Do you remember the stories that you read as a child? Moral stories can needn’t be serious, but they can be funny at the same time help your child learn something. We have compiled a list of 07 short moral stories that are inspirational, from India, and from around the world. <h3>1. The Boy Who Cried, Wolf</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_boy_who_cried%2C_wolf.webp_image_1638188646554.webp" width="359">There was a young boy whose father, a farmer, had asked him to take their herd of sheep grazing every day.One day, the boy was extremely bored as he watched over the sheep and so he cried: “Wolf! Wolf!”On hearing his cries, the villagers rushed to help him chase the wolf away and save the sheep.When they saw the grinning boy and realised he had cried wolf for his amusement, they scolded him and told him to not cry wolf!The next day, the boy cried out that the wolf was there. The villagers came, scolded him again, and left.Later that same day, a wolf came and terrorized the sheep.The boy cried, “Wolf! Wolf! Please help me.”But, the villagers assumed that he was pulling a silly prank again and did not come to his rescue. The sheep ran away and the boy cried.Moral of the story: Don’t lie or engage in foolish pranks, for no one will believe a liar even when he is telling the truth! <h3>2. The Golden Touch Of Midas</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_golden_touch_of_midas.jpg_image_1638188804006.jpg" width="365">A long time ago, there lived a king in Greece named Midas.He was extremely wealthy and had all the gold he could ever need. He also had a daughter whom he loved very much.One day, Midas saw a Satyr (an angel) who was stuck and was in trouble. Midas helped the Satyr and asked for his wish to be granted in return.The Satyr agreed and Midas wished for everything he touched to be turned to gold. His wish was granted.Extremely excited, Midas went home to his wife and daughter touching pebbles, rocks, and plants on the way, which turned into gold.As his daughter hugged him, she turned into a golden statue.Having learnt his lesson, Midas begged the Satyr to reverse the spell who granted that everything would go back to their original state.Moral of the story: Stay content and grateful for what you have. Greed will not get you anywhere. <h3>3. The Foolish Thief</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_foolish_thief.jpg_image_1638188856227.jpg" width="362">Once, a wealthy merchant came to King Akbar’s court to seek help from Birbal. He suspected that one of his servants had robbed him.On hearing this, Birbal thought of a clever plan and summoned the merchant’s servants.He gave each servant a stick of the same length. He told them that the thief’s stick would grow two inches by the next day.The next day, Birbal summoned the servants again. He noticed that a servant’s stick was two inches shorter than the others.He knew who the thief was.The foolish thief had cut the stick shorter by two inches as he thought it would grow two inches. Thus, proving his guilt.Moral of the story: Truth and justice will always prevail. <h3>4. Two Frogs With The Same Problem</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/two_frogs_with_the_same_problem.png_image_1638188962564.png" width="346">Once, a group of frogs was roaming around the forest in search of water. Suddenly, two frogs in the group accidentally fell into a deep pit.The other frogs worried about their friends in the pit.Seeing how deep the pit was, they told the two frogs that there was no way they could escape the deep pit and that there was no point in trying.They continued to constantly discourage them as the two frogs tried to jump out of the pit. But keep falling back.Soon, one of the two frogs started to believe the other frogs — that they’ll never be able to escape the pit and eventually died after giving up.The other frog keeps trying and eventually jumps so high that he escapes the pit. The other frogs were shocked at this and wondered how he did it.The difference was that the second frog was deaf and couldn’t hear the discouragement of the group. He simply thought they were cheering him on!Moral of the story: People’s opinion of you will affect you, only if you believe it to be so. It’s better to believe in yourself. <h3>5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/the_milkmaid_and_her_pail.jpg_image_1638189037353.jpg" width="348">There was once a milkmaid named Patty.She milked her cow and carried the two pails of milk she fetched on a stick and set out to sell the milk at the market.As she was walking to the market, she began to daydream about what she would do with the money she fo for the milk.She thought of buying a hen and selling its eggs and she planned on becoming wealthy.She dreamt of buying a cake, a basket of strawberries, a fancy dress, and even a new house with the money she would make selling the eggs and the milk!In her excitement, she forgot about the pails she was carrying and began to skip.Suddenly, she realised that the milk was spilling down and when she checked her pails, they were empty.Moral of the story: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch! It is important to focus on the process of achieving success and not just success alone. <h3>6. The Elephant Circus</h3><img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/elepahnt_circus.jpg_image_1638189224771.jpg" width="361">Once upon a time in a circus, five elephants performed circus tricks. They were kept tied up with weak rope that they could’ve easily escaped, but did not.One day, a man visiting the circus asked the ringmaster: “Why haven’t these elephants broken the rope and run away?”The ringmaster replied: “From when they were young, the elephants were made to believe that they were not strong enough to break the ropes and escape.”It was because of this belief that they did not even try to break the ropes now.Moral of the story: Don’t give in to the limitations of society. Believe that you can achieve everything you want to!<h3> </h3>7. The Elephants And The Mice<img src="https://bee-assets-production.s3.amazonaws.com/image/1_xvfat_v8xumqnkx7-3jcka.png_image_1638189285226.png" width="350">In an earthquake-hit village abandoned by humans, a colony of mice lived. Near the village was a lake, which was used by a herd of elephants.The elephants would have to cross the village to go to the lake. Thus, one day, as they walked through, they trampled a lot of mice.The leader of the mice met with the elephants and requested them to take a different route to the lake. He promised them that their favour would be returned in the time of their need.The elephants laughed. How could such small mice help these large elephants in any way? But then, they agreed to take a different route.Not so long after, the mice heard that hunters had caught the herd of elephants and were tied in nets.Immediately, they rush to rescue the elephants. They gnawed through the nets and ropes with their sharp teeth.The leader of the elephants repeatedly thanked the mice for their help!Moral of the story: A friend in need is a friend indeed. Make sure you help your friends out whenever they need it. They should always be able to count on you. That’s all folks!We hope children like these short yet interesting stories with morals that we have read growing up!There are more and more stories with morals on <a href="https://www.beeparenting.com/s/moral-stories" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bee Stories</a>.

