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

A long time ago there was a river which did not share its water with any fish, boat or plant. The river lived alone and did not have any friends.The river lived alone for years until one day a little boy decided to free his goldfish called Goldie.Goldie was a very friendly fish. He sensed the river’s loneliness and decided to help the river.So Goldie swam and swam in the river and even invited his friends. Soon the river was filled with plants and fish.First, the river was unaccepting of the new members but after a while, made new friends.The river thought about why it had no friends for all these years. It was because it had isolated itself and refused to help cater to any plants and animals.But seeing how his new friends had helped him feel less lonely and good, it decided to be a good friend too.Then the river was always happy and smiling. It helped the plants grow, the fish swim, boats float and animals drink water from it.The river realised that although it may sometimes be a bit inconvenient or uncomfortable, it was always better to have friends and to try to be happy. Moral:Friends make life better and easier.

This is a story of boat, fish, friend and river.Moral(s) of the story:

The river

Shina Utavani

Krishna’s childhood was filled with adventurous stories. Though filled with joy, each episode of his childhood shows one spiritual dimension or the other.Gokula was a land with pure cowherds (a person who tends to cows), the men were named 'Gopalas' and the girls were called 'Gopis'. Krishna was about three months old when his mother brought him to the place where people gathered for a festival with their relatives.Yashoda and other people had to prepare the afternoon meal and she left the sleeping child in the shade of a bullock cart. The food was consumed, people were busy with the music. Krishna woke up to the sounds of music while sleeping soundly.Playfully, wanting to join the party, the kid began to move his feet to the beat and pushed the cart's wheel. The cart fell with a thud, and everyone was surprised by the sound, and they ran to the place hoping for the worst. Together they raised the collapsed cart and were overjoyed to see the boy, appearing as happy as ever, and completely unharmed by the crash.&nbsp;That was indeed the first confirmation of his heavenly abilities, but this fact was not known by everyone around at that moment, but rather played off as a miraculous escape.

This is a story of bullock cart, Krishna and Yashoda.

Krishna’s Childhood

Once upon a time, there lived jackal whose name was Jijo. One day, Jijo went to the fair with his friend Fredo, the fox. They loved the place and enjoyed various rides. They ate a lot of ice cream and fried snacks. They spent their entire day having fun at the fair.Jijo loved motorbikes and wanted to have one. He told his father to get him a motorbike. His father thought that he was very small to ride a motorbike. So, he told him to use a bicycle for now. Jijo thought he was old enough to use a bike. But all he had was an old bicycle. He really wanted to ride the motorbike so he decided to ask for a bike to his father again.He went to his father one day and said, “Dad, I know how to ride a bike and I want the bike. Please buy one for me.” His father replied, “Son, riding a bike takes a lot of responsibility. Will you be able to take care of your bike? You have to assure me that you will follow all the rules and will drive safely.” Jijo said, “Yes, Dad, I promise!” His father had some more conditions. He said, “I will give you money for just four litres of fuel every month. You will use the bike only to do important things. You should always inform us before using the bike and you must learn all the important traffic rules.”After hearing all the conditions, Jijo was a little shocked but as his father agreed to buy him a bike so he said ‘Yes’.The next month, Jijo’s father got him a new bike. Jijo was busted with joy. He was overwhelmed to receive a bike. He would make different excuses to ride the bike. He wanted to ride the bike every day but as he was allowed only four litres of fuel in a month, he could not ride very far. His friends also wanted to ride his bike. But Jijo could not do a lot of things due to the conditions put by his father. He felt restricted due to the conditions.One day, Jijo’s friend, Fredo, the fox came to visit him. Fredo was impressed by his bike. He said, “Jijo, you know there is a fair being held on the outskirt of the forest. Why don’t we go there on your bike?” Jijo wanted to go but there was hardly any fuel left in the bike and he did not have money to buy more fuel. Fredo said, “Ask your mother. She might have some task for you to complete and using that as an excuse, we can go to the fair and have some fun.” Jijo went to his mother and informed his mother that they were going to market to buy some fruits. His mom agreed and the two set off for the fair.Jijo and Fredo enjoyed the bike ride and reached the fair. They spent their entire day at the fair and enjoyed different rides, ate ice-creams, and a lot of fried snacks. They had a great time together at the fair.As it started getting dark, they decided to go home. They took the bike and went back to their home. In the middle, their bike suddenly stopped. They had only travelled a small distance and they had a long-distance to cover in order to reach home. When Jijo checked the fuel tank of the bike, it was empty. Jijo got worried and asked, “How will we go home, now?” Fredo had an idea, he said, “We can do one thing. You sit on the bike and I will push it from behind. After some time, I will sit on the bike and you push. This way, we will reach home.” Jijo agreed and they both took turns and tried to push the bike. Somehow, they reached home late at night. They both were very tired. Jijo was very upset as it was very difficult for them to reach back home. He said to himself, “My old bicycle was so much better. It looks worn out but it never stopped working. It was good for my health too.”Jijo understood the value of his old bicycle. After that day, he decided to ride his bicycle every day and used his motorbike only when he needed to.

