Baby stories in english
Bedtime Stories | Free 5 Min Bedtime Stories for Kids Online Bedtime Stories
The Classic fairytale of Cinderella: a young girl, mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters, who finds out that dreams really can come true.
The Classic Fairytale Story of Snow White with a Modern Twist: Who is the “fair”est of them all? Snow White of course!
A Bedtime Story of Honesty, Courage and Truth. If Pinocchio is to become a Real boy he needs to learn how to be honest, brave and true.
A Grimm’s Brother Tale: A miller tells a tale that his daughter can turn straw into gold. A strange little man is willing to help…for a price. Guess his name and he will be gone…but what is his name?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids. Goldilocks finds the three bears cottage in the woods. Should she make herself comfortable?
Hansel and Gretel Bedtime Stories for Kids. When Hansel and Gretel go in search of food, they find a gingerbread house. But who is inside?
A Story of Friendship, Love and Courage. Rapunzel’s Story ~ A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. An evil witch has trapped Rapunzel in a tower. Can her long hair or love save her?
A Story of Courage, Justice and Self-Awareness. Merlin the Magician places a magic sword in a stone…whomever can pull it out is the rightful king.
A Bedtime Story of Acceptance and Self-Awareness. A Mama Duck is proud when her six ducklings hatch from their eggs. But one duckling does not look like the others? Is he truly an Ugly Duckling?
The classic Brother’s Grimm fairytale that sparked the Disney adaptation.
A Story of Courage, Learning and Love. The Classic fairy tale: The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on shore and she makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human. But without her voice, how can the prince fall in love with her?
This Classic Folktale is adapted from the original story of “Aladdin” from The Arabian Nights. Aladdin, the Genie and the Magic Lamp work to impress the princess who wishes to be a commoner.
A Story of Courage, Kindness to Animals and Learning. The Classic Tale of a male deer, Bambi, his mother and his adventures learning in the woods.
A Story of Charity, Compassion and Justice, from England. Robin Hood takes part in an archery contest thrown by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Will he realize its a trap before it is too late? One of the many Tales of Robin Hood.
This is the Legend Tale of Maui the Demi-God from Moana. It is part of our Classic Bedtime Stories for Kids Collection. It has been adapted from the Tales of Maui as well as Disney’s version of Moana.
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. A toy rabbit learns that through a child’s love it can become real.
The Classic Tale of the Snow Queen: Gerda and Kai struggle to fight the Snow Queen and find the balance between Good and Evil.
The Classic Fairy Tale of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora has been cursed by Maleficent. When she pricks herself on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday, she is put into a deep sleep for 100 years.
Who can save her?
Bedtime Story for Kids: The Gift of the Magi, A Christmas Story. Della and Jim wish to give each other the perfect Christmas present, but how will they come up with the money?
A Bedtime Story of Friendship, Courage and Acceptance. . The story tells of the time Pocahontas saved the life of settler John Smith from her father, Powhatan.
A Cinderella Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic fairytale of Cinderella: a young girl, mistreated by her step-mother and step-sisters, who finds out that dreams really can come true.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic Fairytale Story of Snow White with a Modern Twist: Who is the “fair”est of them all? Snow White of course!
Pinocchio Story ~ Fairy Tale Bedtime Stories in English for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Honesty, Courage and Truth. If Pinocchio is to become a Real boy he needs to learn how to be honest, brave and true.
Beauty and the Beast Classic Tale ~ Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
The classic fairy tale of a beautiful woman and the monstrous beast.
Rumpelstiltskin ~ A Fairy Tale Bedtime Story for Kids
A Grimm’s Brother Tale: A miller tells a tale that his daughter can turn straw into gold. A strange little man is willing to help…for a price. Guess his name and he will be gone…but what is his name?
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
Goldilocks and the Three Bears ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids. Goldilocks finds the three bears cottage in the woods. Should she make herself comfortable?
Hansel and Gretel ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
Hansel and Gretel Bedtime Stories for Kids. When Hansel and Gretel go in search of food, they find a gingerbread house. But who is inside?
Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm ~ Bedtime Stories
A Story of Friendship, Love and Courage. Rapunzel’s Story ~ A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale.
An evil witch has trapped Rapunzel in a tower. Can her long hair or love save her?
The Sword in the Stone: a King Arthur Legend of the Sword Story
A Story of Courage, Justice and Self-Awareness. Merlin the Magician places a magic sword in a stone…whomever can pull it out is the rightful king.
The Ugly Duckling Story ~ Fairy Tale Story for Kids in English
A Bedtime Story of Acceptance and Self-Awareness. A Mama Duck is proud when her six ducklings hatch from their eggs. But one duckling does not look like the others? Is he truly an Ugly Duckling?
