If your child is old enough, it might be helpful to discuss a story in-depth after they finish reading it. Stories have power, and they can prove to be teachable moments. Moral stories such as the popular thirsty crow story or the greedy dog story in English can teach our kids important life lessons. These discussions also offer an opportunity for you to bond with your kids.
How Moral Stories Benefit Kids
There are plenty of moral stories in English rich with benefits for kids. They activate your child’s imagination, entertain them, and make them happy. Short moral stories are ideal for maintaining their attention and keeping them focused during the entire story.
However, the best moral stories in English teach your children universal truths. Reading the same moral stories to them repetitively will help them to familiarise themselves with the story and its moral lesson. The best part about moral stories is that they can teach your kid life lessons in a fun and easy way.
Short moral stories for kids are the best way to teach valuable life lessons to kids. It is a fun and easy way through which children can understand complex concepts. Short stories work well as they’re just long enough for your child to concentrate.
Moral Stories for Kids
1. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
There once was a boy who grew bored while watching over the village sheep. He wanted to make things more exciting. So, he yelled out that he saw a wolf chasing the sheep. All the villagers came running to drive the wolf away. However, they saw no wolf. The boy was amused, but the villagers were not. They told him not to do it again. Shortly after, he repeated this antic. The villagers came running again, only to find that he was lying. Later that day, the boy really sees a wolf sneaking amongst the flock. He jumped up and called out for help. But no one came this time because they thought he was still joking around. At sunset, the villagers looked for the boy. He had not returned with their sheep. They found him crying. He told them that there really was a wolf, and the entire flock was gone. An old man came to comfort him and told him that nobody would believe a liar even when they are being honest.
Moral: Lying breaks trust.
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2. The Golden Touch
The Greek king Midas did a good deed for a Satyr. This prompted Dionysus, the god of wine, to grant him a wish. Midas asked for everything he touched to turn to gold. Dionysus’ warned him not to do so, but Midas could not be swayed. Midas excitedly started touching everything and turning them into gold. Soon, he became hungry. But he couldn’t eat anything because even his food turned to gold. His beloved daughter saw him in distress and ran to hug him. However, she, too, turned to gold. He realised then the golden touch was not a blessing.
Moral: Greed leads one to downfall.
3. The Fox and the Grapes
A hungry fox once looked everywhere for food. He couldn’t find anything until he stumbled upon a farmer’s wall. He saw big, purple, juicy grapes. He jumped as high as possible to reach the grapes. No matter how many times he tried, he failed. Finally, he gave up and went home, thinking to himself that the grapes must have been sour anyway.
Moral: Nothing comes easy, do not hate what you can’t have.
4. The Proud Rose
In the desert existed a rose and a cactus. The beautiful rose would take every opportunity to insult the cactus. The other plants tried to defend the cactus, but the rose was too obsessed with its own looks. There was no water during a particularly hot summer. The rose started to wither away. But the cactus had become a source of water for sparrows. The rose asked the cactus for water, and the nice cactus readily agreed.
Moral: Never judge someone according to how they look.
5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Molly, the milkmaid’s job was to milk the cows and sell the milk at the market. She started thinking about the things she would spend her money on. While walking to the market, she spotted a chicken and thought that she could earn more money by buying a chicken and selling its eggs. She started to think how jealous she could make the other milkmaid with all the things she could buy from the milk and egg money. She started to skip in excitement, and soon the milk spilled over. She went home with empty pails and no money. Her mother then reminds her that she shouldn’t count her chicken until they hatch.
Moral: Do not depend on something until you are sure it will happen.
6. A Wise Old Owl
An old owl would observe incidents happening around his oak tree every day. The more things he saw, the less he would speak. He heard people talking and sharing stories as well. The old owl had seen so much and heard all kinds of stories. All of these experiences helped the owl to become wiser day by day.
Moral: Talk less and be more observant.
7. The Golden Egg
A farmer had a goose that laid one golden egg a day. He would sell the golden eggs, and they enjoyed a comfortable life. However, the farmer became greedy and wanted more than one egg a day. His wife foolishly agreed to his idea. The next day the farmer cut open the goose after it laid the golden egg. He could only find blood and guts. He realised his mistake. He now had no source of income, and the couple became poorer every day.
