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

Atal Bihari Vajpayee apart from being a great leader was also a great orator. He was known for his public speaking abilities. His speech was full of enthusiasm and encouragement, establishing himself as one of India’s greatest orators.Atalji was from a family of poetry enthusiasts. He had an early exposure to various Kavi sammelans where he started developing an interest in writing, poetry, and speaking. His interest in politics and poetry likings helped him carve a niche for himself in the Lok Sabha where he gave some of the most impactful speeches.Poetry, humour and wonderful speech helped Atalji in winning the hearts of people. He used this skill to answer or dodge questions from the press. When Atalji gave a speech in 1957 in parliament, Jawaharlal Nehru was impressed and even said, “This young man will become the Prime Minister of India one day”. This became true and Atalji Ji served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms.The man of his words was awarded the Bharat Ratna in the year 2015. It was Atalji’s exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India.

This is a story of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee- a Skilful Orator

In a jungle, there once lived a jackal. He was very smart and clever. One day, he was passing by and saw a dead elephant in his way. The jackal was happy to see the elephant and could not wait to eat the flesh. He went closer to the elephant and tried to cut the skin of the elephant with his teeth. He tried very hard but could not cut the skin as it was very tough. The jackal tried many times but failed.After trying it many times, he was very tired and stopped trying to cut the flesh with his teeth. He sat near the dead animal and started thinking about how to cut his flesh. Suddenly, the jackal saw the lion coming towards him. Seeing the Lion, he said, “Majesty, I am guarding this dead elephant for you. Please eat it.” The lion replied, “I never eat animals which are killed by others.” The lion went away. The jackal was happy that he saved the elephant from the lion. He wanted to eat it all alone. He again started thinking about how to cut the flesh.The jackal was thinking and he heard the roaring of the tiger. He thought that the tiger would surely eat the elephant. So, the jackal said, “Please go away from here. I am guarding this for the king. The king lion has gone for a bath and he asked me to warn him when a tiger comes. The king wants to kill all the tigers of this jungle.” The tiger got very scared and quickly left the place.Then after some time, a leopard approached the jackal. The jackal was very hungry and knew that the leopard had sharp teeth. So, he cleverly said to the jackal, “Hey, Friend. I am seeing you after a long time. You look tired and hungry. Why do not you take a few bites from the dead elephant which I am guarding for the king lion? He has gone for a bath.” The leopard said, “Why would I eat the king’s meat. He would kill me if he saw me eating his food.” The jackal said, “I will warn you when he returns. Till then you can take a few bites.” The leopard agreed and proceeded near the elephant.The leopard started to bite the elephant but as the skin was hard it took time. As soon as the leopard took off the skin, the jackal shouted, “Beware, the lion is coming.” Hearing this, the leopard quickly left the place. The jackal laughed out loud and sat near the elephant and ate all the flesh alone. Moral:Wisdom makes victory.

This is a story of elephant, jackal, leopard, lion and tiger.Moral: smartness and wisdom

The Clever Jackal

In a huge forest, once there was a lovely pond. The pond was situated in the middle of the forest. The pond was surrounded by beautiful grass and flowering plants. There were also many trees around the pond.Many frogs used to live in the pond. The frogs lived happily in the pond. The frogs argued over one thing. They could not decide their chief. Due to this, they use to fight and argue a lot. They never came to a decision.One frog would say, “I will become the chief.” Another would say, “No, I will become the chief.” Such arguments continued every day and they never came to any conclusion. They fought every day. One day, a crane come to the pond. The crane was very hungry. All frogs were fighting and arguing and this caught the crane’s attention.All the frogs were arguing and crane saw one of the frogs who said that he wanted to become the chief. The frog shouted and jumped saying, “I will become the chief.” At that exact moment, the crane caught the frog in its beak. The frog could not move or escape.The crane was about to eat the frog but at that very moment, the crane felt a slimy thing in its leg. The crane sighed and the frog jumped out of his mouth. The crane felt very bad. The crane decided to catch the frog the next day.Next day when the crane went near the pond. He still heard the noise in the pond. Everyone was arguing but the frog that was caught yesterday remained silent. This time again a frog that was shouting was caught by the crane. This time too when the crane was about to eat the frog, something happened and the frog escaped from his mouth,In the evening, again the crane came. This time, the two frogs that were caught by the crane were silent. The frogs were arguing and one among them shouted, “I am the chief.” This caught the crane’s attention and this time he easily grabbed the frog and ate him. Moral:It is not wise to boast loudly.