The Frog Prince: The Story of the Princess and the Frog ~ Bedtime Stories
The classic Brother’s Grimm fairytale that sparked the Disney adaptation.
The Little Mermaid Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids in English
A Story of Courage, Learning and Love. The Classic fairy tale: The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on shore and she makes a deal with the Sea Witch to become human.
But without her voice, how can the prince fall in love with her?
Aladdin and the Magic Lamp from The Arabian Nights ~ Bedtime Stories
This Classic Folktale is adapted from the original story of “Aladdin” from The Arabian Nights. Aladdin, the Genie and the Magic Lamp work to impress the princess who wishes to be a commoner.
Bambi Story: A Life in the Woods ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids in English
A Story of Courage, Kindness to Animals and Learning. The Classic Tale of a male deer, Bambi, his mother and his adventures learning in the woods.
Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow Story ~ Legend Stories for Kids
A Story of Charity, Compassion and Justice, from England. Robin Hood takes part in an archery contest thrown by the Sheriff of Nottingham. Will he realize its a trap before it is too late? One of the many Tales of Robin Hood.
Maui from Moana: Tales of the Demi-God ~ Legend Stories for Kids
This is the Legend Tale of Maui the Demi-God from Moana.
It is part of our Classic Bedtime Stories for Kids Collection. It has been adapted from the Tales of Maui as well as Disney’s version of Moana.
The Velveteen Rabbit Story ~ Bedtime English Story for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. A toy rabbit learns that through a child’s love it can become real.
The Snow Queen Fairy Tale Story ~Bedtime Story for Kids
The Classic Tale of the Snow Queen: Gerda and Kai struggle to fight the Snow Queen and find the balance between Good and Evil.
Sleeping Beauty Fairy Tale Story ~ Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Classic Fairy Tale of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora has been cursed by Maleficent. When she pricks herself on a spinning wheel on her 16th birthday, she is put into a deep sleep for 100 years. Who can save her?
The Gift of the Magi Story ~ A Holiday Story for Kids
Bedtime Story for Kids: The Gift of the Magi, A Christmas Story. Della and Jim wish to give each other the perfect Christmas present, but how will they come up with the money?
Pocahontas and John Smith Story ~ Folktales Stories for Kids
A Bedtime Story of Friendship, Courage and Acceptance.
. The story tells of the time Pocahontas saved the life of settler John Smith from her father, Powhatan.
The Emperor’s New Clothes Story ~ Bedtime Stories
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. The Emperor is fooled into believing he is wearing magic clothes which can’t be “seen”.
Mulan Story ~ Tale of Hua Mulan Bedtime Stories | English Story for Kids
A Bedtime Story in Simple English for Kids. Based on the “Ballad of Mulan” and Disney’s Mulan, this is a legend tale about a girl who goes in disguise as a boy and joins the army in her brother’s place.
Short Stories for Kids ~ Folk tales, Fairy Tales, Riddles, Legends, Poems
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More From Stories to Grow By
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Teaching Resources from Stories to Grow By
In addition to our bedtime stories, we also offer a multitude teaching resources! This includes over 100 free bedtime stories, fairy tales, folk tales, readers theater play scripts, and performance notes!
You will find the bedtime stories and the materials you need for your classroom with Stories to Grow By.
22 Short Moral Stories for Kids in English
There was a time when storybooks were the only means of entertainment for children. A decade or two ago, kids spent their time reading stories and role playing their favourite characters from the stories.
However, times have changed now – in the age of the internet; kids spend most of their time playing games on smartphones or watching cartoons or videos on YouTube.
Video: The Fox and the Stork Moral Story for Kids in English
But if you want your kids to take a break from screens and experience your childhood, you can read short stories to them. By narrating stories to your kids, you will impart wisdom and spend much-needed quality time with them. We have a collection of some popular short stories with moral values that you can read to your kids.
Also Read: Short Stories of Mahabharata for Kids with Moral Lessons
Video: Short Moral Stories for Kids – Part 1
Benefits of Moral Stories for Kids
Moral stories for kids benefit them in more ways than one can imagine. The following are the benefits:
1. Prepare kids for their role in society.
Moral stories help kids understand what’s right and what’s wrong. They impart a belief system which will help the child cope very well with whatever life has to offer.
2. Help kids become resilient.
Moral stories help the child navigate life’s ups and downs by imparting strong ethics and moral values to them. These stories act like guidelines to help the little ones make the right choices.
3. Counter bad influence.
Many children start picking up vices under peer pressure. Good values from moral stories help the child stay strong and not succumb to temptations.