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

07 Must Read Short Moral Stories For Children

Short stories with moral values will teach your children some important lessons which they will remember always.

Pallavi Hota

Bible is the collection of 66 books written by different authors describing the God's action and purpose with all creations. Bible contains life stories of Jesus. The bible gives the messages God has desired for us to understand. Following is a story from “The Bible”. Once, Jesus went with his family to Jerusalem as a young boy to celebrate the Passover festival.But on their way back, Mary and Joseph realized that Jesus was missing! Afraid for their son's life, the couple returned to Jerusalem and searched for Jesus. It took them three days before they found the young Jesus at the temple. He was sitting there calmly, learning from the teachers.The worried parents scolded Jesus lovingly and said, ìWhere were you son? We were looking all over for you.Hearing this, Jesus replied, ìWhy were you worried? Didn't you know I would be at my father's temple? Moral:God is our father.

This is a story of Bible, Jesus Christ, Joseph and Mary.

Jesus At The Temple

Yesha Desai

Eli the elephant woke up early in the morning for her first day at school. She was very excited to go to school for the first time so she blinked away her sleep and got ready quickly.“Rise and shine!” Her mother said from the kitchen as she prepared food for Eli. Eli jumped around the house as she was beyond excited. Her mother asked her to calm down as Eli’s clumsy self broke a vase.She quickly ate her breakfast and went to her bus stop. Hurriedly, she climbed into the bus and left for school. Her mother proudly waved.Eli made many friends in her bus and was very excited. When she reached school she met her teacher Ms. Pot, the Hippopotamus. She welcomed Eli with a warm smile and ushered her inside.As everyone settled down, Eli looked around her class in awe. The teacher asked her where Eli’s bag was and Eli looked around. She could not find it and almost started crying.But just in time, her mother arrived with Eli’s school bag. Eli realised that in her excitement and hurry, she left the bag at home. Moral:Often times we mess up because we are too excited to focus. In times like those, we still must have a calm mind.

