Fun and Entertaining Short Moral Stories For Your Children

1. The Needle Tree

There were once two brothers who lived on the edge of a forest. The elder brother was very mean
to his younger brother and ate up all the food and took all his good clothes. One day, the elder
brother went into the forest to find some firewood to sell in the market. As he went around
chopping the branches of a tree after tree, he came upon a magical tree. The tree said to him, ‘Oh
kind sir, please do not cut my branches. If you spare me, I will give you my golden apples’. The
elder brother agreed but was disappointed with the number apples the tree gave him. Greed
overcame him, and he threatened to cut the entire trunk if the tree didn’t give him more apples.
The magical tree instead showered upon the elder brother hundreds upon hundreds of tiny
needles. The elder brother lay on the ground crying in pain as the sun began to lower down the
horizon.

The younger brother grew worried and went in search of his elder brother. He found him with
hundreds of needles on his skin. He rushed to his brother and removed each needle with
painstaking love. After he finished, the elder brother apologised for treating him badly and
promised to be better. The tree saw the change in the elder brother’s heart and gave them all the
golden apples they could ever need.

Moral Of The Story

It is important to be kind and gracious as it will always be rewarded.

2. Counting Wisely
Akbar once put a question to his court that left everyone puzzled. As they all tried to figure out
the answer, Birbal walked and asked what the matter was. And so they told him the question.

‘How many crows are there in the city?’

Birbal immediately smiled, went up to Akbar and announced that the answer to his questions was
twenty-one thousand five hundred and twenty-three. When asked how he knew the answer, Birbal
replied, ‘Ask your men to count the number of crows. If there are more, then the crows’ relatives
from outside the city are visiting them. If there are fewer, then the crows are visiting their
relatives outside the city.’ Pleased with the answer, Akbar presented Birbal with a ruby and pearl
chain.

Moral of The Story

Having an explanation for your answer is just as important as having an answer.

3. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

There was once a boy whose father one day told him that he is old enough to look after the sheep.
Every day he had to take the sheep over the grass fields and watch them as they grazed to become
strong sheep with thick wool. The boy was unhappy though. He wanted to run and play, not
watch the boring sheep. So, he decided to have some fun instead. He cried ‘Wolf! Wolf!’ until the
entire village came running with stones to chase away the wolf before it could eat any of the
sheep. Once they saw that there was no wolf, they left muttering under their breath about how the
boy was wasting their time and giving them a good fright while at it. The next day, the boy again
cried ‘Wolf! Wolf!’ and the villagers again rushed to chase the wolf away.

As the boy laughed at the fright he had caused, the villagers left, some angrier than the others.
The third day, as the boy went up a small hill, he suddenly saw a wolf attacking his sheep. He
cried as hard as he could, ‘Wolf! Wolf! WOLF!’, but the villagers thought he was trying to fool
them again and did not come to rescue the sheep. The little boy lost three sheep that day, all
because he cried wolf too many times.

Moral of The Story

Do not make stories up for attention, for no one will help you when you actually need it.

4. The Golden Touch

This is the story of a very greedy rich man who chanced upon meeting a fairy. The fairy’s hair
was caught in a few tree branches. Realising he had an opportunity to make even more money, he
asked for a wish in return for helping the fairy. He said, ’All that I touch should turn to gold’, and
his wish was granted by the grateful fairy.

The greedy man rushed home to tell his wife and daughter about his new boon, all the while
touching stones and pebbles and converting them into gold. Once he got home, his daughter
rushed to greet him. As soon as he bent down to scoop her up in his arms, she turned into a gold
statue. He realized his folly and spent the rest of his days searching for the fairy to take away his
wish.

Moral of The Story

Greediness will always lead to a downfall.

5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Patty the milkmaid had just finished milking her cow and had two full pails of fresh creamy milk.
She put both pails on a stick and set off to the market to sell her pails of milk. Along the way she
started to think of all the milk in her pails and all the money she would get for them.

‘Once I get the money, I’ll buy a chicken’, she thought. ‘The chicken will lay eggs and I will get
more chickens. They’ll all lay eggs and I can sell them for more money. Then I’ll buy the house
on the hill and be the envy of everyone in the village. They’ll ask me to sell the chicken farm, but
I’ll toss my head like this and refuse’. So saying, Patty, the milkmaid tossed her head and
dropped her pails. The milk spilled onto the ground while Patty cried.

Moral of The Story

Do not count your chickens before they hatch.

6. When Adversity Knocks

This is a story explaining how adversity is met differently by different people. Asha’s father
placed an egg, a potato, and some tea leaves in three separate vessels with boiling water. He
asked Asha to keep an eye on the vessels for ten minutes. Once these ten minutes were over , he
asked Asha to peel the potato, peel the egg and strain the tea leaves. Asha was left puzzled.

Her father explained , ‘Each of these items was but in the same circumstance of being in a pot of
boiling water. See how they’ve responded differently. The potato is now soft, the egg is now
hard, and the tea has changed the water itself. We are all like these items. When adversity calls
we respond in exactly the way they have. Now are you a potato, an egg or are you tea leaves?’

Moral Of The Story

We can choose how to respond to a difficult situation.

7. The Proud Rose

Once upon a time there was a rose who was very proud of her beautiful looks. Her only
disappointment was that she grew next to an ugly cactus. Every day, the rose would insult the
cactus on his looks while the cactus stayed quiet. All the other plants in the garden tried to make
the rose see sense, but she was too swayed by her own good looks.

