Best Short Moral Stories for Children!!!
Do you remember the time when storybooks were the only source of entertainment for children?
Children used to read the story from the storybooks and roleplay their favorite characters.
Nonetheless, the time has changed now, and children today spent the most time on the internet or smartphones playing video games.
If you want your kids to take a break from computer and smartphone screens, you can just narrate these stories to your kids.
These stories are not too long and really interesting with great morals. You will be surprised to know how powerful these few words can be.
Let’s jump right in!!!
Quick Overview
| Stories | Moral |
| 20. The Dog at the Well | Always pay attention to what your elders have to say. |
| 19. Control your Anger | Control your rage and avoid saying things to others in the heat of the moment that you may later regret. There are certain things in life that you just can’t undo. |
| 18. The Rabbit and the Turtle | Slow and steady wins the race every time. |
| 17. The Fox and the Grapes | Nothing comes easily without hard work. |
| 16. The Young Crab and his Mother | Don’t tell others how to be if you can’t be a good example yourself. |
| 15. The Boasting travelers | He who does a thing does need to brag about it. |
| 14. King Midas and The Golden Touch | Don’t be greedy in life; instead, be satisfied with what you have. People who seek to have everything at once generally end up with nothing. |
| 13. The Wise Old Man | It is better to drop bad habits away while you still have control over them, or it might lead to taking control of you. |
| 12. The Ant and the Dove | Good things will come to you if you do good. |
| 11. The Proud Rose | Never make a judgment about someone based on their appearance. |
10. The Foolish donkey |
There is no shortcut to success other than hard effort. |
| 9. The Ant and the Grasshopper | If you want to be successful tomorrow, you must start working now. |
| 8. The Cows and the Tiger | Strength works from working together. |
| 7. Unhelpful friends | Do not depend on others. |
| 6. The Tortoise and the Bird | Better a crowded hut than a lonely mansion. |
| 5. The Milkmaid and her Pail | Do not count chickens before they are hatched. |
| 4. The Golden Egg | Whoever craves more loses everything. One should be content with what one receives. |
| 3. The Fox and the Stork | An act of selfishness might backfire on you. |
| 2. The Boy Who Cried Wolf | Liars will not be acknowledged; even if they tell the truth, no one will trust them. |
| 1. The Lion and the Mouse | Kindness and Love are never wasted. You may achieve things with compassion that you cannot achieve by force. |
Best Short Moral Stories for Children
The list has been compiled from the sites such as Wikipedia and read.gov.
20. The Dog at the Well
“Don’t go near the well! Don’t play around it!” Mother Dog said to the puppies’. And they never came to the well. However, once one little puppy ran to the well and stopped there.
He thought, why he could not go to the well. The curious puppy jumped on the top of the well to look into it. As he climbed up the wall, he saw another puppy inside the well.
The puppy wagged his tail, and the puppy in the well did the same. Similarly, he held his paws up so did the puppy in the well. The puppy became angry with the puppy inside the well and wanted to fight with him.
He jumped right into the well. However, there was no puppy to fight with but only water.
He cried for help, but no one came. He went down under the water, and no one saw him ever again.
Moral: Always pay attention to what your elders have to say.
19. Control Your Anger
Once upon a time, there was a small kid who had a really bad temper. His father gave him a bundle of nails and told him to hammer a nail into the fence every time he lost his anger.
On his first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into the fence. However, the boy gradually learned to control his anger, and the number of nails decreased day by day. He discovered that it was easier for him to control his anger rather than hammering the nails.
Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. After that, his father advised him to pull the nails out every day to keep his temper under control. The day came when he said to his father that he had pulled out every nail.
His father held his hands and led him to the fence, and said, ” You did really well but look at the nail holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same just like when you say things in anger that leaves a scar on the other person. You can put the knife inside of a man and draw it out. But it won’t erase the wound no matter how many times you say sorry”.
Moral: Control your temper and avoid saying things to others in the heat of the moment that you may regret later. There are certain things in life that you just can’t undo.
18. The Rabbit and the Turtle
A long time ago, there was a rabbit who constantly bragged about how fast he could run. He also mocked the turtle for its sluggishness.
One day the rabbit challenged the turtle for a race. The rabbit thought that he would definitely win the race. And also, the fox was the umpire for the race. The race began.
When the rabbit reached the midway point, he couldn’t see the turtle anywhere. He was hot and exhausted, so he decided to pull over and take a quick nap.
Even if the turtle passed him, he would be able to run ahead of him to the finish line.
The turtle walked step by step by step the entire time. He never gave up, no matter how hot or exhausted he became. He kept going.
However, the rabbit slept longer than expected and awoke. There was no sign of the turtle anywhere! He raced to the finish line at full speed, only to find the turtle waiting for him.
Moral: Slow and steady wins the race every time. Never underestimate your opponent.
17. The Fox and the Grapes
When a fox was strolling through the forest, he noticed a cluster of grapes hanging from a high tree that he thought would be perfect for quenching his thirst.
