10 Best Short Moral Stories for Kids 

Are you looking for short moral stories for kids across the web? Stories are one of the easiest ways to develop good values in your child. Reading aloud short moral stories for kids can be a source of enjoyment and teaches them important lessons. The art of storytelling strengthens the bond between parents and their children. A short story with morals helps your child in differentiating between right and wrong behaviours. If you are looking for a short story in English online then the below-mentioned list will be helpful for you. 

How Moral Stories Are Beneficial for Kids?

So many short moral stories for kids in English are available all over the internet. Short moral stories teach important life lessons to your children in an easy and fun way. Children have a shorter attention span and short stories can captivate their attention for longer. Story-telling time can be a fun zone where your kid can spend some quality time with you. Storytelling also helps your kid increase their creativity and imaginative quality. Storytelling helps kids develop good listening skills and increase their focus. 

Tips on Making Story Interesting for Your Kids

As a parent, you have to make story-telling time as interesting as you can. Try to read stories in an imaginative way, trying to showcase the persona of the character. When reciting a story, change your voice and tone to showcase different characters. Read stories from picture books where your kid can actually see the characters and the storyline. After the story, ask your kid what they learnt from the short story with morals. Discuss lessons and learning of each story after your story-telling session. 

Top 10 Moral Stories for Kids

We have a list of exciting short stories that are definitely going to keep your kid hooked throughout the storytelling session. These short moral stories for kids in English are a complete source of motivation, morals, entertainment and lessons.

1. The Fox and the Grapes

Who has not heard about the famous story of a fox and the grapes he could not get? It is a story about a fox who saw juicy grapes hanging on a beautiful vine. He made a lot of efforts to get the grapes from the vine but could not get them after various attempts. At last, when he got tired, he decided to stop and said the grapes were definitely sour.

Moral: This story teaches us that it is very easy to despise something that we cannot have. When the fox did not get the grapes he wanted, he declared the grapes as sour.

2. The Proud Rose

Once upon a time, in a desert, there were two plants, a rose and a cactus. Rose had a luscious red colour and petals full of life. Rose was very proud of the way she looked. Rose used to mock the cactus for its ugly appearance while the cactus remained silent. Other plants tried to insert some sense in the rose but she was way too full of herself. On the arrival of summer, the desert became arid with no water left for the plants. In the absence of water, the rose started to lose its beauty. She looked at the cactus as if a bird was trying to peck the cactus with its beak for water. Rose felt shameful for her wrongdoings and asked the cactus for some water. The cactus agreed to help her and gave water to the rose throughout the summer as a friend.

Moral: This story teaches us that we should never judge anyone by the way they look. Everyone is blessed with a unique quality and we should not belittle anyone. 

3. The Milkmaid and Her Pail

Molly was a milkmaid whose job was to milk cows and sell milk. She used to daydream about the things she would buy with the money that she did not have right now. One day she was going to the market carrying her pail full of milk. As she was on her way, she saw a chicken and started daydreaming about buying a chicken and selling her eggs. She started to dream those other milkmaids would be very jealous of the things Molly got from selling eggs and milk. She spilt all the milk from the pail in the excitement of her dream. She went back to her home with an empty pail and no money with her. Her mother asked her the reason behind this incident. Molly told her the whole story whereafter her mother preached that she should not count her chickens until they hatched.

Moral: This story teaches that we should not daydream but rather take realistic action towards our goals. 

4. The Golden Touch

Once there was a king whose name was Midas. King Midas did a deed as an act of kindness for a satyr- a spirit of nature. On this act of Midas, the god of wine called Dionysus granted him a boon. Midas wanted his touch to be of gold. When Dionysus warned about the shortcomings of his desired boon, Midas remained adamant. Midas got blessed with his desired boon. He was very excited about his new powers. Midas touched items turning them into gold. When Midas got hungry, he tried to eat food with his hands but it turned into gold. Midas groaned in hunger that he would starve this way. Seeing Midas in distress, his daughter tried to comfort him. She too turned into gold after embracing her father. Midas cried about the fact that this golden touch was not a blessing after all.

Moral: Excessive greed results in one’s downfall.

