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 a rich old lady asked a well-known artist to paint her portrait. The artist worked hard on the portrait for many days. When the portrait was ready, he invited the lady to his studio.The old lady came to the studio. She had her pet dog with her. She was very fond of the dog. She believed that it was the cleverest little animal in the world.The lady showed her portrait to the dog. “Look, Tomy darling,” she said, “Here is your mistress.” But the dog showed no interest.The wealthy lady turned to the artist and said, “I don’t want this portrait. It does not look like me at all. Even my clever animal cannot recognize me in the portrait.”The artist was a man of worldly wisdom. He knew about the strange ways of wealthy people. So he did not argue. He simply said, “Madam, please come again tomorrow. I will make the portrait look so real that your dog will wag its tail and lick it.”The next day the lady visited the studio again. The dog wagged its tail and ran to the portrait. It licked it with great interest.The lady said, “How wonderful! How beautiful! My Tomy likes the portrait and so I, too, like it. Please wrap it up.” The artist asked for a big price and she paid it willingly.The artist had a hearty laugh at her back. He had rubbed the portrait with a juicy piece of meat. Its smell had made the pet dog lick it. Moral:Use your wisdom to judge the situation properly and act accordingly.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

The Rich Lady and the Artist

One day an officer of Emperor Akbar’s court had a challenge with a poor man. He said to the poor man, “I will give you five gold coins if you stay in the cold water of the pond for one full night.” The poor man accepted the challenge because he was badly in need of money.The next evening the poor man stepped into the pond and spent the whole night in the cold water of the pond. Guards were posted at the pond to keep a watch over the man. They reported to the officer in the morning that the man had spent the whole night standing in the pond. But the officer did not intend to pay five gold coins.When the poor man went to the officer to collect the reward, the officer asked him, “Was there a lamp near the pond?” “Yes, Sir,” replied the man. “Did you look at the lamp?” asked the officer. “Yes Sir, I did look at the lamp,” said the poor man.“There you are!” said the officer. “You could stand in the cold water because you had received heat from the lamp. You have no right to ask for the reward.” And he drove away the poor man.The poor man went to Birbal for help. Birbal listened to the poor man’s story. “Don’t worry. I'll get you justice,” promised Birbal and sent him away. The next day Birbal did not go to the court. Emperor Akbar sent his men to find out the reason for Birbal’s absence. The men returned to the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, Birbal says that he is busy cooking. He will come as soon as his meal is cooked.”Birbal’s strange reply surprised Emperor Akbar. So he went himself to Birbal’s house. He was more surprised when he saw the scene in the compound of Birbal’s house. Birbal was blowing a fire on the ground. An earthen pot was hanging high up on a bamboo pole.The Emperor said, “Birbal, what is all this tomfoolery about? How can the heat of the fire on the ground ever reach the pot hanging so high up?” Birbal replied, “If a man standing in the pond can receive heat from the lamp at the pond, why can’t the pot receive heat from the fire on the ground?”The Emperor asked Birbal to explain his point clearly. Then Birbal told him how the poor man was wronged by one of the officers of the royal court.Emperor Akbar at once sent for the officer and the poor man. He listened to both the parties. Then he commanded the officer, “You have lost the challenge and you must pay five gold coins to this man right now.”The officer had to obey the Emperor’s order. He paid five gold coins to the poor man. The man thanked the Emperor and Birbal for their help. Moral:Use your wisdom for the good of others.

This is a classic story from Vikas books.This is a story of Akbar Birbal.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

