15 Short Moral Stories in English for Kids

Have you ever noticed the spark of wonder in your child’s eyes whenever they hear the magical words, “Once upon a time in a big jungle…”? Storytelling has a special way of capturing children’s hearts and minds, transporting them to a world where animals talk, kindness is rewarded, and every adventure has a lesson. Through moral stories, children learn various valuable life lessons in an exciting and memorable way. These tales help children understand values like kindness, courage, and friendship, encouraging them to grow into thoughtful, compassionate individuals. So, let’s dive into the world of storytelling with these 15 short moral stories in english for kids, where each story leaves a little wisdom behind!

Small Moral Stories in English for Kids

Here are some classic very short stories with morals for children explained in very simple language for children to understand and the takeaways of each story for boosting their imagination and overall development.

1. The Thirsty Crow

One hot summer day when there had been no rain for months and all the ponds and rivers had dried up. A thirsty crow was searching for water. At last, he spotted a pitcher of cool water in a garden and flew down to take a drink, but when he put his head into the neck of the picture, it was only half full, and the crow could not reach the water. 

The poor crow knew that if he did not get a drink, soon, he would die of thirst. He had to find some way of getting to the water in the picture as he looked around, wondering what to do. He saw some pebbles on the path and he had an idea, he picked up a pebble in his beak and dropped it into the pitcher. The water level rose a little. The bird got another pebble and dropped it in the water. A little more. The crow worked very hard, dropping more and more bubbles into the picture until the water was almost at the top, at last, the bird was able to reach the water, and he drank and drank until he could drink no more. His clever idea had saved his life.

Moral: 

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. This short story for children helps children understand the concept of resilience and smart work. Though the water in the pitcher was too shallow the crow did not give up by just looking at the difficulty of the situation. He used his abilities of quick thinking and came up with a plan that helped him quench his thirst. Dropping pebbles one by one into the pitcher also exhausted him but he did not stop until the water level rose.

2. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

There once lived a young shepherd boy who took his flock of sheep to the mountains for grazing every single day. One day he became bored and thought it would be funny to play a trick on the villagers. He cried out, “Wolf! Wolf! A wolf is attacking the sheep!” The boy cried so loud that the villagers got worried. They immediately ran towards the mountains to help him.

When they reached there, there was no wolf, just the boy laughing at them. The boy repeated this trick several times, each time fooling the villagers. But one day, a real wolf appeared. The boy got scared and started crying for help in fear.

“Wolf! Wolf! Please help!” But this time, none of the villagers came. The villagers thought that this might be one of the boy’s trick to fool them and none of them went to help him.

The wolf chased the sheep, and the boy learned a hard lesson.

Moral: 

This short story for children teaches your child a very important lesson that one should never lie. Lying can lead to a loss of trust. When someone repeatedly tells lies, others may stop believing them, even when they are telling the truth. This story teaches the importance of honesty and the consequences of deceit.

3. The Tortoise and the Bird

In a lush forest, there lived a tortoise. One day the tortoise was resting under a tree where he noticed that a bird’s nest. He wondered, “how can someone live here?” Around the same time the bird flew into the nest. The tortoise spoke to the bird mockingly, “What a shabby home you have! It is made of broken twigs, it has no roof and it looks crude. And the worst part is that you had to build yourself. I think my house, which is my shell is much better than your nest.”

The bird replied, I know it is crude, made of broken sticks, look shabby, but it is open to the nature. I built it with hard work and I like it.

The tortoise replied proudly, “I guess it’s like any other nest, but not better than mine. You must be jealous of my shell, though.”

“On the contrary, my home has space for family and friends; your shell cannot accommodate anyone other than you. Maybe you have a better house, but I have a better home,” said the bird happily.

Moral: 

The moral of the story is that a place of dwelling becomes home with people. It’s the relationships and the togetherness of people that fills it with love. It is more valuable than a luxurious place that only serves oneself. True happiness comes from sharing space and experiences with others, rather than from material comforts or appearances.