This is a story of bicycle, fox and motorcycle.Moral(s) of the story: greediness

Jijo's new Motorbike 

There was a boy named Mike. He was 11 years old and lived with his parents. He was the only child to his parents. Mike’s mother was a housewife and his father worked as a carpenter. They all lived a happy life. Mike’s family was not a rich one but they all lived happily.Mike’s school was located a mile away from his home. He wanted a bicycle for his birthday so that he could go to school by cycle. With a bicycle, he no longer had to wait for his father to drop him or walk for half a mile. His father promised him to buy a bicycle so that he could go to his school easily. Mike was very excited to receive a bicycle on his birthday.He woke up happily and went to his parents. His parents happily wished him with all smiles. Mike expected that he would get a bicycle on his birthday but instead, he saw a beautiful gift wrapped in his father’s hand. He was quite surprised. His father gave him the gift. Mike unwrapped the gift and saw a set of books in it. Mike felt a little bad that he did not get a bicycle but he thanked his father all the same. Mike’s father was a little sad as he could not gift a bicycle to his son. But he promised Mike that he would soon buy him a cycle.One day, while Mike was walking back home from the park, he saw a boy riding a cycle. The bicycle was very small for the boy. Suddenly, the boy slipped on the road. Mike went towards the boy to see him. The boy was Mike’s school mate, Sam. He was hurt very badly.Mike helped Sam and gave him some water. Sam was injured very badly as he was riding his bicycle very fast. Mike asked Sam to sit in a corner and took his cycle to get help from a nearby hospital.An ambulance came and carried Sam to the hospital. He then rushed to Sam’s home and informed about the accident to his parents. They all rushed to the hospital. Sam’s parents thanked Mike for the timely help. Mike told them that it was all possible because of the cycle. Mike also told that the cycle was too small for Sam and that was the reason he fell off from it.Every day, Mike went to see Sam in the hospital. He visited him until he was discharged. They both became best friends. Sam’s father bought a new bicycle for him as the cycle he had was very small. Sam came to know that the Mike did not have a bicycle so he decided to gift his old bicycle to him.Sam gave his old bicycle to Mike. Mike took his parent’s permission and he accepted his gift. He was very happy to receive a bicycle. MORAL:Helping others will help you for sure.

