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

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

07 Must Read Short Moral Stories For Children

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

Ravina Sewani

Once, a shepherd used to live in a village. He was the owner of a large flock of sheep. Every morning, he used to take his flock out for grazing. Once, because of some work, he had to go to the city for two to three days. So, he called his son, Ramu and told him that he would have to take care of the sheep for the two-three days that he would be away. “Take good care of the sheep, Ramu,” his father warned him. “There are many wild animals like tigers and wolves in the forest nearby who might kill our sheep. Keep them safe, son. They are your responsibility.” Ramu assured his father that he would follow his advice. The next day, Ramu took the flock of sheep to the hillside for grazing. While the sheep were grazing, Ramu started feeling bored. Being a mischievous boy, he wanted to have some fun. He thought of an idea. He stood up and started shouting, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!” Ramu’s cry for help was heard by the villagers. Carrying big sticks with them, they rushed to the spot to help the boy. But, on reaching, they found that there was no wolf. Ramu laughed and said, “There is no wolf here. It was just a joke I played on you.” The villagers went back to their homes, irritated.Next day, the same thing happened. The villagers heard Ramu crying for help and went to help him but again, they found that the boy had tricked them again. This time, the villagers were very annoyed and went back to their homes, cursing the boy.On the third day, when Ramu took his sheep for grazing, a wolf actually came there. The wolf looked so ferocious that Ramu was terrified. The wolf was advancing towards the sheep. Ramu shouted, “Help! Help! Wolf!”The villagers heard Ramu’s cry and thought that it must be the boy’s silly trick once again. No one went to help him. Ramu could not keep the wolf off the sheep all by himself. The wolf killed many of Ramu’s sheep. Ramu went back to his home weeping. Moral:If you lie all the time, no one will believe you if for once you speak the truth.

This is a classic story from panchtnatra.This is a story of sheep and wolf.Moral(s) of the story: honesty

The boy who cried wolf

Shina Utavani

There was once a river that flowed through a deep forest. There lived a handsome, clever deer on one bank of the river. A crocodile lived in the river. He was horrific. One day, the crocodile saw the deer and from that day, he wanted to catch him.The deer was passing by the river one day and he saw red delicious berries on the opposite bank of the river. He was mesmerized by the berries and said, “I wish I could go across and eat them.” The deer only thought of the berries the whole day. He wanted to go on the opposite bank but if he entered the water, the wicked crocodile and his friends would eat him.He thought of a plan. He went near the river and shouted, “Hey Mr. Crocodile!” On hearing the deer’s voice, the crocodile came and said, “What happened? Why are you calling me?”. The deer said that the king had arranged a buffet and had invited all of them to eat and enjoy. He said that there will be lots of delicious food.“The king is inviting us?” the crocodile asked excitedly. The deer replied, “Yes! The king has called me to count the crocodiles in the river. Please call all the crocodiles in the river and tell them to line up one behind the other so that I can count them.”After hearing about the buffet, all the crocodiles obeyed and stood in a line. The crocodile asked the deer to proceed the counting. The deer said, “I will count by climbing on your back. You will not eat me. If you will then I will not be able to report the king and you all will not be invited for the party.”The crocodiles were so excited about the buffet that they said, “No, we will not eat you. We promise.” The deer jumped from one crocodile to another counting them and finally reached the other side of the river. As soon as he reached there, he said, “Thank you crocodile for your help. This will now be my new home.” The deer immediately ran off and the crocodiles were angry and annoyed.And so, in this way, by using his wit, the deer was able to overcome the obstacles of the crocodiles. He lived happily in his new home, feasting on delicious berries and fruits every day. Moral:It is the intelligence that matters not always the strength.

This is a story of crocodile, deer and river.Moral(s) of the story: smartness

The Clever Deer 

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”.A long time ago, Jesus was travelling on a boat with his disciples. He asked them to wait for him in the boat while he went up to a mountain to pray. As the disciples waited in the boat for Jesus, a strong storm blew the boat away to the middle of the sea. The disciples tried hard to take the boat back to the shore but failed.Due to the heavy storm, the boat moved very far from Jesus. The disciples were worried about Jesus and thought about what they could do to get their master to the boat. Suddenly they saw a man walking on the water. Disciples thought that a man was about to drown and they panicked. But it was Jesus and he did not drown instead he walked over the water and reached the boat safely.Seeing Jesus, Peter who was one of his disciples asked if he could also walk on water. Jesus said yes, as long as he kept Jesus as his focus. Peter too was walking on the water but the moment he took his eye off the Jesus and concentrated on waves, he began to sink. Jesus grabbed Peter and saved him. Finally, the disciples realised that Jesus was the Son of God. Moral:Make God your focus, not your problems.

This is a story from Bible about Jesus Christ and one of his many miracles.