The fox took a few steps back and leaped, just missing the dangling grapes.
The fox again took a few steps back and attempted to approach them but failed.
Finally giving up, the fox turned up his nose and walked away, saying, “They’re probably sour anyhow.”
Moral: Nothing comes easy without hard work. There are many loath that which is beyond their reach.
16. The Young Crab and his Mother
A long time ago, a young crab and his mother were spending time together by the beach. The baby crab only walked sideways, irritating his mother. Mother crab instructed baby to go by pointing the toes forward.
The baby crab responded that he could not do it.
The mother crab got up to instruct him, but she, too, could not move her legs forward. She even fell down by her nose, trying to show the baby how to walk.
She realized she was being unfair and apologized humbly before returning to her seat.
Moral: Don’t advise others if you can’t be a good example yourself.
15. The Boasting travelers
A man returned from a tour and talked about his daring adventures.
He spoke at length about the many individuals he met and the incredible accomplishments that earned him recognition and appreciation from people worldwide.
Moreover, he explained that he traveled to Rhodes and leaped at such great lengths that no one could ever copy his accomplishment.
He further went on to imply that if only there were witnesses to back up his remarks.
When a wise spectator heard the guy brag so much, he remarked, “Oh nice fellow, we don’t need any witnesses to trust your claims.”
“Consider this place to be Rhodes and leap for us.”
The dishonest traveler was at a loss for words and silently left.
Moral: He who does a thing does need to brag about it.
14. King Midas and The Golden touch
Once upon a time, there was a monarch named King Midas. He possessed a huge empire still, he was greedy because he desired gold.
When he was praying one day, a wizard appeared and granted his request to turn anything in touched into gold.
Whatever the king touched transformed into gold, including the throne, chairs, tables, vases, and sculptures. Everything turned to gold, causing him to be unable to even eat, drink, or do anything.
When his daughter came up to him and wrapped his arms around her, the King transformed her into a golden statue.
The King cried and called the wizard and asked him to take the horrible gift back.
The wizard gave him a jar and told him to fill the jar with water from the river and sprinkle it over all things that had turned gold.
The King did so and turned everything back the way it was.
Moral: Don’t be greedy in life; instead, be satisfied with what you have. People who seek to have everything at once generally end up with nothing.
13. The Wise Old Man
One time a wealthy man asked an old scholar to help his son to break his bad habits.
The old scholar led the boy on a walk through a garden and asked him to pick out a tiny plant. He again asked for a little bigger plant. The boy gathered all his strength and pulled out the plant.
Afterward, the old man asked him to pull out a guava tree. The boy tried his best but could not do it, saying it was impossible.
And the old man replied it is easier to pull them out when they are still young, but once they take hold, they cannot be uprooted.
Moral: It is better to drop bad habits while you still have control over them, or it might lead to taking control of you.
12. The Ant and the Dove
On a hot summer day, an ant was seeking water, and after a while of roaming around, the ant got near the lake.
However, when trying to take a sip of some water, she slipped and fell.
Dove noticed the ant falling into the river while he was resting at the exact moment. He threw a leaf into the water, and an ant climbed into it.
The ant praised him for saving his life.
Later that day, a bird catcher attempted to set the net for the dove.
This time, the ant bit the bird catcher’s foot.
He screamed out of pain which dove noticed and quickly flew away.
Moral: What goes around comes around.
11. The Proud Rose
There was a rose that was quite proud of her lovely appearance. The only disappointment of the rose was that she grew up next to an ugly cactus.
Every day, the rose made fun of the cactus’ appearance.
All the other plants in the garden tried the rose to see sense, but she was too carried away with her good looks.
However, the cactus remained silent even when other plants in the garden tried to make a rose see sense but she was too busy appreciating her own looks.
One summer, the gardener did not water the plants in the garden, which made rose seek water.
Despite her embarrassment, she asked the cactus if she could help her.
Without thinking twice, the cactus helped the rose and they made it through the harsh summer.
Moral: Never make a judgment on someone based on their appearance.
10. The Foolish Donkey
Long ago, a salt merchant and his donkey used to travel to the market every day, carrying salt bags.
One day when bringing the salt back, the donkey slipped down the stream, causing the salt bag to fall into the river.
Because so much salt dissolved in the water, the salt bag became incredibly light, which delighted the donkey.
Then, the donkey intended to do the same thing over and over again, and the salt merchant realized how lazy the donkey was.
One day he replaced salt with a cotton bag to give him his own medicine, which grew heavier and more challenging to manage when wet.
The donkey eventually realized his master’s tactic and learned his lesson.
Moral: Luck won’t favor always. There is no shortcut to success other than hard work.
9. The Ant and the Grasshopper
One summer day, a grasshopper was bouncing, chirping, and humming happily.
The ant, on the other hand, was lugging a massive seed. Seeing that, the grasshopper asked an ant, who answered, “I am gathering for the winter.”