This is a story of crane, frog, pond and tree.Moral(s) of the story: boasting

The Frogs and the Crane

The festival of Onam is celebrated each year in the month of August-September. Onam- the word is originated from the Sanskrit word ‘Shravanam’. It refers to one of the 27 Nakshatras. The festival is celebrated to worship King Mahabali. He was an Asur (one with more negative thoughts in mind) by birth and Sur (one with more positive thoughts in his mind) by virtue. He was the best king Kerala ever had. He was very kind and generous. Not a single needy person went empty-handed from his door.&nbsp;It is said that King Mahabali sacrificed everything he had and even himself to serve others.&nbsp;The festival also marks the harvest season of Kerala. The festival is also called Thiru-Onam or Thiruvonam. The festival brings along with it, history, culture, and beliefs of Kerala. Special dishes and food items are made at this festival. People serve meals on Banana leaves. The special dessert called ‘Payasam’ is made during this festival. Every day of the festival has its own religious and cultural importance. Different activities and rituals are performed on different days. The festival has cultural and regional importance in Kerala. The celebrations of the festival begin with a grand procession referred as Thripunithura Athachanayam. The parade includes elephants marching, drum beats and other music, folk art forms and people dressed in colourful masks. The parade also features scenes from epic tales such as Mahabharata and Ramayana. Traditional dance forms like Thiruvathira, Pulikali, Kummattikali, Onam Kali are performed. Kummattikali is colourful mask dance. During onnam festival, Pulikali, known as tiger dance is performed where dancers paint themselves like a tiger. This folk art is mai'nly performed in the cultural district of Thrissur.&nbsp; Vallamkali is another event that is associated with Onam. It is basically a boat race. Races include the AranmulaUthrattadhi Boat Race and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race.&nbsp; Another important part of the festival includes Onam sadya (feast). It is a traditional food item mainly made with seasonal vegetables such as cucumber, ash gourd and yam. The feast is served on plantain leaves and consists of nine dishes.

Onam

Yesha Desai

Once upon a time a woman received a cap from a wizard. The wizard told her that it was a magic cap. “What sort of magic does it do?” The woman asked the wizard.The wizard smiled, “You would have to see that for yourself.” The woman took the cap and walked away with it.When she put the cap on her head she heard, “Give me back my food! You cat, give me back my food.”She looked around but there was no one but two cats fighting with each other. She ignored it, thinking that she was imagining the voices.She walked ahead and near a lake she heard, “Ugh these fishermen. I won’t die today.” She frowned because no one was around. What was happening?She walked some more and then a dog came in front of her, “Please give me some food human.” She was shocked. Was it the dog speaking?The dog barked a reply but she could understand it, “Yes. It was me.” The woman realised that all along, these were the voices of animals and she could understand them because of her magic cap.Not only could she understand what they were saying but even they could understand her.The woman decided to use this gift to help animals whose needs could not be understood. She pledged to create a better life for them.

This is a story of cap, cat, dog, goblin, pixies, troll and wizard.Moral(s) of the story: kindness

The magic cap

Once Sage Durvasa cursed all the gods and all of them lost their powers. They were powerless and deprived of all the fortunes. The gods went to seek help from Lord Vishnu. He suggested them to churn the ocean to retrieve nectar that can help them become immortal and regain their lost glory.The gods partnered with the demons to combine their strength for churning the ocean. They used Vasuki, the serpent as a churning rope and the mount Mandara as the churning staff. Lord Vishnu took the Kurma avatar and stood below mount Mandara, while the gods and demons churned the ocean.While churning the ocean, various gems and precious stones came out of the ocean. Along with them, ‘halahala’ poison came out from the ocean. Halahala was a dangerous poison that could wipe out all creation. The terrified Gods and demons approached Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu advised them to seek help from Lord Shiva, as he is the only one who could protect them. Lord Shiva, out of compassion, swallowed the poison. But he squeezed his throat to prevent the poison from entering into his body. Thus, the poison was stuck in Shiva’s throat and it was so potent that it changed the colour of Shiva’s neck to blue.The poison turns Shiva’s throat blue and hence he is also called Neelkanth, wherein Neel means ‘blue’ and Kanth means ‘throat’.

This is a story of ocean, Shiva and Vishnu.