Jesus walks on water

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”. Babylon was ruled by King Darius. He had appointed several men as advisors, soldiers and various ministers. Daniel was appointed as the leader of advisors. He was a religious man who had immense faith in Christ. But others did not like Daniel and wanted to get him removed from the position.They devised a plan and approached the king. The plan was to convince the king to make a new law saying, people of Babylon should only pray to the King Darius. If any person is found offering prayers to someone other than King Darius, they will be punished and thrown into the lion's den.Daniel was aware of the new law but could not stop himself from offering his prayers to God. He was also very dear to King Darius but when the other men complained about Daniel's prayers, the king had no choice but to punish Daniel.King Darius punished Daniel by imprisoning him in the lion's den, but said ëMay your God rescue you Daniel.í Daniel showed no signs of worry and started offering his prayers to Christ.On the following day, King Darius visited the den and asked if Daniel was doing ok. Daniel was delighted to see that the king was concerned about him and replied, saying, ìMy lord majesty, my God has shut the mouths of lions and kept me safe.î Hearing this, King Darius opened the door and set Daniel free. Everyone was surprised to see Daniel come out safe and healthy.King Darius punished the men who schemed against Daniel and issued a decree stating that the people of Babylon must fear the God of Daniel. Moral:God is mightier than any of our fears. Therefore, trusting and honouring the almighty will ensure we are on the right path in life.

This is a story of Bible, Daniel and Darius.

A Roaring Rescue

Vallabhbhai Patel was born in Nadiad village of modern-day Gujarat to Zaverbhai and Ladbai on October 31, 1875. His father Vallabhbhai, served in the Queen of Jhansi's army while his mother was a spiritual woman. He started his academic career in the Gujarati medium and later on shifted to the English medium. He completed his high school in 1897. He married Jhaverba in 1891. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel went to England in 1910 to pursue his degree in law. He came back to India in 1913 and started his law practice in Godhra. He was a strong critic of the British government and its laws and chose not to work for the British. Sardar shifted his practice to Ahmedabad. He became a Gujarat Club member where he attended Mahatma Gandhi's lecture. Gandhi's words had a profound impact on Vallabhbhai and he soon followed Gandhian ideals to become the charismatic leader's devoted follower. He led a major "No Tax Movement" in 1918, which encouraged farmers not to pay taxes after the British insisted on tax after the Kaira floods. The peaceful movement forced the British government to return the land to the farmers. His determination to bring together the farmers of his area brought him the title of 'Sardar'. Patel continued his unwavering support to Gandhi whenever he conducted any movement. From Salt satyagraha to the Quit India movement, Sardar Patel was always there to support Mahatma Gandhi.&nbsp; Patel became the first Home Minister and also the Deputy Prime Minister after India gained independence. Through effectively merging about 562 princely states under the Indian Empire, Patel played a very crucial role in post-independence India.&nbsp;The India that we see today is the product of efforts put in by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

This is a story of Sardar Vallabhbhai.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Once upon a time, a sage used to live in a cottage. He was a very learned man. Many people were his followers and used to come to listen to his spiritual teachings. They also used to consult him on important matters. As offerings they gave him money and valuables. In this way, soon the sage had amassed considerable wealth. This wealth, instead of making him happy, was a great source of worry for the sage. He had to constantly guard his wealth. He put all of it in a bag and carried it under his armpit. He never parted with this bag.Now, a thief named Ashadhbhuti came to know about the sage’s wealth. He made a plan to steal it. He went to the sage’s cottage and said, “Guruji, Please accept me as your disciple. I have had enough of worldly and materialistic affairs. I want to learn more about spirituality. Only you can show me the way to attain moksha.”The sage was pleased with Ashadhbhuti’s words and accepted him as his disciple after performing certain rituals. Ashadhbhuti pretended to be the perfect disciple. He lavished all his attention on his guru to win his approval and trust. He pressed the sage’s hands and feet and waited upon him. But many days passed and Ashadhbhuti could not find a single opportunity of getting to the sage’s wealth. The bag was always under the sage’s armpit and he never took it off. It seemed as if the sage did not trust Ashadhbhuti completely. He also never allowed Ashadhbhuti to enter his cottage at night. Ashadhbhuti was disappointed but he did not give up.Once, a disciple of the sage invited the sage to his house to perform a religious ceremony. The sage decided to take Ashadhbhuti along with him. Both of them set off on their journey. On their way, there was a holy river where the sage wanted to bathe. The sage wrapped his money bag in his robe and put it on the river bank, saying to Ashadhbhuti, “Take very good care of this bag while I take a bath.”When the sage returned to the bank after bathing, Ashadhbhuti was nowhere to be seen. The sage’s robe was lying on the ground. He picked it up quickly and saw that the bag of money that he had wrapped in the robe was gone too. “He has robbed me!” the sage cried in dismay and fainted. On regaining consciousness, he returned to his cottage unhappily. Moral:Great wealth does not promise happy times.

