40 Best Moral Stories In English For Kids

Who doesn't love stories? Good stories are the foundation for building moral values and developing our kid's personality. Stories not only just inspire them but also educate them, which results in their behaviour. Being a parent, we have to teach our children the best life lessons in a fun manner so that it builds their character and gives them the right foundation of thoughts and mindset. In this path, moral stories play an important role, as these stories spark imagination and deliver important life lessons in a way that is easy to understand and fun.

In this blog post today, we will cover 40 short stories that you can read with your child and brainstorm on the stories for learning and building strong bonds. Just grab a comfy seat, a cup of tea, and let’s dive into the story world.

Why Are Moral Stories Important for Kids?

Before you start to read the stories, discuss quickly with your child why these stories are important for them. Moral stories aren’t just for entertainment (though they’re super fun, too!) as they provide life lessons in an easy-to-understand way. These stories help build positive character and a strong mindset. Now, let’s get started and make this time more special.

Top 40 Moral Stories for Kids:

1. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

A boy in the village keeps calling for help from people for fun, claiming a wolf is after his sheep. Slowly no one believes him any more as he broke the trust of people, one day a real wolf shows up. He again called the villagers for help, but no one came, thinking that again he is lying. And making him lose the life of his sheep. He cries so much for all the things he did in the past and when he was in actual trouble no one came to help him. 

Moral: Don’t lie, otherwise you will break the trust, and people won’t believe you when you tell the truth.

2. The Golden Touch

Once upon a time there was a king Midas, he gets a wish fulfilled that everything he touches can turn into gold - anything. After getting this power his greed started to rise everything he touched become of gold, after some time this wish became a curse, as he couldn’t eat and touch or hug his loved ones. Making him understand that his greed made him not get happiness from life.

Moral: Greed can bring disaster, so be grateful for what you have.

3. The Fox and the Grapes

A hungry fox tries and fails to reach a bunch of grapes hanging high on a vine. He thinks about them as he is hungry, but as he is unable to reach them, he decides to walk away, convinced they were sour anyway.

Moral: Don’t despise what you can’t have.

4. The Proud Rose

A beautiful rose in the desert mocks a cactus for being unattractive. He always used to make fun of him and pass negative comments on his appearance. When water becomes scarce and every plant is in trouble, the rose realizes that the cactus is providing life to others, while it stays dry.

Moral: Don’t judge others by their appearance.

5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail

Molly the milkmaid dreams of all the things she will buy with the money from selling milk all day, but when she daydreams too much, she spills the milk by mistake. 

Moral: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

6. A Wise Old Owl

An old owl spends his days quietly observing the world. Understanding the changes and what’s beautiful happening in the world daily. The more he sees, the less he speaks, becoming wiser with each day. 

Moral: Speak less, observe more.

7. The Golden Egg

A farmer’s goose lays golden eggs every day, giving him eggs daily, but when the enemy of the farmer suggested he cut the hen and get all the eggs once easily instead of waiting to get one egg every day, he gets greedy. After listening to him, and he decides and cuts the hen and opens it for more, he loses everything. 

Moral: Don’t be greedy, be grateful for what you have.

8. The Wolf and the Sheep

A wounded wolf tricks a sheep into bringing him water and takes him near to the pond, but the sheep sees through his plan and gets aware of the wolf’s plan seeing in water the wolf is coming to attack him, and saves her life. 

Moral: Always be cautious and watch for ulterior motives.

9. The Tortoise and the Hare

A fast hare mocks the slow tortoise and challenges him to a race. The hare gets overconfident and naps during the race, while the tortoise keeps moving steadily and wins due to his consistent efforts. 

Moral: Consistent efforts win.

10. The Cows and the Tiger

There was a hungry tiger who wanted to eat cows in a village. Suddenly one day he found a group of 4 cows, but he was unable to eat them as they always stayed in a group. Four cows were safe from the tiger when they stayed together. One day they started fighting with each other for food and went their separate ways, the tiger found the opportunity and started easily catching them one by one. 

Moral: Unity is strength.