Despite hearing the response, the grasshopper did not gather food for cold winter days.
When winter hit, the grasshopper was starving and had to approach the ant and ask for food.
Ant rejected grasshopper stating that he should have worked instead of lounging and humming during the summer.
Moral: Always be prepared for tomorrow.
8. The Cows and the Tiger
A long time ago, four closest cow friends lived in a forest.
They grazed together and rescued each other when in danger.
Their unity intimidated even tigers and lions.
However, one day they got into a fight and began grazing in opposite directions with one another.
When a tiger and a lion saw this, they decided it was the perfect moment to hunt the cows.
They sneaked into the bushes, surprised the cows, and murdered each one individually.
Moral: Unity is Strength.
7. Unhelpful Friends
There was once a bunny rabbit who had many friends and was always proud of it.
But one day, he heard about a wild hound that was trying to hunt him.
He decided to seek assistance from his friend deer.
However, the deer answered that he was busy, so he told him to ask the bear.
Even the bear refused to help him as he was searching for food.
Then the bunny went to see the monkey, elephant, goat, and all his other pals but felt sand that nobody was ready to help him.
He then thought he had to come up with something on his own rather than relying on his friends.
He hid behind the bush so still that the wild dogs did not find him and went on to hunt other animals.
Moral: Do not depend on others, come up with your own way of survival.
6. The Tortoise and the Bird
A tortoise was sleeping beneath a tree where a bird had built a nest.
The tortoise made fun of the bird’s house, which was made of broken twigs. It also lacked a roof and seemed primitive.
The bird cheerfully responded to his mockery by adding, “however it appears, it still is my home and can accommodate all my family and friends, unlike your shell.”
Moral: Better a crowded hut than a lonely mansion.
5. The Milkmaid and her Pail
The story is about a milkmaid who went to the market with a large amount of milk and a shining milk pail balanced perfectly on her head.
She fantasized about what she would do after selling milk.
She kept on thinking about the things such as the milk would give her plenty of butter, with the butter show would buy a lot of eggs for hatching, the hatched eggs would give her chicks which she would eventually sell for a lot of money and buy a new dress.
Continuing with her fantasy of buying a new dress and a chip hat with money from chicks, she marched on when a young man approached her, which imbalanced her pail and fell into the ground spilling all the milk.
Moral: Don’t count chickens before they are hatched.
4. The Golden Egg
Once upon a time, a farmer had a goose that laid a golden egg every day. They lived pretty comfortably because of the golden eggs.
However, the farmer was not satisfied. He wanted more money and was a get rich-trice kind of a person.
He wanted to get all the eggs inside of the goose on a single go. So one day, he decided to kill the goose and get all the eggs.
He cut the goose with a knife only to find out nothing except blood. That made him realize how foolish he was.
Moral: Whoever craves for more loses everything. One should be content with what one receives.
3. The Fox and the Stork
Once a greedy fox invited a stork to dinner.
The stork flew to the fox’s house in the evening as the stork was asked to join the feast at the table.
The fox served soup in small dishes.
The stork, however, was unable to have the soup since he had a long beak.
Without saying anything, the stork kept smiling and stayed hungry.
With this action, the stork invited the fox to dinner the following day to teach him a lesson.
Stork served soup in a vase.
The stork drank the soup easily from the vase, but the fox couldn’t because of his short neck.
This made the fox realize his mistake, and he went home hungry.
Moral: An act of selfishness backfires you.
2. The Boy Who Cried, Wolf
A long time ago, a shepherd boy always watched a flock of sheep near his village.
One day he got bored watching sheep, and to amuse himself, he yelled, “Wolf! Wolf”.
Everyone ran up the hill, hearing the boy, to chase the wolf away.
When they arrived, however, there was no evidence of a wolf.
Another day once again, the boy took a bet to cry out wolf again.
Nevertheless, the villagers came running up the hill to scare the wolf away.
But this time, they gave a final remark sternly saying, “save your frightened cry for when there is an actual wolf,” and left.
Even with the harsh comments, the boy didn’t stop.
One day, he noticed a real wolf. He yelled loudly, “Wolf! Wolf!”; yet, no one came by to help him. With nothing to fear, the wolf killed the entire herd.
Moral: Liars are not believed even when they speak the truth.
1. The Lion and the Mouse
Once upon a time, when the lion was sleeping in the jungle, a mouse began racing up and down his body, having fun with it.
The lion became furious and was ready to kill the mouse.
However, the mouse begged for his life and asked him to let him go, guaranteeing that someday he would save the lion.
Listening to what the mouse said the lion chuckled at him and let him go.
After some days, hunters came into the jungle and chained the lion to a tree.
The lion began to whimper as he struggled to get out.
Soon after, the mouse passed by and spotted the lion in distress. He rushed and started biting the ropes, ultimately freeing the lion.
Moral: Kindness and Love are never wasted. You may achieve things with compassion that you cannot achieve by force.
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