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

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

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

Noah and his animals were on the Ark (boat) and the things were getting a bit boring. Noah and his animals were very getting very bored. They had spent many days and they started organizing games and activities to enjoy. They all got very excited and started playing games enthusiastically. They became very loud and noisy. Due to the excitement, the woodpecker ended up drilling a hole in the bottom of the ark. Suddenly the water started entering the boat. Due to the force of water, the hole became bigger. More water came inside the boat, and everyone became a little scared.As the condition of the boat was becoming worse, every animal tried to fix the hole. One by one, they tried to fix the hole. They even got competitive because they wanted to be the animal that saved the ark. They all tried but nothing worked. The beaver even built a dam over the hole but that too did not stop the water coming from the hole. After looking at all this finally, the bee started talking. She explained to everyone that all of them should work together in order to save the ark from sinking. She said that everyone should do the work they are best at. Everyone agreed and started working together. They started doing what they were best at.Everyone started contributing their part to cover the hole. The birds grabbed the parts of the ark with beaks and flapped their wings furiously, lifting the boat up a little. The animals who could run fast collected all the materials quickly and supplied to others. Other animals stuffed that material into the hole quickly. The elephants sucked the water in and shot it back into the sea.Everyone worked in unity and that helped them in reducing the amount of water into the ark. But the water did not stop completely; it was still entering the ark. The animals were a little scared and they saw around to look for help. They wondered if there were any other animals that could help them. They looked everywhere. But there was no one. Suddenly, a little fish swam in through the hole. The animals were happy to see her and thought there were still animals left who could help them. They asked the fish to go and call everyone to help save the ark.Fish quickly went into the sea and called everyone. Soon, many fishes arrived at the ark. Even a big whale came to save them. The big whale pressed its belly against the hole in the ark. This stopped the water from entering into the ark. So, animals got more time to cover up the hole. Finally, they were successful in covering the hole in the ark. Moral:Unity is strength.

This is a story of fish, boat, honey bee and whale.Moral(s) of the story: unity

Problem on the Boat

There are many vehicles around that are used for transport. Each vehicle has a different use and a different speciality.First, let's meet Cal the bike. Cal is a motorbike. He is very strong and has two wheels. He moves very fast and can easily travel through busy, crowded streets. He is beautiful and black in colour.Next comes Bud the car. Bud is an old car. She has four wheels and is very long. She was created for a very old King and even though she is not as strong as the cars built now, Bud moves perfectly. Bud is white in colour and is very spacious.Casey is a cycle. Casey is tiny but very strong. She has two wheels and works on pedals. The cyclist has to work hard for the cycle to move fast. Casey the cycle is eco- friendly and is a good way to exercise. We should all use cycle.Aero the aeroplane is extremely huge. He can fly high above the clouds and can carry many people. Aero moves faster than the birds and is very strong. We use aeroplanes to travel long distances in a short time.Hayley the helicopter is a very fast mode of transport. A helicopter can fly too but is tinier in comparison to a plane. It can carry very few people and can be used for small distances and abrupt landings.Triv the train can carry a lot of people. It can travel short distances and long too. Travelling in a train is a lot of fun. Some trains are very fast, some are slow. Some trains carry people while others carry materials.Sally the ship is a very mighty boat. She is huge and sails in the sea. She can carry a lot of people but is mostly used for carrying materials.These are some vehicles of transport.

This is a story of Aeroplane, bicycle, car, helicopter, motorcycle, ship and train.

Different modes of transport

There was a newly born ship called Hilda. She was new, talented and beautiful.But there was one problem due to which she had never travelled before. Hilda was scared of sailing in the ocean. She was scared that she would not be able to stay afloat and would sink.This is why Hilda always stayed in the docks. She wished to be as brave as the other ships, she wished to play in the waves of the ocean, to chase after the sun, to laugh with the dolphins but she could not.One day a new Captain came to the dock. He looked at Hilda once and was absolutely mesmerised. He wanted to take Hilda into the sea.Hilda looked at him sadly and refused, thinking he would go away like all other skippers did.But this Captain sat besides Hilda and said, “Why won’t you sail?” Hilda replied embarrassed, “Because I am scared.”The skipper smiled, “There is little to be scared of, you are amazing and need to be confident in yourself. If you face any problems I will always protect you.”Hilda was not so convinced so the sailor said, “How about we go a little into the sea and then come back? We can repeat this everyday until you are comfortable.”Hilda excitedly agreed.At first she was very timid and unsure if she would be able to sail. But the skipper was always there to encourage her. In the beginning they went slowly, and not very far. Later, Hilda slowly gained confidence and was ready to venture further. The skipper was very proud of her!That is how Hilda slowly built confidence in herself and one day she finally finished a whole trip with many happy passengers. She was no longer scared and she had faith in herself. Moral:Sometimes we only need someone to trust in us so that we can trust in ourselves.

This is a story of ocean, ship and water.Moral(s) of the story: courage and trust

The ship that was scared at sailing

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

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

water 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 Magician and the Parrot

The river

Problem on the Boat

Different modes of transport

The ship that was scared at sailing

The Boy in the Paper Boat

The Queen’s competition

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