4. The Fox and the Grapes

One summer day, a fox was walking through a field when he saw a bunch of juicy grapes dangling high above his head. “I wish I could have some of those to quench my thirst,” he said to himself. But the grapes were out of reach. The fox stood on his back legs and stretched his neck as far as he could, but the grapes were still too high up, he took several steps backward, ran towards the grapevine, and took a giant leap, but he missed them. So the fox tried again from the other direction. He ran as fast as he could, and sprang into the air, but he missed them once more. Determined to get the delicious grapes, the fox jumped again and again.

Now he was even hotter and thirsty than before, and he still hadn’t managed to reach a single grape. Finally, the fox looked at the grapes with disgust. “I don’t know why I am wasting my time, trying to get those horrible grapes,” he said. “I’m sure they taste really sour!”

Moral: 

This short story for children teaches us is that it’s easy to despise what you cannot have. It teaches us about the tendency to belittle or dismiss things we desire but find out of reach, often as a way to cope with disappointment.

5. The Miser and His Gold

Once upon a time, there lived a man in a small town. The man was a miser. He used to collect all his earnings and spent very little. He loved his gold more than anything else. So he decided and buried all his gold in a secret spot in his garden. 

Each day, he would dig it up, count it, and then bury it again. One day, as per his daily ritual, the miser man was counting his gold, a thief saw everything. That same night the thief snuck into the garden, dug up the gold, and took it away. The miser was devastated. He started crying aloud.

Upon hearing his cries, the miser’s neighbour enquired, “What happened? why are you crying so loud? The miser told the neighbour that his golden treasure has been stolen.

“Why didn’t you keep the gold inside the house? It would have been easier for you to access it when you have to buy something, and it would have been ever difficult for the thief to steal it,” the neighbour asked.

“Buy something? I never use my money to buy anything. And I was never going to spend the gold that I had saved. The neighbour nodded his head in disbelief and replied, “If that was the case then probably you should’ve saved the stones instead, the gold was not worth saving anyway.”

Moral: 

This story teaches us that the true worth of wealth lies in how it’s used to improve one’s life or help others, rather than just being stored away. Wealth is meant to be used, not hoarded. Simply hoarding riches without benefiting from them brings no real value.

6. The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg

Once upon a time, there was a farmer who possess the most wonderful goose you can ever imagine. Every day when the farmer visited the nest, the goose had laid a beautiful glittering golden egg. The farmer took the eggs to the market and soon begin to get rich.

The farmer was getting richer and richer every day he began to become impatient. He was upset at the goose because she was yielding him only one golden egg per day. He was not getting rich fast enough. Then, one day, after he had finished counting his money, he got an idea. He thought, “What if I kill the goose and get all the golden eggs all at once?

The next day, when he went to fetch the golden egg, he killed the goose. But he could not find any more golden eggs and precious goose was dead too.

Moral:

The moral of the short story, The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg is that greed can lead to one’s downfall. The story teaches us to appreciate and be patient with steady gains rather than sacrificing long-term benefits for immediate but destructive rewards. By wanting more too quickly, one risks losing everything. 

7. The Ant and the Grasshopper

One sunny day, a family of ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine. Some carrying grains, while some drying them out in the sun. There also lived a grasshopper close to the green fields. The happy go lucky grasshopper, always spent his time singing and dancing in the garden. His friend was one of the ants who were collecting the grains. Even at the peak of summer, the ant carried food grains from the fields on her bag and kept storing them safely in her home. The grasshopper always made fun of the hard-working ant and kept on spending his days leisurely.

He often urged the ant to leave all the work and join him and singing and dancing. “Come on my friend,” he said. “Come join me in the fun, why are you struggling so much in the sun?”

“Not right now, the winter is coming and I need to be prepared for it,” the ant refused. She continued storing food supplies for the cold and harsh winters when it would be difficult for her to venture out. The grasshopper kept laughing at her and told her there was enough food for a lifetime. The ant, however, never stopped working throughout the summer.

One day, she stopped by the grasshopper and advised him to start storing food for the winter for himself. The grasshopper smiled, and said, “There’s lots of time right now all is fine.” Soon the seasons changed. Winter brought in freezing temperatures, and the grasshopper realised he had no food. He looked around to find some, but it was so cold that he could hardly move. Everything was covered with snow. Suddenly, he remembered his good friend, the ant. He quickly ran to the ant’s house and knocked. “Please let me in for I am cold, weak and hungry, my dear friend.”