Moral: Think before you act.
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8. The Farmer and the Well
A farmer bought a well from his neighbour to water his farm. The neighbour sold him the well but did not allow him to draw water from it. The farmer went to the emperor for justice. His courtier questioned the neighbour, who said that he had sold the well but not the water within it. The neighbour was told to either pay rent for the water to remove it all immediately. Realising that his trick didn’t work, he apologised and went home.
Moral: Cheating will get you nowhere.
9. Elephant and Friends
A lonely elephant was looking for friends in the forest. The monkey declined to be the elephant’s friend because the elephant could not swing in the trees. The rabbit turned the elephant because it was too big to fit in the burrow. The frog refused to be the elephant’s friend because it could not jump. Every other animal said no to the poor elephant. The next day, all the animals in the forest were running away in fear. The elephant stopped a bear who said that the tiger was attacking them all. The elephant nicely asked the tiger to stop, but the tiger told the elephant to stay out of the way. The elephant proceeded to kick the tiger and scare it away. The other animals then realised that the elephant was the perfect size to be their friend.
Moral: Friends can be any shape or size.
10. When Adversity Knocks
There once was a girl who was frustrated with life and asked her father for advice. He asked her to bring an egg, two tea leaves, and a potato. He then started boiling water in three separate vessels. He put the egg, potato, and tea leaves in one vessel each. After a few minutes, he asked her to peel the egg and potato and strain the leaves. He explained to his daughter that:
- The soft egg was now hard.
- The hard potato was now soft.
- The tea had changed the water itself.
When adversity is at our door, we can respond to it in different ways.
Moral: We decide how to respond to difficult situations.
11. The Needle Tree
There were two brothers; the older one was always mean to the younger one. The older one would chop firewood in the forest and sell it in the market. One day, he stumbled across a magical tree. The tree begged him not to cut him down and promised him golden apples in exchange. The older brother felt disappointed with the number of apples he received. He decided to cut down the tree anyway, but the tree showered him with hundreds of needles. The boy was left lying on the forest ground in pain. His younger brother finally found him and carefully took out every needle. The older brother finally apologised for treating his brother badly. The magical tree saw this exchange. It decided to give them more golden apples.
Moral: Kindness will always be rewarded.
12. A Glass of Milk
There was a poor boy who would sell newspapers to pay for school. One day, he was ravenous and decided to ask for food at the next house he visited. Several people denied him food. However, a girl at one house offered him a glass of milk. She refused to take payment for it. After many years, this girl fell sick. No doctor wanted to help her. She decided to go to the best doctor in the town. The doctor spent months treating her, though she could not afford the service. When she received the hospital bill, it read ‘Paid in full, with a glass of milk.’
Moral: Good deeds are always rewarded.
13. The Ants and the Grasshopper
A family of ants was drying out the grain they had stored during the summer. A hungry grasshopper comes to them and asks for some food. They asked him why he had not saved any food for the winter. The grasshopper said he was too busy making music during the summer that he didn’t save any food. The ants had no sympathy for the grasshopper and went back to work. Can you guess the ant and grasshopper story moral?
Moral: There’s a time to work and a time to play.
14. The Bundle of Sticks
An old man had three sons. They were hard workers but always fought. He could never unite them. He then fell ill and asked his sons to unite. They paid him no heed. He decided to teach them a lesson to set aside their differences. He gave them a bundle of sticks and told them to break it into two. Whoever finishes first would win. They quickly did this and started fighting again. He then gave them another bundle of sticks and told them to break it as a bundle and not separately. Despite their best efforts, they could not do it. He told them it was easy to break the sticks individually. But if you stay united, no one can hurt you. They finally understood the value of unity.
Moral: There’s strength in unity.
15. The Bear and the Two Friends
Two friends were walking through the forest. Since it was dangerous, they promised to stay close to each other. They see a bear approaching them. One friend scurries up a tree, leaving the other one behind. The other friend decided to pretend to be dead. The bear approached him, smelled his ear and then left. The friend in the tree climbed down and asked the other friend what the bear had told him. He replies, “The bear simply advised against believing a false friend.”
Moral: True friends stick with you through all situations.