Lord Shiva and the halahala poison

Ravina Sewani

There was a heavy flood in a river. After three days the flood subsided. Among many other things, a copper pot and an earthen pot were floating side by side in the river.The copper pot saw the earthen pot and said, “My friend, you are made of soft mud, and are weak. Come closer to me, if you wish. I will protect you from harm.”“Thanks for your good feelings for me," said the earthen pot. "But I dare not come closer to you. You are so strong and sturdy. I am so weak and fragile. By chance, if we crash into each other, I will shatter into a thousand tiny bits. If you are really my well-wisher, please keep away from me."Saying so, the earthen pot smoothly floated away from the copper pot. Moral:Keep over-powerful neighbours at some distance.

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

The two pots

Nishita Sanghvi

In a village lived Madhuril. She was a poor carpenter's daughter who did not have too many toys, hence she would stand outside the toy shop longing to get at least some of them.Her father did take notice of this and felt really dissapointed as he felt he was not able to fulfill his daughters wishes. Even the shopkeeper would see Madhuri's sad face and feel bad for her, but none could do anything.It was then Madhuri's mother who thought of a great idea, that they could pay for her toy over a period of time and as mischells luck would have it, the shopkeeper also agreed.It was a doll that Madhuri had her eyes on. Finally her dream came true and the doll was given to&nbsp;her. She would play with the doll day and night not realizing the time, and also carry the doll wherever she went though her mom had advised her not to.A fun fair took place every year in the village where all the kids would really enjoy. As usual Madhuri's doll accompanied her. The fair had lots of games, rides, and food for the kids, it also had shopping for the elders. So it kept all ages quite busy. However in the midst of this commotion someone picked up the doll.Hell broke loose for Madhuri, she could not find the doll anywhere. She realized now that it was difficult to find her doll in the fair. She was terribly disappointed; she wished so badly she had left it at home. She felt so bad that she went back to search for her doll starting at the toy shop.Fortunately a lady with her child came to the toy shop, she recognized Madhuri as she had seen her at the fun fair holding the same doll as her daughter. She asked Madhuri, “Why are you looking so sad?”. Madhuri replied, “Because I lost my only favourite doll.” The lady then realized what she had picked up by mistake was Madhuri's doll. She said “Come to my place, I shall give your doll back”. Madhuri was really amazed to hear this. At the lady's place she saw her doll and another one that looked exactly the same, “Oh! What a coincidence!”, uttered Madhuri, “they both are the same”.She not only got her favourite doll back but also made a friend.

This is a story of doll, mother and father.

What a coincidence!

There was once a peasant who lived with his family in the village. His family used to help him in his fields. After some time, his wife passed away due to prolonged sickness. After his wife’s death, he was very depressed. He also lost some of his other family members after that. He was left alone with no one to help him in his home or his fields.One day, he went to Bravo the bear. He said to him, “Bravo, let’s keep the house, the plants and our garden together and sow our corn.” Bravo asked him, “But how shall we divide it afterward?” the peasant replied, “Well, you take all the tops and I will take all the roots.” Bravo agreed, and they sowed some turnips together which grew beautifully.Bravo worked hard and gathered all the turnips and then they began to divide them. The peasant said, “The tops are yours, right bravo?” The bear replied, “Yes”. The peasant cut off the turnip tops and gave them to the bravo. He then counted his roots. The bear saw the roots of the peasants and thought that the tops are of no use. They are useless. Bravo then realized that the peasant had cheated him, he felt very bad and lay down in his den.In the next spring, the peasant again came to see the bear. He said, “Bravo, let us work together again, shall we?” Bravo replied, “Only if you keep the tops and let me have the roots!” The peasant agreed.This time they sowed some wheat. They both worked hard to grow the crop. When the crop grew up, it looked beautiful. Finally, they began to divide it. The peasant took all the tops with the grain and gave all the roots to the Bravo. So, this time also the bear did not get anything.Bravo felt very bad and said, “Goodbye, Peasant. I am not going to work with you anymore. You are very deceiving.” And with that, he went off into the forest. The peasant was left all alone and had no one to help him in the field. Moral:Never cheat anyone.

This is a story of bear, turnip and wheat.Moral(s) of the story: cheating

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.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee- a Skilful Orator

The Clever Jackal

The Frogs and the Crane

Onam

The magic cap

Lord Shiva and the halahala poison

The two pots

What a coincidence!

The peasant and the bear

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