The ant opened the door, but did not let him in. “What were you doing all last summer? Why haven’t you stored anything for the winter?” The grasshopper had no answer. He pleaded to the ant to provide him with some food, but the ant did not help him.

The grasshopper stayed hungry all winter. He learnt a very hard lesson.

Moral:

The moral of the story The Ant and the Grasshopper is the importance of planning and preparing for the future. While the ant works hard to store food for winter, the grasshopper, spends his time singing and relaxing, finds himself unprepared when tough times arrive. The story teaches us that hard work and foresight are essential to avoid hardships and ensures security. 

8. The Cows and the Tiger

Once upon a time, there lived a cow on a small farm. She used to go grazing in the forest with her three other friends. They were good friends and did everything together. They grazed together and stayed together because of which no tigers or lions were able to kill them for food.

One day they went grazing and they fought amongst themselves and decided to graze in four different directions. A tiger was lurking in the tall grass when all four were fighting, he saw everything and decided to take advantage of the situation. As the cows started to move in different directions, the tiger waited until the four of them were apart from each other. And when they were far enough, the tiger killed them all one by one. Nobody would have posed a harm to these cows, had they been together.

Moral:

Unity is strength. This story teaches us that working together and supporting one another is key to overcoming challenges and protecting ourselves from harm. When the cows stayed together, the tiger cannot harm them, but once they separate due to disagreements, they become vulnerable. 

9. The Fox and the Stork

In a big green jungle, there used to live a fox and a stork, they were both neighbours. The fox was very cunning and selfish. One day he invited his neighbour, the stork, to dinner at his house. The stork was surprised by the invitation, but happily accepted. That evening, the stork went to the fox’s home and knocked on the door with his long beak. The fox opened the door and invited the stork inside. The stark could smell the delicious soup that the fox had prepared.

The stork was very hungry. The fox kept the stork waiting for a long time so that the stork is hungry even more. Afterwards he served soup for dinner slyly in shallow bowls. Since it was a shallow bowl, it was easy for the fox to eat it all, but poor stork could not have any of it. The dish was too shallow for his long beak to drink the soup. The poor stork smiled politely and left hungry.

Determined to teach the fox a lesson, the stork invited the fox for dinner the following week. When the fox arrived at the stork’s house, he smelled something delicious cooking. The fox thought the stork is not as sly and cunning as he is. He thought the stork will not fool him. As he was thinking about the food the stork walked in with two large tall jars filled with stew. The fox was tempted, but as soon as he tried to taste the stew, his mouth got stuck in the neck of the bottle jar. The stork easily drank the stew by putting his large beak inside the jar and the fox could only lick the rim of the pot and sniff the food. Much as he didn’t want to, the fox had to admit, that he had been outsmarted and he had to go home with an empty stomach.

Moral:

The moral of the story The Fox and the Stork is to treat others as you wish to be treated. In the story, the fox plays a trick on the stork by serving food in shallow dishes, which the stork cannot eat. When the stork later serves food in a tall, narrow jar that the fox cannot reach, the fox learns the consequences of his actions. This teaches that thoughtfulness and respect for others go a long way, and being unkind or deceptive often backfires.

10. The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time, there lived a family of ducks on a farm. In the family nest, there were five little eggs and one big egg. One day, the five little eggs started to crack and five pretty yellow baby ducklings came out.

Then the big egg started to crack, and one big ugly duckling came out. “That’s strange!” thought the Mummy duck. 

None of the siblings played with him. “Go away,” they said. “You are ugly!”

Ugly duckling was sad, so he went to find some new friends.

“Go away!” said the sheep.

“Go away!” said the horse.

“Go away!” said the goose.

“Go away!” said the pig

No one wanted to be his friend. So the ugly duckling decided to leave the farm, he found an empty barn and started living there. He was cold, sad and alone.

And when it was spring, the ugly duckling left the barn and went back to the point. He was very thirsty and put his beak into the water. He saw a beautiful white bird. “Wow!” he said. “Who’s is that?”

“It’s you,” said another beautiful white bird.

“Me?” But I am an ugly duckling.

“Not anymore, you are a beautiful swan like me. Do you want to be my friend?”

“Yes.” The duckling was overjoyed.

And the two swans flew away as the other animals watched.

