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.

Yesha Desai

Ajay is the only child of rich parents who have worked very hard to get where they are but growing up in the lap of luxury, he barely understands the struggles.He heavily relied on the house help to get his daily chores done. He had a maid who would clean his room, to fold his clothes, to wash his clothes, to make his bed. He had a chef who would cook food for him and serve his food. He had a driver who would drive him everywhere, even if it was just nearby, so he did not have to walk or use his cycle.In short he rarely did any work on his own.More than that, he seemed to not respect the house help either. He often degraded the trash collector, who collected trash from his house and helped in keeping the city clean, as he thought that he was more superior than the worker.This really bothered his parents because they did not want Ajay to grow up to be a brat.So one evening her mother asked every worker to take a few days of paid leave. When Ajay woke up in the morning, he asked for someone to make his bed but no one came.He asked for someone to bring his clothes, but no one came. He asked for someone to pack his lunch but no one came to help him do this either. He asked his mother, “Ma? Where is everyone? I am getting late for school.” His mother replied, “I have sent them home for a few days. You will have to do your chores by yourself now. Come on, get to it.”Ajay frowned but did not say anything. That day, he packed the wrong books, he forgot his tie, his bed was unmade. He had tried to do all his chores but he realised that he was truly lost and would not survive without help.Ajay realised that he should do his own work by himself instead of handing it off to others otherwise he would never learn. Moral:We must not be totally dependent on others for our tasks and learn to do it ourselves.

This is a story of chef, driver, house help, maid, parent and trash collector.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude and responsibility

Ajay’s lesson

Shina Utavani

Vikramaditya also called Chandragupta II was a powerful emperor of Northern India. He was the grandson of Chandragupta I and the son of Samudra Gupta. Under his rule, art, architecture flourished and cultural development of ancient India reached its climax.Inheriting a large empire, he continued the policy which his father followed and extended his control over neighbouring territories. He was an ideal king and was known for his courage, generosity, and intellect.The king was well-known for his justice and kindness. He was generous towards people. Once the king had to build a palace near the riverbank. He ordered ministers and workers to survey the site and commence the work. The workers started the work and the palace was built in a few weeks. The minister was happy to inform the king about it and decided to have a final look at the palace. While seeing the palace his eyes fell on a hut near the palace. He had not seen the hut before and now the hut was only a few steps away from the palace gate.He decided to ask the lady leaving in the hut to vacant the place and in return, he offered anything she asked. But the lady refused to accept anything as the hut was dearer to her. The minister tried to convince the lady but she refused. Then the matter was taken to the king.The wise king ordered, “Let the lady stay in her hut and let it be where it is. It will only add beauty to the palace.” The king then said to the minister, “Let us not forget that what seems ugly to us might be precious to someone else.” Moral:We should respect what is dear to others.

This is a story of Chandragupt Maurya and Hemchandra Vikramaditya.Moral(s) of the story: respect

Vikramaditya

Ravina Sewani

A Porcupine was looking for a good home. At last he found a little sheltered cave, where lived a family of Snakes. He asked them to let him share the cave with them, and the Snakes kindly consented.The Snakes soon wished they had not given him permission to stay. His sharp quills pricked them at every turn, and at last they politely asked him to leave.“I am very well satisfied, thank you,” said the Porcupine. “I intend to stay right here.” And with that, he politely escorted the Snakes out of doors. And to save their skins, the Snakes had to look for another home.Moral: Give a finger and lose a hand.

This is a story of Aesop fables, porcupine and snake.Moral(s) of the story: helpfulness and regret

The Porcupine And The Snakes

Once upon a time, there lived a wizard who invented a very unusual spell. Anyone who was cast with this spell would have perfect, white, shiny teeth. The wizard had a lot of toads as his pets. He decided to test this spell on one of his toads. After the spell was cast, the toad was gifted with shiny white teeth. The toad loved his teeth so much that he would keep on smiling the whole day.The toad was able to speak and eat all kinds of food. He was very proud about his perfect teeth. “I prefer eating candy than filthy flies”, said the toad to the wizard. It came to wizard’s notice that the toad was not taking care of his teeth at all and was always eating different kinds of sweets. He said to the toad, “Brush your teeth regularly and don’t eat sweets otherwise you will get a toothache.”The toad did not pay heed to the wizard’s advice and kept on eating unhealthy food. One day, a tooth started decaying and the decay spread to all the other teeth. Soon, all the toad’s teeth fell out and he was back to eating flies his whole life. He lost his ability to talk and now regretted not listening to the wizard. Moral:Never take anything for granted. The toad thought that nothing could ever damage his teeth and so never cared for them. The more we take care of our health, the longer we live.