Birbal and the Dishonest Officer

Shina Utavani

Rani Padmini was a legendary Indian queen during the 13th century. She was the wife Raja Ratan Sen, who was a wise ruler of Chittor. Among the courtiers of Ratan Sen, there was one courtier named Raghav Chetan who was an exceptional artist and a musician.Raghav Chetan was a great artist but secretly he was performing black magic for his own selfish needs. When Ratan Sen discovered about this, he banished Raghav Chetan from his kingdom. Raghav Chetan then went to Delhi.At that time, Delhi was ruled by a powerful king named Alauddin Khilji. Raghav Chetan to take revenge asked Alauddin Khilji to attack Chittorgarh. The king was not at all interested in attacking but Raghav used his last bait and informed Khilji about Ratan Sen’s beautiful wife Padmini.Khilji sent a message to Chittor asking to meet Raja Ratan Sen along with his family. Rani Padmini sensed something wrong and agreed to greet Khilji but only through a mirror. Khilji took a look at the queen and decided he wanted the queen for himself. As soon as Ratan Sen accompanied Khilji to the entrance, Khilji’s soldiers kidnapped Ratan Sen and took him to Delhi.Rani Padmini received a note from Khilji which said that in order to see her husband alive she needs to hand herself to him. Padmini agreed with a condition that she would arrive in Delhi with 700 maids in palanquins for her help. Khilji agreed and so Rani Padmini arrived in Delhi and instead of maids, she arrived with 700 Chittor’s best soldiers. Ratan Sen was successfully brought back to Chittor.Khilji was enraged. He laid siege on Chittor to obtain Padmini. Meanwhile, in a duel with Devpal, Ratan Sen was killed. When Khilji was finally able to capture the fort, only Padmavati and her women were left.Rani Padmini along with the women went through a secret passage that was linked from the fort to Jauhar Kund. In order to protect their honour, they courageously laid down their lives.

This is a story of Alauddin Khalji, Delhi, Rana Ratan Singh and Rani Padmini. Moral(s) of the story: strength

Rani Padmini

Once there lived a mother pig with her three piglets. Mrs Pig was very tired and said to her children, “Oh dear! I can’t do all this work anymore, I’m afraid you must leave home and make your own way in the world”.So the three little pigs set off. After walking for a while, they met a man carrying a bundle of straw. “Excuse me” said the first little pig politely “would you please sell me some of your straw so I can make a house?” The man readily agreed and the first little pig went off to find a good place to build his house.The other little pigs continued to walk along the road when they met a man carrying a bundle of sticks. “Excuse me” said the second little pig politely “would you please sell me some sticks so I can build a house?” The man readily agreed and the little pig said goodbye to his brother. The third little pig didn’t like his brothers’ ideas so he kept walking. He thought to himself, “I’m going to build myself a much bigger, better, stronger house” and kept on down the road until he met a man with a cart load of bricks.“Excuse me” the third little pig said politely as his mother had taught him “Please can you sell me some bricks so I can build a house?” “Of course” said the man “where would you like me to unload them?” The third little pig looked around and saw a nice patch of ground under a tree, “Over there please” he pointed.All of the three pigs set to work and up until nightfall, the houses of straws and sticks were ready but the house of bricks was only just beginning to rise above the ground.&nbsp;The first and second little pigs laughed and thought that their brother was really silly to work so hard when they had already finished.However, a few days later the brick house was completed and looked very smart with shiny windows, a neat little chimney and a shiny knocker on the door.After a few nights, soon after they had settled in, a wolf was out looking for food. By the light of the moon he spotted the first little pig’s house of straw.&nbsp;He went up to the door and called, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” “No, no, by the hair of my chinny chin chin” replied the little pig. “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house.” said the wolf who was a big, bad, greedy sort of wolf.And he huffed, and he puffed and blew the house in. The little pig ran away as fast as his he could and went straight to the second little pig’s house to hide.The next night the wolf was even hungrier and he saw the house of sticks. He walked up to the door and called, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” “Oh no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin” said the second little pig as the first little pig hid trembling under the stairs. “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in” said the wolf.And he huffed, and he puffed and blew the house in. But the little pigs ran away as fast as they could and went to the third little pig’s house to hide.“What did I tell you?” said the third little pig “it’s important to build houses properly”. But he welcomed them in and they all settled down for the rest of the night.The following night the wolf was even hungrier and feeling bigger and badder than ever. Prowling around in hunger, he came to the third little pig’s house. He crept up to the door and called, “Little pig, little pig, let me come in.” “Oh no, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin” said the third little pig while the first and the second little pigs hid trembling under the stairs. “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in” said the wolf.And he huffed, and he puffed and he blew but nothing happened.&nbsp;So he huffed and he puffed and he blew again, even harder, but still nothing happened. The brick house stood firm.The wolf growled, “I’m going to eat all of you” he growled “you just wait and see”. He prowled round the house trying to find a way in. The little pigs trembled when they saw his big eyes peering through the window. Then they heard a scrambling sound.“Quick, quick” said the third little pig “he’s climbing the tree, I think he’s going to come down the chimney”.The three little pigs got the biggest pan they had, and filled it full of water and put it on the fire to boil. They could hear the sound of the wolf climbing the tree and then walking along the roof.The little pigs held their breath.&nbsp;The wolf was coming down the chimney.&nbsp;Nearer and nearer he came until, with a huge splash, he landed in the pan of water. “Yoweeeee!” he screamed and shot back up the chimney thinking his tail was on fire. The last the three little pigs saw of the big bad wolf was him flying over the treetops clutching a very sore tail.So, the three little pigs lived happily together ever after in their very smart house of bricks. Moral:Do not do things in hurry without much thought. Take time, think your way through and then act.