This is a classic story from panchtantra.

The thief and the sage

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”.In ancient India, there lived a poor boy named Shravan. He lived with his elderly parents. His parents were very old and blind. Shravan had devoted his life to serving his blind parents. He took care of every wish of his parents. His whole life was centredon serving his parents.Once his parents expressed their desire to go on a pilgrimage but since they were blind, they could not go there alone. So, Shravan decided to take his parents to the pilgrimage. He made two large strong baskets and tied each basket on either side of a long bamboo stick. He made his parents sit on each basket and carried them on his shoulder. He then left for the pilgrimage carrying his parents on the shoulder. Shravan was so devoted to his parents that he did not feel their weight.Shravan took his parents to pilgrim places. After a few months, they reached the outskirts of Ayodhya, the holy birthplace of Shri Ramchandra Bhagwan. They were resting in a forest and his parents were thirsty. So, Shravan went in search of water for his parents. He saw the river Saryu flowing nearby. As he bent down to take water, an arrow pierced his chest. King Dashrath had hit him by accident. The king was in the forest hunting for a deer. In fading light of the dusk, he mistook Shravan for a deer because of the gurgling sound of the water. The king then realised his mistake and ran towards Shravan. Even in his last breath, Shravan asked King Dashrath (Lord Ram’s father) to satisfy the thirst of his parents and let them know about the tragedy.King Dashrath felt very bad and went to the blind couple with water. The parents were very sad to hear this and wished to be taken to Shravan. The king took them to Shravan. The old parents grieved at their son’s death. Dashrath bowed down and begged for forgiveness. Shravan’s father said, “Kind man, we do not want to curse you, as the power to curse is only in God’s hands. But we see your future. As we shall die longing for our son, you too shall die longing for your son.”Soon the old parents died longing for their dear son. The couple’s words later turned out to be true for Dashrath. He, too died, longing for his son Shri Ram. Moral:Always respect and obey your parents. Serve them with utmost devotion.

This is a story of king dasrath, parent and shravankumar.Moral(s) of the story: devotion

Shravan Kumar’s devotion to his parents

Once upon a time, there lived a lion in a dense forest. He was very strong and powerful. He had immense strength and was the king of the jungle. The only problem he had in his life was the cocking of the rooster. He was terrified and scared by the cocking of the rooster. He felt very bad that he was afraid of a small creature like a rooster. He cried and felt very bad about his fear.One day, he saw an elephant doing something with his ears. The huge, scary elephant was flapping his ears continuously in anxiety. The lion asked, “What are you doing elephant? Why are you scared?” the elephant replied, “I am scared of the black mosquito. If he enters my ear, I will go mad in pain.”The lion after meeting the elephant thought, “If a huge, giant animal like an elephant can be scared of a small mosquito then it is fine to have some fears. I should not feel bad about my fears.” He understood that even the strongest creatures have some weak points. He gained his self-confidence and decided not to let fear come in his way again. He had many things to do after all he was the King of the jungle. Moral:At some point in life, everyone has their weak points. One should overcome their weakness and look forward to the best things in life.

This is a story of elephant and lion.Moral(s) of the story: fear, strength and weakness

The Lion and the Elephant

Yesha Desai

Tina lives with her parents in a peaceful countryside manor. Her parents are scientists with many awards in their names.Tina also wants to be a scientist. Tina’s parents set up equipment for her in their garage where she constantly invents new things. She can build roller coasters and flying cars. Her parents are very proud of her.One day at school, she injures her hand in the playground right before her english test.&nbsp;Now, she is not able to write her test.Tina is disappointed now. She wished that there was a pencil that could write everything that you said to it by itself. That way she could give her test even with her injured hand.She decides to make that pencil. She goes to her garage and starts making formulas. Tina does her intelligent people thing and works the entire night. Her parents sternly put her to sleep and tell her that she can work tomorrow. They kiss her goodnight and she goes to sleep.Tina wakes up the next morning and its weekend so she can work on her pencil.After a few days of hardwork the pencil is built. Her parents are a little worried for her as she is constantly working but she assures them that she is fine.She realises that the pencil she built can write things not just by listening but can also read everyone’s thoughts.She is surprised. She really is a genius.She gets many awards for this brilliant invention and Tina becomes one of the youngest and the most successful scientists in the world.

This is a story of car, garage, pencil and roller coaster.Moral(s) of the story: hard work and determination

vikas story 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 boy who cried wolf

The Clever Deer

Jesus walks on water

A Roaring Rescue

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

The thief and the sage

Shravan Kumar’s devotion to his parents

The Lion and the Elephant

Tina’s garage

More like this

Bee Suggestions

About Bee