He pondered over the contrast between the two traders. He thought, “This man is not as wealthy as ‘Secret Wealth,’ still he enjoys his wealth and lives more comfortably than ‘Secret Wealth.”Somilaka had understood the fact that wealth must not be merely hoarded; it should be used properly. When necessary, it should also be donated.Somilaka’s wish for wealth was granted by God and he enjoyed his wealth to the fullest, using it and also sharing it, just like ‘Useful Wealth.’ Moral:Wealth does not decide the respect of any individual. Whatever wealth you have, use it wisely and for good.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.Moral(s) of the story: kindness

Somilaka the weaver

Shina Utavani

There was once a baby camel who used to live with her mother. One day, the baby camel was lost in deep thought when she was lying on the ground with her mother. The mother saw her and asked what was wrong with her. The baby camel said nothing.The baby camel could not resist anymore and the next day, she said, “Mom, why do the camels have humps?” The mother smiled and said, “Well, the humps help us to store the water for days. As we are desert animals, we can survive without water because of our humps.”The baby camel had many questions to ask. She then asked, “Why do camels have long legs and rounded feet?” The mother replied, “They help us in walking in the hot desert. The long legs and rounded feet help the camel walk in the desert better than anyone else.” The curious baby camel then asked, “Mom, why do we have long eyelashes? Sometimes it bothers my sight.” Mother camel replied with pride, “My baby, these long thick eyelashes are your protective cover. The help us in protecting our eyes from the desert sand and wind.”The baby camel was again lost in her thoughts. After thinking for a while, she said, “Well, we have humps that help us in storing the water when we are in desert, the long legs help us in walking through the desert and these big eyelashes protect our eyes from the desert then what in god’s name are we doing here in the Zoo?”. The mother camel could not answer this question and become speechless. Moral:The moral for parents to take away from this story is to always try and answer your child’s question. If you don’t, your child will never be curious again. To some questions, you might not be able to give a satisfactory answer. At that moment tell them that you will get back to this question when they are of the age or when it is the right time.

This is a story of camel, desert and zoo.Moral(s) of the story: curiosity

Baby Camel and his Mother

When we talk about cricket one thing that comes to our mind is Sachin Tendulkar who is also known as God of cricket. If cricket is considered as a religion than Sachin is a God of it. His determination and passion have made him a powerhouse.Sachin was born and brought up in a middle-class family. He started his coaching classes when he was 11 years old. He was talented but with that, he was a hardworking and passionate sportsperson. His discipline and hard work helped him in achieving success. Sachin was a normal kid with no privilege but his practice and passion made him the ‘God of cricket’.All his passion and hard work finally paid off when India won the World Cup in 2011. After playing cricket for 24 years the best moment for Sachin was winning the world cup in 2011. The night was the biggest night not only for cricketers but for India too. It was the proud moment for everyone as after all India waited for 24 years to win another world cup.The whole team was filled with joy and excitement as they had finally won the world cup. They all together celebrated and partied all night. The team was happy that Sachin was a part of the team when they won the world cup. Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh even dedicated a song to Sachin named ‘TujhmeRabDikhta Hai’. It was a big night for them.Sachin was happy and overwhelmed. His hard work and passion were finally paid off.

This is a story Sachin Tendulkar.Moral(s) of the story: hard work and passion

Winning the World-cup

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.Sri Krishna and Arjuna once were guests of a widow. The widow had no children, nobody. She was all alone. But she had a cow. This cow was her only means of support. She used to sell milk, and by selling milk she used to sustain her life. At the same time she was a great devotee of Sri Krishna.When Sri Krishna and Arjuna visited her in disguise, she was so happy to see the two divine guests. She fed them with whatever she had in her house. Sri Krishna was extremely pleased with her surrendering attitude and her devotion. On their way back, Arjuna said to Krishna, ìYou were so pleased with her. Why didn't you grant her a boon? Why didn't you tell her that she would be prosperous soon, now that you are pleased with her?îìI have already granted her the boon that her cow must die tomorrow, replied Krishna. ìWhat? Her only means of support? She has only the cow, and nothing else. Without the cow how can she live on earth? asked Arjuna. Krishna answered, You don't understand me, Arjuna. She always thinks of the cow. The cow has to be fed, has to be milked, has to be bathed and so forth.ìI want her only to think of me, and when the cow is gone, she will think of me all the time, twenty-four hours. Then soon the time will be right for me to take her away from this world, and after a few years I will give her a better and more fulfilling incarnation. When she has nobody on earth, not even the cow, she will try and spend all her time, day and night, devoting herself to me. Otherwise, this way she will linger on earth and constantly think of the cow and not of me.

This is a story of Arjun and Krishna.

Krishna, Arjuna, the widow and her cow

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”.After the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Rama in Tretayug, the next one called Dwaparayug entered in which Lord reincarnated as Krishna. Before this, Sheshnag has made another request to the Lord Vishnu that he wants to be an elder brother this time and would like to instruct the lord. As wished, he was born as Balram, Krishna’s elder brother.Laxman was the incarnation of Sheshnag, Lord Vishnu’s seat. Laxman had complained all his life being born as the younger brother who he had to obey all the commands of Ram. His wish to be the elder brother was fulfilled when he was born as Balram.

This is a story of Balram, Krishna, Laxman and Ram.