This is a story of toad and tooth.Moral(s) of the story: regret

The toothy toad

Lord Mahavira was the twenty-fourth and last Jain Tirthankara according to the Jain philosophy. A Tirthankara is an enlightened soul who is born as a human being and attains perfection through intense meditation. For a Jain, Lord Mahavira is no less than God.Lord Mahavir invested twelve years in silence and penance with great success.At the beginning of his asceticism (person who does not involve in anything other than meditation), he met a cowherd who left his oxen in the care of Lord Mahavir. The cowherd went to the village and came back a bit later. The oxen had drifted away while grazing. Not being able to find his oxen, he asked, "Ascetic, where are my oxen?"Mahavir was in deep meditation and unaware of all this. The cowherd asked again and again but he did not get any response. He was irritated and shouted, “You hypocrite! Are you deaf, don’t you hear anything?”Mahavir still did not respond. “You pretender, it seems that both your ears are useless. I will fix your ears.” He took long nails like thorns from a nearby and pierced the ears by hammering the thorns in.Even such an incident did not annoy Mahavir from his meditation; neither did it evoke any feelings of anger or hatred in him.

This is a story of the Jain God - Mahavir.Moral(s) of the story: faith

Mahavir

Once there lived a very greedy fox. One day he was very hungry and decided to hunt something big. With the hope that he would get something big, he went off the woods to find a nice, big supper.He saw a fat cuckoo sitting on the top of a bush. He was happy that he found a big meal for the day. He did not want to scare the cuckoo, so he sat down beside the bush and spoke to her softly, “What a beautiful bird you are! Your feathers are glowing. I think you will look even more beautiful when you are sleeping.”After hearing this, cuckoo was pleased and felt very happy. She began to open her feathers in the Sun. After looking at this, the fox said, “Beautiful! Your feathers look amazing. I wish I can see you when you sleep. I think you will look even more beautiful.”The cuckoo was pleased by the comment and closed her eyes so that the fox could witness her beauty while sleeping. As soon as the partridge closed her eyes, the foxgrabbed her in his mouth. The fox was very happy that he got his meal for the day. When cuckoo realized she said in a little voice, “OH, Mr. Fox please tell me one last time how beautiful I am. Tell me how beautiful my feathers look and then kill me please.”The fox thought there was nothing bad in telling that once again. So, he opened his mouth as said, “You are….” As soon as he opened his mouth the cuckoo flew away. She reached on the highest branch of a tree. The fox was shocked. He said to himself, “Why did I open my mouth?”. The cuckoo asked herself, “Why did I shut my eyes?”.The hungry little fox went on his way further into the woods, looking for his supper! Moral:Do not trust easily.

This is a story of cuckoo and fox.Moral(s) of the story: idiot

THE fox and the cuckoo 

Arybhatta had always been a very curious child. He loved learning and he loved knowing about new things. That is why the sky boggled him so much. It was so vast and it was everywhere. It was there when you woke up, it was there when you went to sleep, it was there as you grew up and it stays there even after you are long gone from this planet.&nbsp; So then, why was it that we knew so little about the sky and what lies within. He was so restless to know. He was not just a curious little boy, but a very intelligent one too. He was very well aware that the answer to all his questions will only be found once he knows everything that has been found.&nbsp; That is why he worked hard and studied a lot. That is how his horizons expanded and he came to learn more. His findings were well ahead of his time. He found the concept of zero by thinking that even nothingness has a quantity, the lunar and the solar eclipse, rotation of the earth and much more. From this, we learn that if we are curious to know about something and are passionate about it, then we must work hard.

This is a story of Aryabhatta and his invention.

Aryabhatta and the invention of zero

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

Dharambuddhi and Paapbuddhi

There are some people who are always complaining about things and are never happy with anything. Gus Grumplings was one among them. He had family and friends who loved and cared about him but all he could think of were the things he didn’t have. For instance, if someone gave him a car, he would complain about it either being too big or too short. He was never satisfied with the things he had in his life.Chuckles, the prankster cloud used to play a trick on grumpy kids to teach them a lesson. One day, Chuckles was passing by and heard all of Gus’s complains. He decided to teach him a lesson. So, when the cloud was right above Gus, it started dropping heavy black rain on him. The cloud started following him and this carried on for almost a week. Gus was not at all impressed by this and started complaining about things even more.Gus had a little generous friend named Gladys. She was the only one who was willing to hang around him during all those black rainy days. She would cheer him up by saying that he was the only one among them who had his own cloud and that also with black rain. She suggested him to play fun games with black rainwater and enjoy it with other friends. Gus agreed to her as he had no other company except her.They started playing different games with black rainwater. They also invited various other friends. His friends came up with all sorts of interesting games to play. Gus gradually started enjoying black rain. He started to look for the positive side of it. Chuckles the prankster cloud thought he was successful in teaching Gus a lesson and decided to leave. When Chuckles finally left, Gus didn’t complain. Instead, he looked onto the positive side that he no longer had to stay wet all day. He can do anything we want. Moral:Gus’s story teaches us to be positive and find positive things in every situation. Always be grateful for the things you have and look for the positive side in every situation.

This is a story of cloud, rain and water.Moral(s) of the story: gratitude and optimism

silas 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.

Ajay’s lesson

Vikramaditya

The Porcupine And The Snakes

The toothy toad

Mahavir

THE fox and the cuckoo

Aryabhatta and the invention of zero

Dharambuddhi and Paapbuddhi

The Incredible black rain

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