This is a story of house pig and wolf.Moral(s) of the story: smartness

The three little Pigs

There was once a boy who was mischievous and ill-mannered. He used to always misbehave with others and disrespect them. His behaviour was very bad, and it was annoying for the people around him. His behaviour was such that one day, the Chief Fairy of the land had to come to punish him. The fairy turned the boy into a monster. The boy could only escape from being a monster if he managed to seriously frighten someone. At first, the boy thought that this would be easy, but he realized that the children in his area were difficult to scare.Many days passed by, but the monster failed in scaring anyone. So, he decided to look for an easy target. There was a boy who was well known as an easy target for anything. The monster started studying the behaviour of the boy for some time. He followed him wherever he went. The boy used to go to give charity to people, helped people in need and played with the children in the hospital. The boy did all the good work.The monster finally prepared himself to scare the boy. However, when he went to scare the boy, the images of people whom he had helped came into his mind. The monster did not want to scare someone who had done so much good work for others. The monster decided to leave him alone. Because the boy did all the good work without any price, the monster did not do any damage to the boy because then he would be responsible for him not being able to help more people.The Chief Fairy appeared in that moment and was impressed by the kind gesture of the monster. So, she rewarded him by turning him back into a normal boy. And the boy with the bad behaviour finally became a kind and generous person. He even became best friends with the boy he had planned to scare. Moral:Always be kind to others. Do good for others and good things will come back to you.

This is a story of fairy and monster.Moral(s) of the story: kindness

Forever a Monster

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 began another story, as he was being carried upon King Vikramaditya’s shoulders.A long time ago, there was a beautiful and intelligent princess named Chandralekha. Many suitors came to offer proposals of marriage to her. She always declined, saying, “My husband should be strong, courageous and talented.”One day, a prince named Virendra came to propose to Chandralekha. He said, “I can tell the fortune of people and have never been proven wrong.”Chandralekha offered him a chamber in the palace to stay in while she made her decision.The next day, Prince Udaivir arrived, wanting to have her hand in marriage. “I have a chariot which can run on land as well as in the sky,” said the prince, hoping to impress her.He too was offered a chamber in the palace to wait.The third day, Prince Dhananjay came to ask for Chandralekha’s hand in marriage. He boasted, “I am an unparalleled warrior. No one can destroy me!”Chandralekha asked him to wait while she chose between the three.The next morning, Chandralekha’s mother was horrified to find her daughter was missing. Scared for her well-being, she called upon the three princes to help find the princess.Prince Virendra closed his eyes for a moment and then said, “As a fortune teller, I can see that the princess has been kidnapped by a giant who wants to marry her.”Next, Prince Udaivir said, “My chariot is the fastest, we can rush to save the princess!” With that, the three princes, rode off in the chariot.Upon reaching the giant’s lair, Prince Dhananjay took out his sword, fought the giant bravely and won.Chandralekha was returned safely to her mother and the kingdom was at peace.“So tell me King Vikramaditya,” said Betal. “Who should the princess choose as her groom?”King Vikramaditya thought and then said, “Prince Dhananjay deserves to be the groom. Even though Prince Virendra foretold where the princess would be and Prince Udaivir used his chariot to take them there, Prince Dhananjay defeated the giant. Without his strength, the giant would have eaten them all!”Betal looked at the king and said, “Right you are, my king. But you have opened your mouth to speak and so I must fly away, back to my tree!” With that, Betal was chased once more by King Vikramaditya. Moral:It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

This is a story of king, prince, princess and Vikram Betal.Moral(s) of the story: bravery and strength