This is a story of elephant, school and school bag.Moral(s) of the story: patience

Eli the elephant

Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic about the brothers, Pandavas and kauravas. It describes the battle between them in the Kurukshetra war for the throne of Hastinapura. It is an epic tale that combines war, religion, philosophy and Hindu history. Following is a story from “The Mahabharata.” The Pandavas during the time of their exile once walked into the forest of Romarishi. Romarishi was a Sage whose body was covered with hair and his beard was so long that it spread like a carpet on the entire area of the forest . There was a sacred tree in that forest yielding a very special type of fruit which, once tasted by a person, would relieve him of hunger and thirst for years and years. But the fruit was not to be plucked, it was to be eaten only when it fell down on its own. One day Yudhisthira and Draupadi chanced to come near the tree. Draupadi was very much tempted to taste that luscious big fruit hanging from the tree. She said, “Can we not take that fruit? We can all share it.” Yudhisthira shot an arrow and the fruit fell on the ground. He went to take the fruit with his hand. It was so heavy that he could not move it. Yudhisthira tried to lift it with all his strength using both his hands but he could not lift it. Draupadi also tried but in vain. In the meantime, Arjuna arrived at that place. He tried to lift the fruit but could not succeed. The two younger brothers Nakula and Sahadeva came and tried to lift the fruit but they too could not succeed. Finally came the mighty hero, Bhima . He asked the others to stay away and said, “I will lift it.” But even Bhima failed. Meanwhile the hair of Romarishi which had spread all over the area, began to stir because when these six people were trying to lift the fruit, the strands of hair were being trodden and pulled. He realised that someone must be trying to steal the fruit . He had become furious. His long hair came together and coiled around the Pandavas to tie them up. Draupadi realised the danger and as always in times of danger immediately prayed to Shri Krishna. Shri Krishna appeared before them. Draupadi fell at His feet and prayed to Him for help. Shri Krishna said, “Sister, I am helpless. Romarishi is a great Sage. I reside in his heart. How can I do anything against the wishes of my devotee?” Draupadi once again pleaded, “You alone can save us, you can do anything if you wish to.” Shri Krishna replied, “I will help you, but all of you should be totally silent whatever may be the situation and do exactly as I tell you.” Draupadi and Pandavas promised to obey his orders. Shri Krishna went towards Romarishi’s ashram and instructed them to follow him after some time. In the meantime, Romarishi was so enraged that he had actually started to walk towards the tree to curse the poachers. Just then Shri Krishna entered the ashram. Romarishi fell at the Lotus Feet of the Lord. He was overjoyed to see Shri Krishna. He said, “How fortunate am I to have you as my guest. Oh Bhagavan! What can I do for you?” Shri Krishna engaged him in discussing certain spiritual matters till the Pandavas arrived. As soon as the Pandavas along with Draupadi reached the ashram, Shri Krishna hurried towards them and fell at their feet. The Pandavas were feeling embarrassed but remembering the Lord’s command, kept quiet. Seeing Lord Shri Krishna fall at the feet of the Pandavas, Romarishi also fell at the feet of the visitors. Then Shri Krishna asked them to come into the ashram. He introduced them to Romarishi. He praised the virtuous Yudhisthira , valiant Bhima and Arjuna and the intelligent Nakul and Sahadeva, and above all, the devout Draupadi. Romarishi by that time totally forgot about the fruit and the poachers. Krishna informed Romarishi that the Pandavas were the people who were tempted to taste the fruit being unaware of the unique nature of the fruit. Romarishi desired to please those who could please the Lord Himself . He said, “Let them take the fruit. I would like them to have it.” By eating the fruit, the Pandavas were able to live without hunger for a long time during their exile.

This is a story of Krishna, Draupadi, and Pandavas.