11. The Fox and the Crow

A hungry crow finds a piece of cheese nearby. A fox sees him, and as he was also hungry, he uses his clear mind, and the fox flatters him into singing, causing him to drop the cheese, and the fox grabs the cheese and runs away. 

Moral: Don’t let flattery fool you.

12. The Dog and the Bone

A dog carrying a bone in his mouth sees his reflection in the water and tries to eat the bone showing in the, water which was his reflection, and he tries to grab the bone in the reflection, losing both. 

Moral: Don’t be greedy.

13. The Lion and the Mouse

A lion lets a tiny mouse go free, and the lion used to make fun of the mouse as he was small and did not have power like the lion and later, when the lion is trapped in a net, the mouse comes to his rescue and saves the life of the lion. 

Moral: Everyone have their own strength.

14. The Ant and the Grasshopper

While the ant works hard to store food for the winter with a lot of daily hard work, the grasshopper sings and plays and basically enjoys his life. When winter comes, the grasshopper has nothing to eat and survive on, while the ant is well-prepared. 

Moral: Work hard and plan for the future.

15. The Boy and the Filberts

A boy reaches into a jar for filberts, but when he grabs too many, his hand gets stuck and here was no one to help him. And after sometime he’s forced to let go of someone to free himself. 

Moral: Don’t be greedy.

16. The Lion and the Three Bulls

Three bulls are friends and stay together. Everyone is scared of them in the jungle, but when they fight with each other, a lion takes advantage of their division and eats them one by one. 

Moral: Stay united.

17. The Farmer and the Stork

Once upon a time in a jungle there was a group of birds, seeing them a stork also decides to join them and enjoy. After sometime a farmer traps some birds, including a stork. When the stork asks for mercy, the farmer tells him he is guilty by association. 

Moral: Choose your company wisely.

18. The Brave Little Parrot

A forest caught fire, and all the animals ran away. But one little parrot decided to help. She flew to a river, carried drops of water in her wings, and dropped them on the fire. Seeing her bravery, the gods sent rain to put out the fire. 

Moral: Even small actions can make a big difference.

19. The Two Frogs

Two frogs fall into a jar of milk. One gives up, but the other keeps kicking until the milk turns to butter, allowing him to escape through his consistent efforts. 

Moral: Never give up.

20. The Crow and the Pitcher

A thirsty crow finds a pitcher with water at the bottom. He was optimistic. Instead of giving up, he comes up with an idea to drop pebbles into it until the water rises enough for him to drink. 

Moral: Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

21. The Foolish Crow

A crow admired a peacock’s feathers as he looked so beautiful and had multiple colours and he thinked to abandoned its own and change with peackcock feathers, only to regret it as everyone made fun on him. 

Moral: Appreciate your uniqueness.

22. The Tiger and the Cows

In a village there used to be a group of crows they always used to team up and unite. The cows were safe from the tiger, but due to an argument they divided all, they fell prey. 

Moral: Strength lies in unity.

23. The Camel and the Tent

A camel, once allowed to poke its nose into a tent as it had wanted to do for so long, eventually took over the tent, causing the owner trouble the whole night. 

Moral: Nip problems in the bud.

24. The Mouse and the Frog

A mouse and frog tied themselves together, thinking that they were the same, but when they started to walk together a little far, they fell victim to their differences.

Moral: Partnerships require understanding.

25. The Lazy Farmer

A farmer relied on luck for the whole season for farming and just prayed instead of putting in effort and suffered losses at the time when a full year passed. 

Moral: Hard work is the key to success.

26. The Peacock and the Crane

A peacock mocked a crane’s plain feathers, but the crane valued its ability to fly. Both were unsatisfied with what they had been gifted from God. 

Moral: Inner qualities matter more than looks.

27. The Young Crab and His Mother

A mother crab advised her child to walk straight, but she couldn’t do so herself, and her child was mimicking what she was doing. 

Moral: Practice what you preach.

28. The Clever Goat

There was a goat in a jungle, but he was scared of all the predators. The goat got somehow trapped in a well, by using his brain he tricked a wolf into rescuing him and escaped out of the situation.

Moral: Use wit to overcome danger.