5. A Wise Old Owl

An old owl used to live on an oak tree. The owl used to observe the things happening around him. One day, he saw a small boy help an old man carry a heavy basket. Another day, he saw a little girl who was shouting at her mother. As he started to notice things, he became quieter. As the day passed, he became even more quiet and started to listen more. The owl kept hearing stories and conversations of other people. He heard a story of an elephant who jumped the fence and a conversation where the man was saying that he never made any mistakes in his life. The old owl saw what happened to the people and heard what they were talking about. In his life, he witnessed how some people changed for the better and some for the worse. By observing other people, the owl in the oak tree became wiser with each passing day.

Moral: Being an observer and listening more makes a person wiser.

6. The Farmer and the Well

There was a farmer who needed water for his farm. He bought a well from his neighbour. His neighbour was a cunning person. When the farmer visited to draw water from the well, the neighbour stopped him. He said that he had right over the well, not on the water. In distress, the farmer went to the emperor to get justice. The emperor gave the duty of resolving this issue to Birbal. Birbal was the wisest one out of nine courtiers of the emperor. Birbal asked the neighbour if he had sold his well to the farmer. The neighbour agrees that he sold the well but not the water inside the well. Birbal says that if he had sold the well to the farmer, he should take out his water from the well or pay rent for that water. After realising that his scheme had failed, the neighbour apologised and went back to his home.   

Moral: Cheating will not get you anything and you will definitely pay for it.

7. Elephants and Friends

A lonely elephant was walking in the forest in search of a good friend. The elephant met the monkey and asked him for his friendship. The monkey declined because the elephant could not swing on the trees like him. The elephant kept moving and met the rabbit. He asked the rabbit for his friendship but the rabbit declined as the elephant was too big for his burrow. The elephant continued and met a frog and asked him the same question he asked other animals. The frog declined his friendship because the elephant could not jump like him. Elephants asked the same question to various animals but received the same answer. The same day the elephant saw all the animals running out of fear. The elephant stopped the bear and asked him about the reason for that hurry. The bear told him that a tiger had attacked them. The elephant politely asked the tiger to stop attacking all the animals but the tiger rejected his request. Finding no other option, the elephant attacked the tiger and shooed him away. All the animals were thankful to the elephant and said that he was the exact size to be their friend.

Moral: Friends can be of any size and shape.

8. A Glass of Milk

A poor boy used to sell newspapers to pay his school fees. One day, he was very hungry and decided to go to his neighbourhood to get food. He asked several people but nobody gave him food. After various efforts, one girl offered him a glass of milk. She denied taking any money for it. Several years later, the girl got sick and no doctor was willing to treat her. She decided to go to the town’s best doctor for her treatment. The doctor spent months on her treatment even when she could not afford his fees. When the girl got her hospital bill, she had tears in her eyes. It mentioned, “Paid in full, with a glass of milk”.

Moral: Acts of kindness are always rewarded.

9. The Bundle Of Sticks

There was an old man with three sons. These sons used to fight with each other. The old man made various attempts to unite his sons but failed miserably. The old man got sick after some months and still, the sons were fighting with each other. The old man decided to teach his sons an important life lesson. He gathered his sons and gave them a bundle of sticks. He asked each of them to break the stick and the winner would have got the reward. Each son easily broke the stick given to them and asked for their reward. The old man says that it is not over yet. They had to break the bundle of the stick and whoever broke it would receive the reward. Each of the sons tried to break the bundle but they failed. The father then said that it was easy to break one individual but not a united group. The old man told them that if they remained united, nobody could cause them harm but if they kept fighting each other, anyone could take advantage of it.

Moral: There is strength in unity.

10. The Bear and the Two Friends

One day, two friends were walking in a forest. As they knew the forest could be dangerous, they promised to remain close to avoid danger. Out of nowhere, a giant bear approached them. Out of the two friends, one quickly climbed up to a nearby tree leaving his friend behind. The left-behind friend did not know how to climb up so he used his brain. He lied there pretending to be dead. The bear visited the friend on the ground and tried to smell him. Considering him dead, the bear went another way. The second friend knew that bears do not touch dead creatures. The friend on the tree came down and asked his friend what the bear said to him. The second friend said that the bear advised him to never believe in fake friends. 

Moral: Always choose your friends wisely.

Conclusion

A short story with morals is definitely going to improve your kids for the better. It is important to develop the routine of story-telling in your kid’s life so that they can learn the functioning of the real world with a hint of imagination. With the help of a short story, you can help your child develop qualities like honesty, integrity, unity and patience. Read the above-mentioned short moral stories for kids to your children that are full of lessons, entertainment and imagination.