Princess Chandralekha

There was once a jungle that had no king. All the animals of the jungle gathered and decided to elect a new ruler. They decided to select a king for the jungle. At the meeting of the animals, the monkey who was present there was asked to dance. The monkey started dancing and he did so well that all were impressed by his performance.All the animals enjoyed the monkey’s performance and decided to make monkey the king of the jungle. Everyone voted for the monkey except the Fox. The fox was disappointed by the decision and thought Monkey was not worthy of the title. Fox wanted to explain to everyone that Monkey was not the perfect choice as the king.One day, the fox found a trap with a bit of meat in it. The fox had an idea. He went running to the Monkey and said, “King, I have found a rich treasure but I did not touch it because I think it belongs to you my Majesty.” The greedy monkey was very excited and followed the fox to get the treasure. As soon as the monkey saw the meat, he immediately went to grasp it. In a couple of seconds, the monkey was stuck in a trap. The fox saw the monkey and started laughing.The fox then said, “You cannot even take care of yourself and you pretend to be our king!”. The monkey was ashamed and felt very bad. He bowed down his head in shame. All other animals realized their mistake and understood why the fox was telling that the monkey is not worthy to become a king.They understood that a true leader proves himself by his qualities and not by showing off what he has. Another election was conducted and this time they appointed the true king. They made Lion the king of the jungle. Moral:People who cannot control themselves should never control the people around them.

This is a story of forest, fox, king, lion and monkey.Moral(s) of the story: control

The Fox and the Monkey

Yesha Desai

Toby’s mother was very hardworking and this was the first time she was taking little Toby out to the grocery store for shopping. Baby Toby asked his mother, “What is a grocery store?”She replied, “A grocery store is a place where you can get everything you need in your daily life. There are many types of grocery stores. Some stores are big and some are small. Grocery stores sell food like milk, eggs, bread, meat, canned food, fruit, vegetables, snacks, frozen foods, drinks, and cereal.&nbsp;It also sells stuff like toothbrush, toothpaste, plates, screws, jacks and other toolbox and garage equipments.”Before they stepped in, his mother pulled out a list. They entered the store and it was very noisy and full of light. Toby immediately wanted to leave.They grabbed a shopping cart to help carry their food and Toby’s mother fit him into the cart.At first baby Toby was very scared of the new surroundings but soon he got used to it.As his mother kept on shopping and ticking things off the list, Toby soon got bored. He asked his mother when they were leaving. His mother still had a lot of things to do but she saw baby Toby’s patience wearing out. She had to entertain the baby in some way so she slowly spinned the shopping cart around.Toby squealed and asked his mother to do it again. His mother did so and a few times he laughed happily.&nbsp;So his mother continued shopping.Toby noticed that the grocery stores are separated into sections and rows. Some sections in the store are the dairy, meats, fruits and vegetables, seafood, and bakery. The rows in a grocery store are called aisles. Sometimes they have signs posted with numbers or words that tell me the type of food that is in each aisle.He learnt a lot about grocery stores but soon got bored again. The shopping trip was about to end as his mother now went to the cashier to pay for the stuff. His mother looked at him and said, “Toby, behave. We are almost leaving, alright? If you will be nice, I will let you watch television for a little longer and even get you bubble soap.”At that, Toby stayed silent.Soon they reached home and his mother praised him and said he was very well behaved for his first trip to the grocery store. She made bubbles with him in their backyard and they danced around. They also ate peanut butter sandwiches and jam right from the can. Toby had a very fun day.Surely it took longer to get used to grocery stores but as Toby grew up he even helped his mother put things into the shopping cart and then into their kitchen.

This is a story of bubble, grocery store and sandwich.

Toby’s first grocery shopping trip

One day the Emperor asked Birbal, “Birbal, is it possible for any man to be the “noblest” and the “lowest” together?”Birbal said, “Yes, Jahanpanah!”Akbar then asked Birbal to bring any one such man before him.Birbal went out and soon returned with a beggar. Presenting the poor beggar to the Emperor, he said, “This is the lowest among all of your subjects, Jahanpanah”Akbar asked, “Well, you may be right, Birbal. But, I don’t see that how he can be the noblest?”“Today this lowest subject of yours has been given the honor of having an audience with you, the greatest of all Mughal kings. This is what makes him the noblest among the beggars, Jahanpanah!”Emperor Akbar was full of Birbal’s praise on putting this so aptly before him and rewarded him handsomely. Moral:Our creativity and imaginative responses can get us a long way.

This is a classic story from Akbar Birbal.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

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 Rich Lady and the Artist

Birbal and the Dishonest Officer

Rani Padmini

The three little Pigs

Forever a Monster

Princess Chandralekha

The Fox and the Monkey

Toby’s first grocery shopping trip

The Noblest beggar

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