Laxman’s Wish to be an Elder Brother

A long long time ago, lived a hugeee giant. No giant who walked on earth as big as him. His name was Soppo. When he was thirsty, he would drink all the water from the river. When he felt hungry, he would eat the whole forest. His favourite thing to eat was CLOUDS. He loved to eat clouds so much so that he always used to overeat and that led to his upset stomach. Soppo was good at heart but still he had no friends.Humans were afraid of him because when he ate the clouds, the rains would not fall and drought struck villages and towns. Because he used to eat crops and forests, people had no food to eat and survive. And when he overate the clouds, he would cry a lot and his tears caused floods everywhere. So wherever Soppo would go, people would leave that place. This made Soppo upset.On seeing Soppo upset, stars came to him and asked him about his sadness. Soppo told them his stories to which the stars replied, “Earth is a beautiful friends with beautiful people. Someone will be ready to be your friend.” Soppo immediately asked, “But where will I find someone who wants to be friends with me?” The stars told him, “You just have to help humans with something and then will surely accept you as their friend. We stars, shine in the night to show the way to travellers and sailors. In return they tell us many stories and give us company in the night.”So for the next few days, Soppo thought of ways in which he could be helpful to humans of earth. He thought very hard but could not think of a single thing to help people with anything. So he decided to go talk to Moon, as moon was an elder. Moon explained to Soppo, “You will not be able to help someone unless you know them well.” For the next few weeks, Soppo closely observed people’s lifestyles, their problems, and their pain. He realised that people were afraid of him because he would cause droughts and floods everywhere he went. One day, he had a great idea to help people. He decided to help people by his eating and crying at the right place and the right time.From that on, Soppo would eat up the clouds which would cause floods or storms. He would cry in a place where there would be shortage of water. This is how Soppo turned from a scary giant to a helpful giant.Soon people realised his help and started talking to him, play with him, and also take care of him. Moral:Not everyone who appears evil is actually like that. Sometimes people cannot figure out what to do about themselves. We should give time and always appreciate their efforts when they try to change for the better.

This is a story of cloud, flood, forest and rain.

 The  cloud eating giant

Once, two friends called Dharambuddhi and Paapbuddhi lived in a village. Dharambuddhi was an intelligent and wealthy man while Paapbuddhi was a cunning fellow who was not satisfied with his wealth. He wanted to make more money. He made a clever plan of earning much wealth, with Dharambuddhi’s help. First of all, Paapbuddhi convinced Dharambuddhi to go with him to the city in order to make money. He told Dharambuddhi that he was wasting his talent in that small village and that if he was in a larger city, he could attain name, fame and wealth. Dharambuddhi agreed with Paapbuddhi and soon, both of them set out on their journey to the city.In the city, Dharambuddhi earned a lot of wealth as well as fame. After having earned much money, Dharambuddhi and Paapbuddhi decided to go back to their village. As they were on the outskirts of their village, Paapbuddhi said to Dharambuddhi, “Friend, I don’t think it will be wise to take all of our wealth to the village with us. Our relatives might ask for their shares and there will be the danger of thieves too. So, for now, let us carry only a little money and bury the bulk of it under this tree here.”Dharambuddhi thought that this was a good idea. They dug a pit under a huge, hollow tree and both of them put their money in it separately. They covered the pit carefully and went to their homes.But the next night, Paapbuddhi sneaked quietly out of the village and went to the place where the money was hidden. He dug up the pit and took all the money—his own as well as the money belonging to Dharambuddhi.After a few days, Paapbuddhi went to Dharambuddhi and said, “I have finished my money, friend. Let us go and take out some more.” So, Dharambuddhi and Paapbuddhi went to the hiding place together and dug up the pit. But they found that there was no money inside. Paapbuddhi immediately accused Dharambuddhi of having stolen all the money. Dharambuddhi was infuriated. A heated quarrel began and finally, both of them went to the court to sort this matter out. The judge heard both sides of the story. Paapbuddhi said to the judge, “My Lord, if Dharambuddhi denies stealing the money in my absence, the only witness is the tree under which the wealth was hidden. In my opinion, the court should question the tree about this matter.” The judge agreed. A date was fixed when the court would visit the tree and question it. In the meantime, Paapbuddhi went to his father and said, “Father, you must help me. You know that I stole Dharambuddhi’s share of the money. Please help me or I will get caught and be imprisoned.”Paapbuddhi’s father was also a dishonest man like Paapbuddhi. He replied, “I don’t want to lose all that money. Tell me what I will have to do.” Paapbuddhi explained, “We hid our wealth under a huge, hollow tree on the outskirts of the village. The court is going to question the tree about the thief. All you have to do is hide inside the hollow of the tree and when anyone asks who the thief was, say ‘It was Dharambuddhi’.” Paapbuddhi’s father understood and agreed. On the fixed date, the judge, Paapbuddhi and Dharambuddhi went to the tree in question. The judge asked the tree, “You are the only witness to this crime. Tell us who the thief is.” They heard a voice from inside the tree saying, “It was Dharambuddhi.”The judge was astonished on hearing this. But Dharambuddhi’s mind was working in another way. He laid dried leaves all around the tree and set fire to them. The onlookers could not understand what Dharambuddhi was up to. Soon, the flames leapt up and smoke filled the whole area. In an instant everyone saw Paapbuddhi’s father rushing out from inside the hollow of the tree, half-burnt and yelling for help.The judge understood everything. It was clear to him that all of this had been a part of Paapbuddhi’s evil plan. He charged Paapbuddhi with the theft and punished him. Dharambuddhi was given all his wealth back. Everyone was happy that Dharambuddhi got justice and Paapbuddhi was punished for his greed and dishonesty. Moral:Always believe in the truth. Truth will serve justice no matter what.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.Moral(s) of the story: justice

shahjahan 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 Mischievous Clown

Krishna's concern for the Devotees

Somilaka the weaver

Baby Camel and his Mother

Winning the World-cup

Krishna, Arjuna, the widow and her cow

Laxman’s Wish to be an Elder Brother

The cloud eating giant

Dharambuddhi and Paapbuddhi

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