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16. The Miser and His Gold
Once, there was a miser who would hide all his gold under the stones in his garden. He never spent his gold, and without fail, he would count his coins before going to bed every day. One day a thief spotted him counting his coins. After the miser went to sleep, the thief stole all the gold. The next day, the miser saw that all his gold was missing and started wailing. His neighbours came running and asked him what had happened. The neighbours asked him why he didn’t keep the gold in the house since it would be easy to access inside. The mise revealed he never planned on spending the gold. The neighbours told him he might as well save his stones, as the unused gold was just as useless.
Moral: A possession is important only if you use it.
17. The Dog At the Well
On a farm lived a mother dog and her pups. The mother dog warned her pups to never play near the well. However, one curious puppy decided to peek over the well. He saw his own reflection in the well and assumed it was another dog. He started barking at his reflection as he thought the other dog was imitating him. He jumped into the well to fight the other puppy, only to realise that there was no other puppy. He kept on barking till the farmer came and saved him. The puppy never went back to the well again.
Moral: Heed the warnings of those who are wiser.
18. Controlling Anger
There was a young boy who could not control his anger. He would say whatever came to his mind, even if it hurts people. His father asked him to hammer in a nail in the backyard fence whenever he got angry. In the beginning, he used up a lot of nails. But as time went by, he started using less. The father then asked him to start removing a nail each day; he didn’t get angry. When he removed all the nails, the father asked him to see the holes in the fence. He reminded him that the fence would never be the same. Likewise, the things he had said to people could never be erased.
Moral: Anger leaves scars on people.
19. The Leap at Rhodes
There was a man who used to travel to foreign lands. He would only talk about his adventures and deeds. He claimed he had made a great leap in a city called Rhodes. He bragged about it to no end. One listener told him to prove it physically, and he could not.
Moral: It is the deed that counts.
20. The Wolf and the Sheep
There was a wolf who got injured while fighting a bear. He wasn’t able to get himself food or water. One day a sheep passed by him. He asked the sheep to get him water, so he had the strength to get solid food. The sheep quickly realised he was the solid food, said he would not get the wolf any water, and went away.
Moral: You can spot a person’s ulterior motives if you pay attention.
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21. The Tortoise And The Bird
A tortoise was resting under a tree. On this tree, a bird had built its nest. The tortoise mocked the bird for having a home built with broken twigs, which it had to build itself. He bragged about his own shell and said the bird must be jealous. The bird told the tortoise that its nest might be shabby, but it had space for its friends and family. At the same time, the tortoise’s shell could never accommodate anyone else except the tortoise himself.
Moral: A crowded hut is better than a lonely mansion.
22. The Cows And The Tiger
Four cows lived in a forest. They were good friends who did everything together. No other predators were able to kill them for food. One day, they fought and decided to graze in different directions. A tiger saw this and decided it would be easy to kill them now. The tiger hid in a bush and killed the cows one by one.
Moral: There is strength in numbers.
23. The Four Students
Four friends who hated studying partied all night before their exams. They asked the Dean to give them a second chance by lying about their whereabouts. They told the Dean they had gone to a wedding the night before, and on their way back, they had a flat tire, requiring them to push the car all the way back. The Dean agreed to let them take the test again. They studied hard for the exam. On the exam day, they were made to sit in separate classrooms and were given only two questions:
- Your name
- Which tire of the car burst: a) Front Left b) Front right c) Rear left d) Rear right
Moral: You may be smart, but there are smarter people than you.
24. The Stork and the Crab
There once was an old stork who could not catch fish anymore. As he grew hungrier, he devised a plan. He told the fish in the tank that the farmers would soon empty out the tank and grow crops there. He offered to take the distressed fish to a bigger tank further away. The fish happily agreed, but the stork would take them to a rock and kill them. There was also a crab in the tank who wished to be saved. The stork, thinking he could try some new food, agreed to take him. However, the crab quickly noticed the fish bones on the rock. He immediately dug his claws into the stork’s neck and killed him. He then went back to the old tank and informed the other fish.
Moral: A sharp mind is your greatest strength.