Fun and Entertaining Short Moral Stories for Your Children
If you want to imbibe good habits in your kids from early on and watch them grow up to become good individuals, read moral stories to them.
Here are 22 children’s stories with moral values that you can read to your kids!
1. The Lion and the Mouse
A lion was once sleeping in the jungle when a mouse started running up and down his body just for fun. This disturbed the lion’s sleep, and he woke up quite angry. He was about to eat the mouse when the mouse desperately requested the lion to set him free. “I promise you, I will be of great help to you someday if you save me.” The lion laughed at the mouse’s confidence and let him go.
One day, a few hunters came into the forest and took the lion with them. They tied him up against a tree. The lion was struggling to get out and started to whimper. Soon, the mouse walked past and noticed the lion in trouble. Quickly, he ran and gnawed on the ropes to set the lion free. Both of them sped off into the jungle.
Moral of the Story
A small act of kindness can go a long way.
Also Read: Childhood Stories of Lord Krishna for Kids
2.
Count WiselyOne day, king Akbar asked a question in his court that left everyone in the courtroom puzzled. As they all tried to figure out the answer, Birbal walked in and asked what the matter was. They repeated the question to him.
The question was, “How many crows are there in the city?”
Birbal immediately smiled and went up to Akbar. He announced the answer; he said there were twenty-one thousand, five hundred and twenty-three crows in the city. When asked how he knew the answer, Birbal replied, “Ask your men to count the number of crows. If there are more, then the relatives of the crows must be visiting them from nearby cities. If there are fewer, then the crows from our city must be visiting their relatives who live 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.
Also Read: Fascinating Ramayana Stories for Children
3.
The Boy Who Cried WolfIn a village, lived a carefree boy with his father. The boy’s father told him that he was old enough to watch over the sheep while they graze in the fields. Every day, he had to take the sheep to the grassy fields and watch them as they graze. However, the boy was unhappy and didn’t want to take the sheep to the fields. He wanted to run and play, not watch the boring sheep graze in the field. So, he decided to have some fun. 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. When the villagers saw that there was no wolf, they left muttering under their breath about how the boy had wasted their time. The next day, the boy cried once more, “Wolf! Wolf!” and, again, the villagers rushed there to chase the wolf away.
The boy laughed at the fright he had caused. This time, the villagers left angrily. The third day, as the boy went up the small hill, he suddenly saw a wolf attacking his sheep.
He cried as hard as he could, “Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!”, but not a single villager came to help him. The villagers thought that he was trying to fool them again and did not come to rescue him or his sheep. The little boy lost many sheep that day, all because of his foolishness.
Moral of the Story
It is difficult to trust people who lie, so it’s important to always be truthful.
4. The Fox and the Stork
One day, a selfish fox invited a stork for dinner. Stork was very happy with the invitation – she reached the fox’s home on time and knocked at the door with her long beak. The fox took her to the dinner table and served some soup in shallow bowls for both of them. As the bowl was too shallow for the stork, she couldn’t have soup at all. But, the fox licked up his soup quickly.
The stork was angry and upset, but she didn’t show her anger and behaved politely. To teach a lesson to the fox, she then invited him for dinner the next day. She too served soup, but this time the soup was served in two tall narrow vases.
The stork devoured the soup from her vase, but the fox couldn’t drink any of it because of his narrow neck. The fox realised his mistake and went home famished.
A selfish act backfires sooner or later!
Also Read: Indian Mythological Stories for Kids
5. The Golden Touch
Once there lived a greedy man in a small town. He was very rich, and he loved gold and all things fancy. But he loved his daughter more than anything. One day, he chanced upon a fairy. The fairy’s hair was caught in a few tree branches. He helped her out, but as his greediness took over, he realised that he had an opportunity to become richer by asking for a wish in return (by helping her out). The fairy granted him a wish. 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 wish, all the while touching stones and pebbles and watching them convert 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 was devastated and started crying and trying to bring his daughter back to life. He realised his folly and spent the rest of his days searching for the fairy to take away his wish.
Moral of the Story
Greed will always lead to downfall.
6. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Patty, a milkmaid milked her cow and had two full pails of fresh, creamy milk. She put both pails of milk on a stick and set off to the market to sell the milk. As she took steps towards the market, her thoughts took steps towards wealth. On her way, she kept thinking about the money she would make from selling the milk. Then she thought about what she would do with that money.
She was talking to herself and said, “Once I get the money, I’ll buy a chicken. The chicken will lay eggs and I will get more chickens. They’ll all lay eggs, and I will sell them for more money.