Sage Romarishi, The Pandavas and Bhagavan Sri Krishna

The story is of the time when Raja Birbal did not have a personal horse or a carriage to bring him from his home to the Emperor’s court. One day, Akbar saw him coming on foot and promised to give him the fastest horse from his royal stable. Accordingly, he instructed the in-charge of the royal stable to give a horse to Birbal. But, just to have some harmless fun with Birbal and see his reaction, Akbar asked the stable man to select a weak and sick horse for Birbal. The stable man carried out the Emperor’s orders and delivered an old and sick horse at Birbal’s house. The horse was in such a bad shape that it died on the same night that it was delivered.Next day When Akbar saw Birbal coming on foot again, he asked in a surprised tone, “What happened to the horse that was arranged for you from the royal stable? It was our fastest horse! Were you afraid of riding it?”Birbal bowed and replied, “Jahapanah, it indeed was the fastest horse of all. He was in fact, so fast that he crossed the distance from earth to heaven in one night.”Akbar smiled at Birbal’s witty reply, and got a healthy horse arranged from the royal stable for Birbal. Moral:Our wit and humour can brighten our days and make them enjoyable.

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

Fast Horse

Bible is the collection of 66 books written by different authors describing the God's action and purpose with all creations. Bible contains life stories of Jesus. The bible gives the messages God has desired for us to understand. Following is a story from “The Bible”. When King Saul sinned in the eyes of God, God became very displeased with him and commanded Samuel, His prophet, to anoint another man to be king after Saul. Samuel followed the directions of God and was led to the home of a man named Jesse, who came from the tribe of Benjamin.Jesse had eight sons, seven of whom were shown to Samuel. Samuel thought that surely the Lord would pick one of them, as they were strong and fine in appearance. The Lord, however, told Samuel that He does not consider a person's outward appearance, but instead looks at their heart. Samuel was told to anoint the youngest son, who was a shepherd boy; this boy was called David.When the war between the Israelites and Philistines took place, a giant named Goliath would shout out a challenge, each day, to any Israeli who would defeat him in battle. Nobody was brave enough to face him.When David heard him challenge the armies of God, he told King Saul that he would fight the giant. King Saul was worried, as David was not a warrior, but he put his own royal armour on David and gave him his blessing. David asked that the armour be removed, as he was not used to it. He chose, instead, to face the giant, dressed as a simple shepherd boy; his slingshot his only weapon.As the giant came towards him, David slung a stone in his slingshot and shot the giant. The small stone sunk into Goliath's head and the giant died instantly. The Philistines tried to flee when their hero died, but the Israeli army cut them off and defeated them.Moral: God does not look at the appearance of a person, but instead looks at a person's heart. He does not need His people dressed in fancy armour to help them defeat their enemies.

This is a story of Bible, David and Goliath.

David and Goliath

Nishita Sanghvi

Minku was a very mischievous child. He loved doing everything that annoyed people around him, although he was as innocent as any other child doing everything only for fun.There were complaints from school too regarding Minku's behaviour. Nevertheless he would never listen.Minku's mother loved making candles, she would paint them beautifully, but Minku would spoil all of them before they dried. Despite being given continuous warnings, Minku just would not listen.She realized that the time had come to find a way to teach her son a lesson. Usually she would place the candles somewhere within his reach but this time she placed it on top of the cupboard where his hands would not reach. His mother warned him to not try and reach the candles but as all would have guessed he would not give up, he went on to reach for the candles placed high up. And as his mother had expected, he fell. But before he could hit the ground, she held him. Minku was obviously terrified and he burst into tears. He hugged his mother and promised to listen to others next time.Moral:Obey your elders.

This is a story of mother, school and candle.Moral(s) of the story: obedience

Mischievous Minku

There lived a princess named Jasmine. She was very lonely as she had no one to give her company. She was very sad as she did not have anyone to play with. Her father noticed her daughter’s sadness and decided to do something. He wanted to make her daughter happy.One day, the father told jasmine, “I have bought you a gift, Jasmine. The gift is under the red bed-sheet.” Jasmine got very excited and pulled the red bed-sheet. When Jasmine pulled the bed-sheet, she saw a little tiger under it. Seeing the tiger, Jasmine got very excited. She finally had someone with whom she could play. Jasmine named the tiger “Rajah”.Jasmine and Rajah did many things together. They ate together, played together, watched butterflies and played games. Jasmine spent most of her time with Rajah. Jasmine took care of him. She would comb her hair and feed him every day.Jasmine loved Rajah and used to spend most of her time with her. She liked to rub and scratch his furry belly. Rajah also enjoyed it. Jasmine would take care of Rajah and would protect him from any harm. She made a cosy bed for little Rajah. Little tiger enjoyed sleeping in his cosy bed.As time passed, Rajah grew bigger. He became strong and looked grown-up. Now, Rajah used to take care of Jasmine. He would protect Jasmine from any danger. Rajah became too big to sleep in his cosy bed. He did not even play dress-up games with Jasmine. But Rajah was never too big for a belly rub and a big hug from Jasmine. He still was the best company Jasmine had. They both still loved each other. Moral:Animals are our best friend.