One summer, the well present in the garden grew dry and there was no water for the plants. The
rose began to wilt. She saw a sparrow dip her beak into the cactus for some water. Though
ashamed, she asked the cactus if she too could have some water. The kind cactus readily agreed
and they both got through the tough summer as friends.

Moral of The Story

Never judge someone by the way they look.

8. The Tale of The Pencil

Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his English test. His grandmother sat with him and
gave him a pencil. A puzzled Raj looked at his grandma and said he didn’t deserve a pencil after
his performance in the test. His grandma explained, ‘You can learn a great many things from this
pencil because it is just like you. It experiences a painful sharpening, just the way you have
experienced the pain of not doing well on your test. However, it will help you be a better student.
Just as all the good that comes from the pencil is from within itself, you will also find the strength
to overcome this hurdle. And finally, just as this pencil will make its mark on any surface, you
too shall leave your mark on anything you choose to’. Raj was immediately consoled and
promised himself that he would do better.

Moral of The Story

We all have the strength to be who we wish to be.

9. The Crystal Ball

Nasir found a crystal ball behind a banyan tree in his garden. When the tree old him it would
grant him a wish, he thought and thought but could not think of anything he wanted. So he kept
the crystal ball in his bag and waited to decide on his wish. Days went by without him making a
wish but his best friend saw him looking at the crystal ball. He stole it from Nasir and showed it
to everyone in the village. They all asked for palaces and gold but could not ask for more than
one wish. In the end, everyone was angry because no one could have everything. They became
very unhappy and decided to ask Nasir for help. Nasir wished that everything would become as it
once was before the villagers had tried to satisfy their greed. The palaces and gold vanished and
the villagers grew happy and content once again.

Moral of The Story

Money and wealth do not bring happiness.

10. Bundle of Sticks

7. The Proud Rose

Three neighbors were having trouble with their crops. All three fields had crops that were wilting
and infested with pests. Each day they would try different ideas to help their crops. The first one
tried using a scarecrow, the second used pesticides, and the third built a fence on his field, all to
no avail. One day, the village head came by and called all three farmers. He gave them each a
stick and asked them to break the sticks. The farmers could break them easily. He then gave them
a bundle of three sticks and asked them to break it. This time, the farmers struggled to break the
sticks. The village head said, ‘Together you are stronger than when you work alone’. The farmers
pooled their resources and got rid of the pests in their fields.

Moral of The Story

There is strength in unity.

11. A Glass of Milk

As Hari walked home after school one day, he suddenly felt faint with hunger and knew his
mother would not have any food ready for him at home. He grew desperate and went from house
to house asking for food. Finally, a girl gave him a tall glass of milk. When he tried to pay her she
refused and sent him on his way. Years later, the girl, now a grown woman, fell very sick and
could not find anyone who could cure her. Finally, she went to a large hospital with the city’s
greatest doctor. The doctor spent months treating the woman until she was finally cured. The
woman was happy but was also afraid she could not pay the bill. When the hospital handed the
bill to her, she opened it to read, ‘Paid in full, with a glass of milk’.

Moral of The Story

A good deed never goes unrewarded.

12. The Fox and The Grapes

A fox was once very hungry and went in search of some food. He searched everywhere, but he
couldn’t find anything that he could eat. Finally, with his stomach rumbling, he came upon a
farmer’s wall. On top of the wall were the biggest, juiciest grapes the fox had ever seen. The rich
purple color told the fox that they were ready to be eaten. The fox jumped high in the air to catch
the grapes in his mouth, but he missed. He tried again and missed again. He tried a few
more times but missed each time. Finally, the fox decided to go home all the while muttering,
‘I’m sure the grapes were sour anyway’.

Moral of The Story

It’s easy to hate what you can’t have.

13. The Ant and The Grasshopper

There were two best friends – an ant and a grasshopper. The grasshopper liked to relax the whole
day and play his guitar. The ant, however, would work hard all day. He would collect food from
all corners of the garden while the grasshopper relaxed, or played his guitar, or slept. The
grasshopper would tell the ant to take a break every day, but the ant would refuse and continue
his work. Soon, winter came. The days and nights became cold and very few creatures went out.
The grasshopper couldn’t find any food and was hungry all the time. However, the ant had
enough food for him to last through the winter without any worries at all.

Moral of The Story

Make hay while the sun shines.

14. The Wet Pants

Ajay was a small boy who loved his school and his schoolmates. One day, as he sat at his desk,
he suddenly felt damp and realized he had wet his pants! Mortified, Ajay did not know what to do
or say as he knew everyone in class would make fun of him for wetting his pants. He sat at his
desk praying for any kind of help. Diksha was carrying water in a jug to water the class plants. As
she approached Ajay’s desk, she suddenly tripped and dumped the whole contents of the jug onto
his lap. Everyone rushed to help Ajay. The teacher reprimanded Diksha and gave Ajay a spare set
of shorts. At the end of the day, Ajay met Diksha on the bus. He asked, ‘You did that on purpose
didn’t you?’ Diksha replied, ‘I’ve wet my pants before too.’

Moral of The Story

Help others in need.

15. The Bear and Two Friends

Two best friends were walking a lonely and dangerous path through a jungle. As the sun began to
set, they grew afraid but held on to each other. Suddenly, they saw a bear in their path. One of the
boys ran to the nearest tree and climbed it within a jiffy. The other boy did not know how to
climb trees by himself so he lay on the ground pretending to be dead. The bear approached the
boy on the ground and sniffed around his head. Thinking that the boy was dead, the bear went on
its way. The boy on the tree climbed down and asked his friend what had the bear whispered in
his ear. He replied, ‘Do not trust friends who do not care for you.’

Moral of The Story

A friend in need is a friend indeed.