Then, I’ll buy the house on the hill and everyone will envy me.” She was very happy that soon she would be very rich. With these happy thoughts, she marched ahead. But suddenly, she tripped and fell. Both the pails of the milk fell and all her dreams were shattered. The milk spilt onto the ground, and all Patty could do was cry. “No more dream,” she cried foolishly!
Moral of the Story
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
Also Read: Popular Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
7. When Adversity Knocks
This is a story that explains how adversity is met differently by different people. There was a girl named Asha who lived with her mother and father in a village. One day, her father assigned her a simple task. He took three vessels filled with boiling water. He placed an egg in one vessel, a potato in the second vessel, and some tea leaves in the third vessel. He asked Asha to keep an eye on the vessels for about ten to fifteen minutes while the three ingredients in three separate vessels boiled.
After the said time, he asked Asha to peel the potato and egg, and strain the tea leaves. Asha was left puzzled – she understood her father was trying to explain her something, but she didn’t know what it was.
Her father explained, “All three items were put in the same circumstances. See how they’ve responded differently.” He said that the potato turned soft, the egg turned hard, and the tea leaves changed the colour and taste of the water. He further said, “We are all like one of these items. When adversity calls, we respond exactly the way they do. Now, are you a potato, an egg, or tea leaves?”
Moral of the Story
We can choose how to respond to a difficult situation.
8. The Proud Rose
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful rose plant in a garden. One rose flower on the plant was proud of its beauty. However, it was disappointed that it was growing next to an ugly cactus. Every day, the rose would insult the cactus about its looks, but the cactus stayed quiet.
All the other plants in the garden tried to stop the rose from bullying the cactus, but the rose was too swayed by its own beauty to listen to anyone.
One summer, a well in the garden dried up and there was no water for the plants. The rose slowly began to wilt. The rose saw a sparrow dip its beak into the cactus for some water. The rose then felt ashamed for having made fun of the cactus all this time. But because it was in need of water, it went to ask the cactus if it could have some water. The kind cactus agreed, and they both got through summer as friends.
Moral of the Story
Never judge someone by the way they look.
Also Read: Bible Stories for Children
9. The Tale of the Pencil
A boy named Raj was upset because he had done poorly in his English test. He was sitting in his room when his grandmother came and comforted him. His grandmother sat beside him and gave him a pencil. Raj looked at his grandma puzzled, and said he didn’t deserve a pencil after his performance in the test.
His grandma explained, “You can learn 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.
10. The Crystal Ball
Nasir, a small boy, found a crystal ball behind the banyan tree of his garden. The tree told him that it would grant him a wish. He was very happy and he thought hard, but unfortunately, he could not come up with anything he wanted. So, he kept the crystal ball in his bag and waited until he could 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 riches and lots of gold, but could not make more than one wish. In the end, everyone was angry because no one could have everything they wanted. They became very unhappy and decided to ask Nasir for help. Nasir wished that everything would go back to how it was once – before the villagers had tried to satisfy their greed. The palaces and gold vanished and the villagers once again became happy and content.
Moral of the Story
Money and wealth do not always bring happiness.
11. A Bundle of Sticks
Once upon a time, three neighbours living in a village were having trouble with their crops. Each of the neighbours had one field, but the crops on their fields were infested with pests and were wilting. Every day, they would come up with different ideas to help their crops.
The first one tried using a scarecrow in his field, 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 the three farmers. He gave them each a stick and asked them to break it. The farmers could break them easily. He then gave them a bundle of three sticks, and again, asked them to break it. This time, the farmers struggled to break the sticks. The village head said, “Together, you are stronger and work better than you do it alone.” The farmers understood what the village head was saying. They pooled in their resources and got rid of the pests from their fields.
Moral of the Story
There is strength in unity.
12. The Ant and the Dove
On a hot scorching day of summer, an ant was walking around in search of water. After walking around for some time, she saw a river and was delighted to see it. She climbed up on a small rock to drink the water, but she slipped and fell into the river.
She was drowning but a dove who was sitting on a nearby tree helped her. Seeing the ant in trouble, the dove quickly dropped a leaf into the water. The ant moved towards the leaf and climbed up on it. The dove then carefully pulled the leaf out and placed it on the land. This way, the ant’s life was saved and she was forever indebted to the dove.
The ant and the dove became the best of friends and days passed happily. However, one day, a hunter arrived at the forest. He saw the beautiful dove sitting on the tree and aimed his gun at the dove. The ant, who was saved the dove saw this and bit on the heel of the hunter. He shouted from the pain and dropped the gun. The dove was alarmed by the voice of the hunter and realised what could have happened with him. He flew away!
Moral of the Story
A good deed never goes unrewarded.