Moral:

This very short story teaches the lesson that true beauty and worth of someone comes from within and may take time to emerge. The story teaches us about patience, resilience, and self-acceptance, as the “ugly” duckling grows up to become a beautiful swan, realizing his uniqueness was a gift all along. It encourages us to embrace our differences and reminds us that everyone has their own journey to becoming their best self.

11. The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Once upon a time, there lived a clever wolf near a farm. The wolf wanted to eat the sheep on the farm. He used to watch them from some distance every day. He noticed that the sheep would follow anyone, and when they were alone, they just followed each other.

“Foolish sheep!” he thought and went to the farm to get the sheep to follow him away from the farm. But the sheep were not as stupid as the wolf thought them to be. They got scared by the wolf and started bleating. Hearing their cries, the shepherd and his son came running to rescue them, and the wolf had to run away.

After a few days the wolf came up with another plan and silently attacked one sheep and ran 

away with it. He ate the meat and save the sheep’s skin. He used it as a disguise to look like a sheep. The next day, he went to the farm and lured the sheep away from the farm and he succeeded. The sheep thought it was another sheep whom they all were following. They started following the wolf and went far away from the farm. They were so far that the shepherd could not hear them.

It was a day of celebration for the shepherds and the shepherd’s son wanted a mutton broth that day. He went out and picked the first big sheep he could find and killed it for the supper. The big sheep was none other than the wolf disguised as a sheep and this is how all the sheep got saved from the wolf.

Moral:

The moral of the story is that appearances can be deceiving, and those who seek to deceive others may have harmful intentions. It teaches the importance of looking beyond appearances to understand people’s true nature. The story warns us to be cautious and discerning, as someone pretending to be kind or harmless may, in reality, have a hidden agenda. 

12. Two Silly Goats

In a beautiful village, there was a large river that cut two big mountains. The village people had built a very small narrow bridge across the river to cross it. The bridge was so narrow that only one person could cross it at a time.

One day, two goats started approaching each other from the two different ends of the bridge. Since the bridge could only be used by one person at a time, both the goats could not have cross debt at the same time. They walked halfway on the bridge till they were face-to-face, waiting for the other one to turn back and let the other one cross. But neither of them was willing to do so.

“Move aside!” said the one goat to the other.

“No you move aside. Let me cross first.”

Both the goats soon started arguing, and the argument quickly turned into a fight.

The goats locked horns, and started fighting, fiercely. While fighting, they forgot about the bridge and no time, they lost their balance and fell into the river.

Some days later, a similar incident occurred with two other goats. However, this time the goats were wise, one of the goats laid down on the bridge while allowing the other to pass through the bridge. As soon as she passed the other goat stood up and crossed the river safely.

Moral:

This story carries the moral that when we cooperate and find a way to help each other, we can solve problems more easily and avoid unnecessary troubles. Working together is smarter than fighting. This lesson highlights the importance of teamwork and compromise, teaching children that collaboration often leads to better outcomes than conflict.

13. The Elephant and Friends

Once upon a time, there was an elephant, who wandered in a big forest. He was all alone and wanted to make friends. One day, when he was roaming around he met a monkey. “Will you be my friend,” he asked the monkey.

“You are too big to jump from tree to tree, branch to branch and have fun with us. So I can’t be your friend,” said the monkey.

The elephant than came across a rabbit and asked him to be his friend. The rabbit replied, “You are too big to fit in my small home. You cannot be my friend,” said the rabbit.

The elephant than met a frog and asked him the same question. “You are so big and heavy; you won’t be able to jump like me. So you can’t be my friend. The elephant felt bad and started walking and then he met a fox.

He asked the fox, “Will you be my friend?” The fox replied that, “You are too big to be my friend.” Disappointed the elephant walked back home with no friends. 

The next day he woke up hearing loud screams. He got out of his bed and opened the front door only to see all the animals running here and there in fear. The elephant stopped a monkey and asked what was happening and he came to know that a tiger was attacking all the animals of the jungle, and they were running to save their lives.

The elephant wanted to help the small animals and decided to go to the tiger.

“Please sir, don’t kill my friends. Leave them alone,” the elephant urged.

The tiger laughed and asked him to mind his own business.