This is a story of bicycle and friend.Moral(s) of the story: helpfulness

Bicycle Diaries

Once, there was a boy who was fond of making paper boats. His name was Jack. He loved making paper boats. It was his favourite thing to do in free time. Jack could make a boat from any paper he found, be it newspaper, wrappers or magazine paper, he would prepare a boat from it. He even made boats from paper towels. He was crazy behind paper boats.One day, Jack found a paper with a shiny texture. He made a boat from the shiny paper. The boat looked beautiful and it was the best boat made by him till date. The paper had many pictures on it and many words were written on the paper. That made the boat look even more attractive and beautiful. The sail of the boat was magnificent. It was the biggest and the tallest boat Jack had ever made. The Jack was very happy with his work. He kept the boat on the table next to his bed and went to sleep.In the middle of the night, Jack heard some weird noises. He woke up and saw that the noises were coming from the boat. He went to see the boat. He was shocked to see that the boat had a paper crew and a captain. Jack was surprised to see that. The captain of the boat was wearing a blue hat and he screamed, “Sailors, let loose the stern lights. Let us prepare to sail.”Jack excitedly said, “Hey, where are you going with the boat?” The captain replied, “We are going abroad.” Jack then saw that his room was turned into an ocean and the boat was all set to sail. Jack quickly stepped into the boat. The boat swiftly slid into the water and slid across the bedroom.The paper boat slid across the room. Soon, it found its way to the main road. The boat was on the main road, just across the supermarket. The boat was passing by the road and Jack saw the world passing by. Jack was a little surprised and asked the captain, “Do you think we could sink after the boat becomes wet?” The captain replied, “Oh no, my boy. This boat is made out of the toughest material for the paper boats.”Jack said, “Okay!” He then asked another question, “Where are we going?” The captain said, “We are going to catch pirates, boy. They are in the parking lot of the shopping mall.” As the paper boat reached near the parking lot, Jack heard some scary noises. He heard a roaring sound. He was very scared. After a few minutes, when Jack looked upwards, he saw the mouth of a drain.They went near the drain and the boat got sucked in and sailed down a pipe. They straight away reached the parking lot. Jack was surprised to see the parking lot. It had turned into a vast sea. There were pirates in the sea. Seeing them, the sailors on the boat yelled, “Pirates, here they are!”When everyone was busy looking for pirates, Jack turned and he saw the deadliest looking boat approaching towards them. The boat was huge and Jack saw paper pirates in the boat, swinging their swords. A fierce battle took place and they all started fighting. Jack fought bravely like a hero. They all fought fiercely. Soon, the pirate boat had many holes and was sinking. The sailors and the Jack yelled, “Yay, we did it. We won!”They all were happy and returned to Jack’s bedroom. Jack was very happy. He wished the sailors good luck and went back to sleep. Jack kept the boat beside his bed, with a hope that he could meet them again. But unfortunately, he never met the sailors again. But every day, he kept the boat beside his bed with a hope that someday he might wake up and have another adventure.

This is a story of boat and adventure.

The Boy in the Paper Boat

Once upon a time, there was a car that was small and unique. The car would drive freely around the countryside every day. The unique thing about the car was that it did not need any motor or fuel to run. To start, all that the car needed was some good thoughts and desires. This car was unique and different. It just needed an original idea to move around with speed.Everyone loved the car and it became very famous. The car was a dream car for many people. Every one dreamt to drive that car. It was difficult to find people with good hearts and minds. The company of the car arranged a car race where people would race for this car. The one who could maintain good thoughts throughout the journey would win the car. Everyone was allowed to come to test the car as very few people could start the car. So, the car was used to find talent among youth.The testing team would go everywhere to test their cars and arrange a race. Once, they went to a small town. There lived a boy named ‘Nicky’. He was a good and kind kid. Many kids went to test the car including Nicky. The place was filled with dozens of people and people were pushing each other to test the car. During the test, many children tried but they failed to drive the car for a long time. Nicky decided to go last.When Nicky’s turn came, he was very excited and his heart was filled with excitement to try the car. He entered the car and saw one boy walking with crutches towards the car. He wanted to test the car but was late. The manager told the boy, “Sorry, boy, there are no cars left and this is the last test of the day. You can try some other day.” The boy became very sad. Nicky saw the sad face of the boy. With a deep breath, he got out of the car and said, “Give him my car; I will try some other day.”The boy was very happy and entered the car. When the injured boy entered the car, the engine of the car started and it roared like never before. Nicky was happy to see that but he was a little sad that he could not ride the car. The boy in the car saw Nicky’s sad face and called him. He said, “Get in the car, we will go together.”Nicky went inside the car and they went off for the race. Their car roared like a rocket. The car moved at the speed of light. It broke all the records. Nicky and the boy won many championships and became idols for many others. They became best friends. Moral:Kindness always pays off.