13. The Fox and the Grapes
On a hot summer day, a fox wandered across the jungle in order to get some food. He was very hungry and desperately in search of food.
He searched everywhere, but couldn’t find anything that he could eat. His stomach was rumbling and his search continued. Soon he reached a vineyard which was laden with juicy grapes. The fox looked around to check if he was safe from the hunters. No one was around, so he decided to steal some grapes. He jumped high and high, but he couldn’t reach the grapes. The grapes were too high but he refused to give up. The fox jumped high in the air to catch the grapes in his mouth, but he missed. He tried once more but missed again. He tried a few more times, but couldn’t reach. It was getting dark and the fox was getting angry. His legs hurt, so he gave up in the end. Walking away, he said, “I’m sure the grapes were sour anyway.”
Moral of the Story
We pretend to hate something when we can’t have it.
14. The Ant and the Grasshopper
Once upon a time, 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, 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; days and nights became cold and very few creatures went out.
On a cold day of winter, a colony of ants was busy drying out some grains of corn. The half-dead grasshopper, cold and hungry, came up to the ant who was his friend and asked for a piece of corn. The ant replied, “We work day and night to collect and save up the corn so that we don’t die hungry on cold winter days. Why should we give it to you?” The ant further asked, “What were you doing last summer? You should have collected and stored some food. I told you as much before.”
The grasshopper said, “I was far too busying singing and sleeping.”
The ant replied, “You can sing all winter as far as I am concerned. You will not get anything from us.
” The ant had enough food to last through the winter, without any worries at all, but the grasshopper didn’t and he realised his mistake.
Moral of the Story
Make hay while the sun shines.
15. The Bear and Two Friends
One day, two best friends were walking on 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 in a jiffy. The other boy did not know how to climb the tree 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. After appearing to whisper something in the boy’s ear, the bear went on its way. The boy on the tree climbed down and asked his friend what the bear had 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.
16. Friends Forever
Once upon a time, there lived a mouse and a frog, who were the best of friends. Every morning, the frog would hop out of the pond to visit the mouse, who lived inside the hole of the tree. He would spend time with the mouse and go back home. One day, the frog realised that he was making too much of an effort to visit the mouse while the mouse never came to meet him at the pond. This made him angry, and he decided to make things right by forcefully taking him to his house.
When the mouse wasn’t looking, the frog tied a string to the mouse’s tail and tied the other end to his own leg, and hopped away. The mouse started getting dragged with him. Then, the frog jumped into the pond to swim. However, when he looked back, he saw that the mouse had started to drown and was struggling to breathe! The frog quickly untied the string from his tail and took him to the shore. Seeing the mouse with his eyes barely open made the frog very sad, and he immediately regretted pulling him into the pond.
Moral of the Story
Don’t take revenge because it can be harmful to you.
17. The Elephant and Her Friends
Once upon a time, a lone elephant made her way into a strange forest. It was new to her, and she was looking to make friends. She approached a monkey and said, “Hello, monkey! Would you like to be my friend?” The monkey said, “You are too big to swing like me, so I can’t be your friend.” The elephant then went to a rabbit and asked the same question. The rabbit said, “You are too big to fit in my burrow, so I can’t be your friend.” The elephant also went to the frog in the pond and asked the same question. The frog replied, “You are too heavy to jump as high as me, so I can’t be your friend.”
The elephant was really sad because she couldn’t make friends. Then, one day, she saw all the animals running deeper into the forest, and she asked a bear what the fuss was about. The bear said, “The lion is on the loose – they are running from him to save themselves.
” The elephant went up to the lion and said, “Please don’t hurt these innocent people. Please leave them alone.” The lion scoffed and asked the elephant to move aside. Then, the elephant got angry and pushed the lion with all her might, injuring him. All the other animals came out slowly and started to rejoice about the lion’s defeat. They went to the elephant and said to her, “You are just the right size to be our friend!”
Moral of the Story
A person’s size does not determine their worth.
18. The Woodcutter and the Golden Axe
There was once a woodcutter working hard in the forest, getting wood to sell for some food. As he was cutting a tree, his axe accidentally fell into the river. The river was deep and was flowing really fast – he lost his axe and could not find it again. He sat at the bank of the river and wept.
While he wept, the God of the river arose and asked him what had happened. The woodcutter told him the story. The God of the river offered to help him by looking for his axe.
He disappeared into the river and retrieved a golden axe, but the woodcutter said it was not his. He disappeared again and returned with a silver axe, but the woodcutter said that was not his either. The God disappeared into the water again and came back with an iron axe – the woodcutter smiled and said it was his. God was impressed with the woodcutter’s honesty and gifted him both the golden and silver axes.