There was no way the tiger could be stopped so the elephant kicked the tiger and scared him away.

When all the animals of the forest learned how the elephant saved their lives, the animals agreed to be friends with him.

Moral:

This very short story of true friendship with a moral teaches us that real friends are those who stand by us when it truly matters. Despite feeling lonely and being turned away because of his size, the elephant showed kindness and courage by protecting the other animals. In the end, they recognized his true value and accepted him as a friend. The story reminds children that friendship is beyond appearances or abilities and is about being there for your friends when they need you the most.

14. The Young Crab and His Mother 

One day, a young  crab and his mother were strolling along the sea shore. When they were walking, the mother crab noticed that her son was walking sideways, instead of straight.

“Son, why do you walk like that?” she asked. “You should walk forward, not sideways. It is much more graceful and proper.”

“But mother, how can I walk forward?” the young crab replied. “This is how you taught me to walk. This is how all of us walk.”

The mother crab realized that she had been walking sideways all her life, and never noticed it. She decided to try to walk forward, to set a good example for her son. But as soon as she lifted one claw and moved it forward, she lost her balance and fell. She kept trying again and again, but failed each time.

The young crab stood by his mother’s side and watched his mother’s attempts with amusement.

“Mother, you see that it is impossible for us to walk forward,” he said. “We are crabs, and this is how we are made. We should be proud of our sideways walk, and not try to imitate others who are different from us.”

The mother crab sighed and gave up. She realized that her son was right and they continued their walk along the shore, side by side, happy and content.

Moral:

The story of the young crab and his mother teaches the moral lesson that actions speak louder than words. This teaches children the importance of actions and how what they do can guide and inspire others.

15. The Lion and the Mouse:

One sunny afternoon, a big, strong lion lay sleeping in the jungle. Along came a tiny mouse, scampering over sticks and leaves, and by accident, he ran across the lion’s paw. The lion awoke with a loud roar and quickly caught the little mouse beneath his big paw.

“Please, mighty Lion, spare me!” squeaked the mouse. “If you let me go, I promise to repay your kindness one day!”

The lion laughed, thinking, “How could this tiny creature ever help me?” But he was feeling generous, so he lifted his paw and let the mouse go free.

A few days later, the lion was prowling the jungle when he was trapped in a hunter’s net. He struggled and roared, but the ropes held tight. The mouse heard his roars and rushed to his aid. “Don’t worry, dear Lion! I’ll help you!” The mouse began gnawing through the ropes with his sharp little teeth, and before long, the lion was free!

The lion looked down at his tiny friend in amazement and gratitude. “Thank you, little mouse. I see now that even the smallest friend can make a big difference.”

And from that day on, the lion and the mouse were friends for life, proving to everyone that kindness is always returned in unexpected ways.

Moral:

This very short story of kindness with a moral teaches children that no act of kindness is ever wasted. It shows that even small friends can make a big difference and reminds us that helping others often leads to unexpected rewards. Children learn that everyone has something valuable to offer, and treating others with kindness creates lasting friendships.

Benefits of Moral Stories for Children:

Moral stories play a vital role in shaping the overall development of a child. It not only helps them grasp the concept of how the world around them works but also boosts their imagination and thoughtfulness of a given situation. Here are some benefits of reading very short stories with morals to your children:

Emotional Development

Stories are full of characters and these characters help children understand and express their feelings by exploring characters’ emotions in various situations. Stories give children examples of how to handle challenges, process emotions, and empathize with others, which nurtures their emotional intelligence.

Social and Moral Development

The very basic concept of what is right and what is wrong comes to children through moral stories. They also learn kindness, respect, and responsibility. Their initial sense of ethics comes to them by observing the consequences of how the characters of a stories make their choices. This helps them understand how their actions impact themselves and others around them while fostering positive social values.

Cognitive Development

Listening to or reading stories engages children’s minds, expanding their vocabulary, comprehension, and reasoning skills. The sequence of events in stories helps develop memory and logical thinking, as your child connects actions with outcomes and predict endings.

Bonding and Learning

Storytime creates an opportunity for parents or educators to bond with children, reinforcing trust and comfort. Through shared discussions about stories, children not only learn life lessons but also feel connected, making the learning experience more meaningful and enjoyable.