25. The Camel And The Baby
A baby camel once asked her mother why they had humps, round hooves, and long eyelashes. The mother explained that the humps could store water, the rounded hooves were to help them walk through the desert, and the long eyelashes protected their eyes from sand. The baby thought over this and then asked her mother if they have all these qualities for the desert, why are they in a zoo? The mother was dumbfounded.
Moral: Your strengths and skills are of no use in the wrong place.
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26. The Rabbit and the Partridge
A partridge could not find food near its home, so it travelled far away to some cornfields. It stayed there for a few days before returning home. Meanwhile, a rabbit had found the empty nest and made itself at home. When the partridge returned, they both fought over whose house it was. The other animals suggested going to a judge. They found a praying cat by the river and decided to ask for help. Seeing how the cat was praying, they trusted it. The cat heard them both out but asked them to come closer as he couldn’t hear well. When they got closer, the cat killed and ate them both.
Moral: Don’t trust strangers no matter how friendly they seem.
27. The Wolf And The Shepherds
One day a wolf was chased away for trying to steal some sheep from a farm. Later that week, the wolf returned to the farm, hoping to find food. He found that the farmer’s family was eating lamb roast. He was dismayed that he was chased off for wanting the same thing the farmer’s family had done.
Moral: We are quick to condemn others without realising our own faults.
28. The Young Crab And His Mother
One day, a young crab was trying to move. But, he could only move sideways. The mother admonishes him and tells him to walk forward by pointing his toes out front. The young crab says he doesn’t know how, so the mother gets up to show him. However, she cannot walk forward either. She realises how unfair she was being and apologises to him.
Moral: Do not condemn others for what you cannot do yourself.
29. The Other Side Of The Wall
There was a young woman who was fond of gardening. She took great care of her garden. One day she found a plant in a catalogue and decided she wanted to plant it. She planted it at the base of the stonewall in her garden. It quickly grew, but no flowers bloomed on the tree. She thought she would cut it down, but her neighbour called her and thanked her for the beautiful flowers blooming on its vines. She rushes over and realises that the vine had crept through the crevices of the stonewall. The flowers had bloomed generously on the other side.
Moral: You may not see the results, but that doesn’t mean your efforts bore no fruit.
30. The Wet Pants
There was once a young boy in school. He had wet his pants and was scared that his class would make fun of him. He noticed that the teacher and a classmate were walking towards him with a goldfish bowl. The young girl trips and drops the fishbowl in his lap. The rest of the classmates think it is her fault for wetting his pants. Later, he asks her if she did that on purpose. She tells him, “I wet my pants once too.”
Moral: We all have good and bad days. Your true friends will help you out.
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Tips on Making Storytime Interesting for Your Kids
While moral stories in English are important to share with your kids, it matters how you narrate them. To make the story less preachy and more engaging and fun for them, here is how you can do it:
- Read the story out in creative ways. You can adapt the persona of a character to catch their interest. You can use different voices for different characters or act out the scenes. Bringing life to the characters and acting out the different parts of the story will make the story fun and memorable for your child.
- If you are reading out from a book or using pictures, keep it in front of your kids. You can ask them to help you turn pages or to trace the words you are reading. This is a great way to bond while reading moral stories in English.
- After you finish reciting the story, discuss it with your children. You can ask them questions and discuss the moral at the end. This will help you to know if your child has picked up on the moral of the story. Asking them questions will also keep them engaged and promote their speech development. You can even share your own perspectives and explain the meaning to them. This can help them build their vocabulary.
- Ask your child to read along with you. You can both read the story aloud. This will encourage them to develop a reading habit while improving their reading skills.
- Take the story outside. You don’t necessarily need to sit at home or in their bedroom to read out a story. You can read it in the park, a garden, the terrace, or any outside space. This will give more depth to the story and make your kid enjoy it even more.
- Read the story at different times of the day and not just at bedtime. This will help you understand their attention span. If you know when they have the strongest attention span, you can read stories at that time.
Summing up on Moral Stories for Kids
Young children will learn about the world around them. They spend their childhood picking up social cues. They can become kinder individuals when you read different types of friendship moral stories in English to them. There are tons of moral stories in English you can find which will help their personality development. Take some time out in the day to spend with your child and read them these valuable moral stories in English.