Moral of the Story
Honesty is the best policy.
19. The Needle Tree
There lived two brothers near a forest. The elder one was very mean to the younger brother – he would finish all the food and wear all the new clothes of his younger brother. One day, the elder brother decided to go into the forest to get some firewood and sell it at the market. As he went around, chopping tree after tree, he stumbled upon a magical tree. The tree said, “Oh, kind sir, please do not cut my branches. If you spare me, I will give you golden apples.” He agreed but was left disappointed with the number of apples the tree gave him.
As greed overcame him, he threatened the tree to cut the entire trunk if it didn’t give him more apples. The magical tree, instead, showered upon the elder brother hundreds and hundreds of tiny needles. The elder brother lay on the ground, crying in pain, as the sun set.
The younger brother was worried, and so he searched for his elder brother. He found him lying in pain near the tree, with hundreds of needles on his body. He rushed to his brother and removed each needle lovingly and gently. After he finished, the elder brother apologised for treating him badly and promised to improve. The tree saw the change in the elder brother’s heart and gave them all the golden apples they would ever need.
Moral of the Story
It is important to be kind and gracious, as it will always be rewarded.
20. The Greedy Lion
On a hot day, a lion in the forest started feeling hungry. He was starting to hunt for his food when he found a hare roaming around alone. Instead of catching the hare, the lion let it go – “A small hare such as this can’t satisfy my hunger”, he said and scoffed.
Then, a beautiful deer passed by, and he decided to take his chances – he ran and ran behind the deer, but since he was weak because of hunger, he struggled to keep up with the deer’s speed. Tired and defeated, the lion went back to look for the hare to fill up his stomach for the time being, but it was gone. The lion was sad and remained hungry for a long time.
Moral of the Story
Greed is never a good thing.
21. The Goose and the Golden Eggs
Once upon a time, a farmer lived with his wife in their cottage. They had a goose who would lay one golden egg every day. The farmer and his wife were mighty pleased because of this. Every morning, the wife would set out with her basket to collect all the eggs from the hens and the goose. But over time, they started getting greedier. They wondered if the process could be speeded up. They were very upset that they were getting just one golden egg daily. They wondered that if the goose was laying golden eggs, its insides must surely be made of gold too! They imagined getting rich as they would get all the gold at once.
So, they caught hold of the poor bird and killed it. Alas, upon opening it, they didn’t find any gold, and the insides of the goose were like that of any other bird.
Think before you act.
22. The Greedy Dog
Once upon a time, there was a dog who was roaming around the village in search of food. He was a greedy dog and never satisfied with whatever he had. On one particular day, he managed to snatch a piece of bone from a butcher’s shop and ran away to eat it in peace. On the way, he came across a river. He was very curious, so holding the bone, he peeped into the river. He was astonished when he saw his reflection. But he thought that it was another dog with a bone. As this dog was greedy, he wanted that bone too. So he opened his mouth and started barking in the hopes that the other dog would get scared and leave his bone behind. But, as soon as he opened his mouth, his bone fell into the river and started floating away. The dog then got upset that in his greed to get the second bone, he lost his own bone.
Do not be greedy.
Tips on Making Storytime Interesting for Your Kids
No matter how good or engaging a story may be, how you recite it to your kids will make all the difference. If you want to make story sessions fun (and less preachy) for your kids, here are some tips on narrating stories.
- Be creative while you read the story to your child. Usually, the personality or character of the story catches a child’s interest the most. So use different voices for each character or act out various parts from the story to bring life to those characters. Acting out parts from the story will make story sessions fun and memorable for your kids.
- If you use books or pictures, lay them before your kids. You can ask them to turn the pages or trace the words as you read.
- Talk about the story after you’ve finished reciting it. Ask your children questions along the way and discuss the moral of the story in the end.
This way, you will also know if your children understood what happened in the story. Asking questions from time to time will keep children engaged and promote speech development in kids. You can also highlight new words in the story and tell their meanings to your kids – this will develop their vocabulary.
- Read aloud together with your kids. Ask your child to read with you. This will encourage your child’s reading habits and improve his reading skills.
- Take stories outdoors. You don’t have to sit on the bed with your kids while narrating a story to them – you can take the story beyond the four walls of your home. For instance, if you are reading a story on ‘fun in the park’, take your child to an amusement park, lay a blanket under the tree in that park, and read the story there. This will make the story more life-like, and your kid will enjoy it even more.
- Try reading stories at different times of the day.
Storytime need not always be bedtime. Try reading stories to your kids at different times of the day, like in the afternoon or evening, to understand your child’s attention span. Once you know the time when your child’s attention span is the highest, read stories to him during that time.