29. The Miser and His Gold 

A miser hid very rare gold jewellery he never used in his entire life when he was old. It was stolen by a thief after he cried a lot. 

Moral: Wealth is useless unless used wisely.

30. The Bell and the Cat 

Mice decided to bell a cat so that they all would get to know that the cat is coming to attack them, and he motivated every mouse in his group and made everyone agree but hesitated on who would do it. 

Moral: Actions speak louder than words.

31. The Lame and the Blind 

One day a lame man and a blind man got stuck in a hole in a jungle, but with their will and brain, they decided to use their strengths and planned that the blind man would carry the lame man on his shoulders, and they successfully escaped danger. 

Moral: Cooperation benefits all. 

32. The Two Frogs 

Two frogs got trapped in a hole; both were afraid. How will they get out and go to their family waiting for them outside. They tried for some time and couldn't do anything. One frog gave up on the situation, the other frog tried until he achieved success. One frog adapted to survive in changing conditions and got out of the hole, while the other gave up. 

Moral: Adaptability is key to survival. 

33. The Honest Woodcutter 

A woodcutter’s honesty earned him rewards from the god. The woodcutter was rewarded with both silver and golden axes for his honesty.

Moral: Honesty is the best policy.

34. The Two Goats

Two goats met on a narrow bridge one day. Neither wanted to step back and let the other pass, as they both think that they are special. They both kept pushing each other forward until they lost their balance and fell into the river. 

Moral: It’s better to compromise than to fight.

35. The Broken Pot

A water carrier had two pots, but one had a crack on it. Every time he carried water, some would leak out from that crack. The cracked pot felt bad about itself until it realized the spilled water had helped flowers grow along the path leading to a greener area, adding beauty to the carrier’s journey.

Moral: Our flaws can sometimes create beautiful outcomes.

36. The Clever Crow and the Snake

A snake kept eating a crow’s eggs secretly. The crow used to cry as her eggs were getting missed every time, one day she noticed a snake eating her eggs. The crow used her brain and found a shiny necklace and dropped it near the snake’s hole. When people came to find their necklace, they caught the snake, and the crow’s eggs were safe for a lifetime.

Moral: Smart thinking can solve even big problems.

37. The Wise Judge

In a village, there were two brothers fighting for gummies. One said we will eat all, and the second brother said he is open to sharing but not all. A judge resolved a dispute by being impartial and thoughtful. 

Moral: Fairness leads to justice.

38. The Fisherman and the Fish

There was a fisherman in a village who used to catch fish daily from the pond. One day he thinks that fish take time to grow, as he was getting all small fish. A fisherman let a small fish go, realizing it would grow bigger, and he would catch a few at a time. 

Moral: Patience pays off.

39. The Two Travellers and the Bear

There were two best friends who decided to go for tracking in a jungle. They were very confident. Suddenly they saw a bear coming their way, they both got scared, and one friend abandoned the other when a bear appeared, revealing his cowardice.

Moral: True friends stay by your side in tough times.

40. The Hunter and the Pigeon

One day, a hunter caught a pigeon in a net, but the pigeon didn’t panic and stayed calm. She calmly asked the hunter to let her go, as her small kids were waiting for her, promising she’d show her gratitude. The hunter was touched by her kind words and freed her.

Moral: Kindness and trust can melt even the toughest hearts.

How to Make Story Time Fun for Your Kids

Now that you’ve got some great stories to share, let’s talk about how to make the experience even better for your child.

• Ask questions: After each story, ask your child what they think the lesson is. This encourages discussion and helps them understand the story.
• Read together: Share the reading experience. Your child can read along with you, and it’s a great way to bond.
• Take it outside: Change up the scenery. Reading in the park or the backyard can make the experience feel special, or even on the terrace.

Summary

Moral stories are the best way to get kids engaged and learn in a fun and interactive way by making them learn without them knowing. It’s more about understanding your kid's character, and sharing stories that match with that character can make them connect and learn fast and understand their taste, value, and belief so that you can become the best storyteller mother or father.

By sharing these amazing 40 moral stories with your child, you will make them engaged and help in boosting their creativity. You can turn story time into a fun and meaningful activity that strengthens your bond with your child.