This is a story of jasmine, tiger and friend.

Princess Jasmine

Ravina Sewani

Long ago, there lived a cunning blue jackal. One day, driven by hunger, he strayed into a village in search of food. On seeing him, a group of dogs ran after him.Terrified, he dashed into the house of a dyer and accidentally fell into a tub of blue dye. The jackal was stained blue from head to toe.Later, when he got back to the jungle, all the animals stared at him in shock. They had never seen such a strange and beautiful animal before. Seeing everyone confused, the jackal thought of an idea.He proclaimed that he was sent to rule over the animal kingdom and guard its animals. The animals fell for it and proclaimed him king.The jackal, as king, then appointed the lion as his adviser, the tiger as his guardian, and the elephant as his doorkeeper. But, his work was not done.For fear of being recognized, he drove all the jackals out of the forest. The new king then ordered his subjects to hunt for him and do his bidding. The animals used to bring all kinds of fruit and meat for him and the blue king lived a life of luxury.One day, as the blue king was enjoying himself, a pack of jackals passed by and began howling. Unable to control his natural instinct, the blue king rose up and howled to glory.Hearing his cry, the jungle animals realized that they had been fooled. At once, they chased the traitor out of the forest and the cunning jackal never returned again. Moral:Never pretend what you are not. Pretension does not last long. If anything, pretension is always the cause of self damage.

This is a story of jackal and panchtantra.Moral(s) of the story: pretention

The story of the blue jackal

Shina Utavani

The Ramayan is an ancient Sanskrit epic written by the famous sage Valmiki. It describes Lord Rama's effort to rescue Sita from the demon king Ravana. It also describes the challenges faced by Lord Rama, Laxaman, and Sita when they were exiled from the kingdom for 14 years. Following is a story from “The Ramayana”.The three brothers Ravan, Kumbhkaran, and Vibhishan were the sons of Vishravas. Kumbhakaran was younger to Ravan and elder to Vibhishan. Once, they all engaged in severe penance to please Lord Brahma, their grandfather and the god of creation. Lord Brahma was pleased with the sincerity and their devotion so, he appeared in front of them and promised them boons. Ravan asked that he should not be killed by gods, serpents, animals, demons, birds and his wish was granted.Vibhishan asked that he should never leave the path of righteousness. Brahma was pleased with his goodness and he blessed him with immortality as an additional bonus.Kumbhakaran had already created enough fear among all the lives. Brahma feared that he would again ask some strength which he would use against the welfare of the people. Therefore, Brahma requested the Goddess of Speech, Saraswati to sit on his tongue and let him mispronounce the wish so that the lives of others are saved.Kumbhakaran wished to ask for the position of Indra, the ruler of the heavens. But under the influence of Goddess Saraswati, he mispronounced it as Nidrasana (the seat of sleep). So, Brahma granted him eternal sleep.Ravan was distressed to see the plight of his brother. He pleaded Brahma to undo the curse. Brahma did undo it, but with a condition. He said that Kumbhakaran would sleep for six months and will stay awake for another six months. He can have his food to full his belly in those six months so, that he can go back to sleep for another six months.

This is a story of brahma, Kumbhakarna, Ram, Ravan, and veebhishana.Moral(s) of the story: penance

understanding 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.

Jesus At The Temple

Eli the elephant

Sage Romarishi, The Pandavas and Bhagavan Sri Krishna

Fast Horse

David and Goliath

Mischievous Minku

Princess Jasmine

The story of the blue jackal

The Story of Kumbhkaran’s Sleep

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