Make storytime fun and exciting with the above tips. These tips will help you leave an impact on your kids and make storytime the favourite part of their day. Also, read the above short moral stories to your kids – we are sure they will enjoy listening to these stories. Furthermore, these short stories with moral values will even teach your children some important lessons which they will always remember.
Also Read:
Interesting Bedtime Stories for Kids
Short Panchatantra Stories for Children
Inspirational Stories for Kids
Bedtime Princess Stories for Children
Stories in English for children and short stories for reading
Toddlers enjoy learning about the world around them, absorbing everything that happens in it.
Take advantage of this sincere curiosity and add English to your baby's environment by reading stories in English for children with him. Short English fairy tales will give the child the opportunity to get acquainted with the sound of the language, learn new words and phrases, learn to read and understand English. In today's material you will find easy and interesting children's stories in English with a translation of the text into Russian, as well as useful recommendations for conducting such classes. nine0003
Contents
- Learning English from fairy tales and stories
- Fairy tales and stories in English for children
- The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs
- The crocodile (Crocodile) The
boy cry “Wolf!” (The boy who shouted “Wolves!”)
Learning English from fairy tales and stories
Before you involve your child in reading in English, you need to carefully plan your lesson and select suitable materials.
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Children who are just starting to get acquainted with a foreign language are advised to take adapted literature in English for children. These fairy tales are reworked and simplified to a minimum: the text is written in short sentences, with frequently repeated words and bright auxiliary pictures.
Do not forget that a fairy tale for children in English must have a translation. Both you and your baby will feel more confident knowing that you can always check the correct meaning of the words. nine0003
To attract fidgets to read or listen to fairy tales, use game methods and your unlimited imagination. The main thing is to constantly interact with the child and not let him get bored. Look through beautiful pictures with your baby and play "questions and answers" ( who / what is it?), read the characters' lines in different voices, memorize new vocabulary together and try to build small dialogues.
It is not necessary to study children's stories and stories in English only in text format.
Combine all possible methods of learning a language: listen to audio versions of fairy tales recorded by native speakers, or get distracted by watching colorful and dynamic videos with the text of a fairy tale. nine0003
Having mastered all the above tips, let's move on to putting them into practice. The following are short stories in English with a parallel Russian translation.
Fairy tales and stories in English for children
The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs
| Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose. It was not an ordinary goose. This goose laid a golden egg every day. |
One day husband and wife was lucky to buy goose. This was no ordinary goose. This goose laid golden eggs every day.
It was a great luck! But the man and his wife soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough. |
Good luck smiled at them! But soon the husband and wife began to think that in this way they would not become prosperous rich for a long time. nine0032
| They imagined that if the bird must be able to lay golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. |
They imagined that since a bird lays golden eggs, then, for sure, it is all golden inside. And they decided that you can immediately get all the precious metal and get rich instantly.
| So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird. However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose! |
So the husband and wife decided to kill the bird. However, when butchering the goose, they were greatly surprised: from the inside, it was exactly the same as all birds like it!
The crocodile
| There was once a baby crocodile. He had a beautiful shiny tail. All the other crocodiles were jealous of him. nine0046 |
Once upon a time there was a little crocodile in the world. He had a very beautiful and shiny ponytail. The other crocodiles were terribly jealous of his beauty.
| One day the little baby crocodile counted all his beautiful shiny scales and there were a thousand. A lot more than he thought. |
Once a baby crocodile counted all his shiny scales, and there were a thousand of them. There were more of them than he had thought before. nine0032
He counted all the other crocodiles and there were twenty. He decided that he had many scales and could spare forty from his tummy. |
He counted other crocodiles. There were 20 in total. He decided that he had too many scales, and perhaps he could share 40 scales from his tummy.
| Even three weeks later there weren't any. nine0046 |
The crocodile made a wish before going to bed so that 40 scales would fall on the pillow. But this did not happen. They did not fall out even after three weeks.
| Then one day a magic crocodile granted him a wish. He wished for forty of his scales to be on his pillow. |
And then one fine day the crocodile wizard gave the kid one wish. He again wished for 40 scales to be on his pillow.
| He woke up. There were forty beautiful shiny scales on his pillow! He gave all twenty crocodiles, two scales each. From then on everybody was kind to the little baby crocodile. |
The crocodile woke up, and lo and behold! There were 40 shiny scales on the pillow.
He distributed them to 20 crocodiles: each 2 scales. Since then, everyone has become friends with a kind baby crocodile.