This is a story of car and car racing.Moral(s) of the story: friendship

The Great Wild Car Race

Bub was born in the bubble soap liquid along with his brothers and sisters. He had always waited to be set free in the real world and enjoy with his friends.His dream came true when a human blew from the bubble soap. Soon Bub and his friends were set free in the wild, wild world. Bub was very excited to see the world for the first time.His friends were equally excited too. Bub flew over a tree and met beautiful birds. The tree waved at him.He flew over a river and the river smiled at him. The fish came up to meet him. Bub was delighted. Bub almost crashed into a car as he flew near to the ground but the car driver put Bub’s safety first.Bub got chased by a cat and their screaming never stopped. He was so scared for his life but he escaped. Then Bub flew high above the ground and could see kids in the ferris wheel, they excitedly blew at him so he could go further.Bub smiled.He was so high above the ground and he had the best day ever. The sun welcomed him as he went higher.Bub had an amazing day. He saw the world, he made people happy, he made some new friends, lost some old ones along the way but he had a lot of fun.

This is a story of bubble, car, cat, friend and sun.

Bub the bubble and his friends

There was once a magician who was very clever and smart. He worked on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. He performed different tricks every night. The tourists and the crowd loved the magician. The cruise had different crowd every night so instead of playing new tricks, he used the same tricks over and over again.The captain of the ship had a pet parrot. The parrot noticed everything that happened on the ship. He saw the tricks performed by the magician every day. The parrot was smart and intelligent. After seeing the tricks many times, the parrot learned how the magician performed his tricks.The parrot used to tell everyone about the trick. When the magician would perform the trick he would shout, “Look, it is not the same hat.” He would then say, “Why are all the cards in this deck Ace of spades?” This made the magician very angry. The parrot would ruin the fun of the magic tricks. The magician was annoyed by the parrot but could not do anything as he was the captain’s pet. Things continued to be the same for a long time. They both did not like each other.One day, the ship sank in the sea. The terrible storm had broken the ship. The ship broke into many pieces and the passengers and crew members were drowning in the sea. Luckily, the parrot had flown away and placed himself on a wooden chunk. The magician also managed to save himself by hanging on the same wooden chunk as the parrot.They stared at each other with hatred. They did not utter a single word. This went on for days and then finally one day, the parrot could not hold back any longer and said, “Okay, I give up. Where’s the ship?”

This is a story of magician, parrot and ship.Moral(s) of the story: foolishness

The Magician and the Parrot

There once was a Queen who held an art competition in her Kingdom. The painting depicting the best representation of peace would win.Many artists from far away kingdoms came to participate and many beautiful paintings were created.One such painting was of a calm river with farms and mountains in the background. The view was serene and calm. Everyone thought that this painting would win as it was perfect.However, when the winner was announced, everyone was shocked as a painting with harsh waves and lightning eating up the sky was chosen as the winner.Everyone thought that this was a mistake. However, once a closer look was given to the picture, a small boat was visible, calm despite the weather depicted in the painting.In the midst of angry and unfavorable surroundings, small raft was trying to prosper. This was peace. It was not universal and was not easily earned either. Moral:Peace is not always just calm surroundings, but the ability to hold your ground and thrive despite the chaos.

This is a story of boat, painting and sea.Moral(s) of the story: peace

transport 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 river

Krishna’s Childhood

Jijo's new Motorbike

Bicycle Diaries

The Boy in the Paper Boat

The Great Wild Car Race

Bub the bubble and his friends

The Magician and the Parrot

The Queen’s competition

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