The boy who cried “Wolf!” (The boy who shouted "Wolves!")
| Once upon a time there lived a little boy. He lived in the village, and looked after sheep. But he was not a good boy because he often told lies. |
Once there was a little boy in the world. He lived in the village and watched the sheep. But he was not a very good boy because he often lied.
| He had a joke which he often played on the people. The boy ran down and cried out very loudly: Wolf! wolf! Help me anyone! There is a wolf!” nine0046 |
He had a joke that he often played with people.
The boy ran downstairs and shouted very loudly: Wolf! Wolf! Someone help me ! The wolf is here!
| The neighbors ran very fast to him because they wanted to save his life. But when they came the boy laughed at them. He was playing the same trick again and again. |
Neighbors quickly ran to him because they wanted to save the boy's life. But when they came, the tomboy laughed at them. He did this trick over and over again. nine0032
| Once upon a time there was a wonderful warm day. The boy was sleeping at the tree. Suddenly he heard a strange sound. The boy woke up and saw a big dark animal. It was a wolf. |
One day it was wonderful warm day. The boy was sleeping under a tree . Suddenly he heard strange sound.
The boy woke up and saw a large gray animal. It was a wolf.
| Now the boy is really alarmed. Aaaaa! – he cried. – Pray, anybody, do come and help me! Please! The wolf is running after me! |
Now the boy was really worried.
“Aaah!” he shouts. “I beg you, someone come and help me! Please! Wolf is chasing after with me!”
| But nobody came to save the boy this time. Because there is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth. When the boy didn't return home at night the people went to look for him. But they never found the boy. |
But this time no one came to save the boy. Because no one will believe a liar, even if he suddenly decides to tell the truth. When the boy did not return home at night, people went to look for him. But they never managed to find the boy.
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We hope that you found these stories and fairy tales in English useful for children. Good luck and see you soon!
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Short stories with morals in English for children
We offer you to get acquainted with three short stories in English that are useful for both adults and children to read. These stories are very instructive, at the end of each of them a moral is stated. For those who still find it difficult to translate even such simple texts, a translation is presented. Most likely, you have already heard similar fairy tales in Russian, so it will be easier for you to understand their meaning. nine0003
Content
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content.
An Ant passed by, bearing along with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling away?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at the present." nine0003
But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.
Then the Grasshopper knew..
MORAL : Work today and you can reap the benefits tomorrow.
Ant and a grasshopper
On a sunny day, a grasshopper jumped, chirped and sang to his heart's content on the field. An ant passed by, dragging a corncob with great effort to his home. nine0003
"Why don't you come up to me and have a chat," said the grasshopper, "instead of straining like that?" “I help to stock up for the winter,” said the ant, “I advise you to do the same.
” “Why worry about winter? - said the grasshopper, - We have a lot of food at the moment.
But the ant did his job and continued his hard work. When winter came, the grasshopper literally starved to see how the ants distribute corn and grain every day from their stores, which they collected in the summer. nine0323 Then the grasshopper understood...
Moral : Work today and you can reap the benefits tomorrow.
The Lion and the Mouse
Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.
Pardon, O King! cried the little Mouse, “Forgive me this time. I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, but I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days?” nine0003
The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.
Sometime later a few hunters captured the King and tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.
Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, ran up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse, very happy to help the Lion. nine0003
MORAL : Little friends may prove great friends.
Lion and mouse
Once, when the lion fell asleep, a little mouse started running over him. Soon he woke the lion, who caught him with his huge paw and opened his jaw to swallow him.
“Excuse me, O king! sobbed the little mouse, “Forgive me this time. This will never happen again and I will never forget your kindness. And who knows, maybe one day I can also do something good for you.” nine0003
The lion was so amused at the idea that the little mouse could help him in some way that he raised his paw and let him go.
A few days later, the hunters caught the king and tied him to a tree while looking for a wagon to place him in.
Just then it happened that a little mouse ran past, he saw the predicament in which the lion was, ran up to him and quickly gnawed through the ropes that tied the king of beasts. "Wasn't I right?" - said the mouse, joyful because he helped the lion. nine0003
Moral : Little friends can be great friends.
The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs
Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough.
They imagined that if the bird must be able to lay golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.
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However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose!
MORAL : Think before you act.
The Goose That Laid Golden Eggs
One day a man and his wife were lucky enough to have a goose that laid a golden egg every day. Despite such great luck, they soon began to think that this way they would not get rich fast enough.
They imagined that if a bird could lay golden eggs, then its insides must also be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all this precious metal at once, then very soon they would become extremely rich. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird. nine0003
However, when they cut open the goose, they discovered with great shock that its insides were the same as any other goose.
Moral : Think before you act.
If you liked these stories, you can read another interesting tale about the Sultan in English.
