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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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You will find the bedtime stories and the materials you need for your classroom with Stories to Grow By.
20 Best Short Moral Stories for Kids (Valuable Lessons)
Want to expand your children’s vocabulary? Read to them. That’s all it takes — and there are other benefits to reading aloud to young children as well.
Reading to older children offers a great method to teach them life lessons in a way that they’ll understand. And it’s easier than ever to find these moral stories to read.
There is a large selection of short moral stories for kids online. They range from the classics like The Boy Who Cried Wolf, to somber ones talking about greed. To help you out, we’ve gathered a selection of the most 20 popular stories.
Table of Contents
- 20 Short Moral Stories For Kids
- How Moral Stories Benefit Children
- The Takeaway
20 Short Moral Stories For Kids
1. The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Moral
Lying breaks trust — even if you’re telling the truth, no one believes a liar.
Once, there was a boy who became bored when he watched over the village sheep grazing on the hillside. To entertain himself, he sang out, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!”
When the villagers heard the cry, they came running up the hill to drive the wolf away.
But, when they arrived, they saw no wolf. The boy was amused when seeing their angry faces.
“Don’t scream wolf, boy,” warned the villagers, “when there is no wolf!” They angrily went back down the hill.
Later, the shepherd boy cried out once again, “Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!” To his amusement, he looked on as the villagers came running up the hill to scare the wolf away.
As they saw there was no wolf, they said strictly, “Save your frightened cry for when there really is a wolf! Don’t cry ‘wolf’ when there is no wolf!” But the boy grinned at their words while they walked grumbling down the hill once more.
Later, the boy saw a real wolf sneaking around his flock. Alarmed, he jumped on his feet and cried out as loud as he could, “Wolf! Wolf!” But the villagers thought he was fooling them again, and so they didn’t come to help.
At sunset, the villagers went looking for the boy who hadn’t returned with their sheep. When they went up the hill, they found him weeping.
“There really was a wolf here! The flock is gone! I cried out, ‘Wolf!’ but you didn’t come,” he wailed.
An old man went to comfort the boy. As he put his arm around him, he said, “Nobody believes a liar, even when he is telling the truth!”
2. The Golden Touch
The Moral
Greed will always lead to downfall.
There once was a king named Midas who did a good deed for a Satyr. And he was then granted a wish by Dionysus, the god of wine.
For his wish, Midas asked that whatever he touched would turn to gold. Despite Dionysus’ efforts to prevent it, Midas pleaded that this was a fantastic wish, and so, it was bestowed.
Excited about his newly-earned powers, Midas started touching all kinds of things, turning each item into pure gold.
But soon, Midas became hungry. As he picked up a piece of food, he found he couldn’t eat it. It had turned to gold in his hand.
Hungry, Midas groaned, “I’ll starve! Perhaps this was not such an excellent wish after all!”
Seeing his dismay, Midas’ beloved daughter threw her arms around him to comfort him, and she, too, turned to gold.
“The golden touch is no blessing,” Midas cried.
3. The Fox and the Grapes
The Moral
Never despise what we can’t have; nothing comes easy.
One day, a fox became very hungry as he went to search for some food. He searched high and low, but couldn’t find something that he could eat.
Finally, as his stomach rumbled, he stumbled upon a farmer’s wall. At the top of the wall, he saw the biggest, juiciest grapes he’d ever seen. They had a rich, purple color, telling the fox they were ready to be eaten.
To reach the grapes, the fox had to jump high in the air. As he jumped, he opened his mouth to catch the grapes, but he missed. The fox tried again but missed yet again.
He tried a few more times but kept failing.
Finally, the fox decided it was time to give up and go home. While he walked away, he muttered, “I’m sure the grapes were sour anyway.”
4. The Proud Rose
The Moral
Never judge anyone by the way they look.
Once upon a time, in a desert far away, there was a rose who was so proud of her beautiful looks. Her only complaint was growing next to an ugly cactus.
Every day, the beautiful rose would insult and mock the cactus on his looks, all while the cactus remained quiet. All the other plants nearby tried to make the rose see sense, but she was too swayed by her own looks.
One scorching summer, the desert became dry, and there was no water left for the plants. The rose quickly began to wilt. Her beautiful petals dried up, losing their lush color.
Looking to the cactus, she saw a sparrow dip his beak into the cactus to drink some water. Though ashamed, the rose asked the cactus if she could have some water. The kind cactus readily agreed, helping them both through the tough summer, as friends.
5. The Milkmaid and Her Pail
The Moral
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
One day, Molly the milkmaid had filled her pails with milk.
Her job was to milk the cows, and then bring the milk to the market to sell. Molly loved to think about what to spend her money on.
As she filled the pails with milk and went to market, she again thought of all the things she wanted to buy. As she walked along the road, she thought of buying a cake and a basket full of fresh strawberries.
A little further down the road, she spotted a chicken. She thought, “With the money I get from today, I’m going to buy a chicken of my own. That chicken will lay eggs, then I will be able to sell milk and eggs and get more money!”
She continued, “With more money, I will be able to buy a fancy dress and make all the other milkmaids jealous.” Out of excitement, Molly started skipping, forgetting about the milk in her pails. Soon, the milk started spilling over the edges, covering Molly.
Drenched, Molly said to herself, “Oh no! I will never have enough money to buy a chicken now.” She went home with her empty pails.
“Oh, my goodness! What happened to you?” Molly’s mother asked.
“I was too busy dreaming about all the things I wanted to buy that I forgot about the pails,” she answered.
“Oh, Molly, my dear. How many times do I need to say, ‘Don’t count your chickens until they hatch?’”
6. A Wise Old Owl
The Moral
Be more observant. Talk less and listen more. This will make us wise.
There was an old owl who lived in an oak tree. Every day, he observed incidents that occurred around him.
Yesterday, he watched as a young boy helped an old man carry a heavy basket. Today, he saw a young girl shouting at her mother. The more he saw, the less he spoke.
As the days went on, he spoke less but heard more. The old owl heard people talking and telling stories.
He heard a woman saying an elephant jumped over a fence. He heard a man saying that he had never made a mistake.
The old owl had seen and heard what happened to people. There were some who became better, some who became worse. But the old owl in the tree had become wiser, each and every day.
7. The Golden Egg
The Moral
Never act before you think.
Once upon a time, a farmer had a goose that laid one golden egg every day. The egg provided enough money for the farmer and his wife to support their daily needs. The farmer and his wife continued to be happy for a long time.
But, one day, the farmer thought to himself, “Why should we take just one egg a day? Why can’t we take them all at once and make a lot of money?” The farmer told his wife his idea, and she foolishly agreed.
Then, the next day, as the goose laid its golden egg, the farmer was quick with a sharp knife. He killed the goose and cut its stomach open, in the hopes of finding all its golden eggs. But, as he opened the stomach, the only thing he found was guts and blood.
The farmer quickly realized his foolish mistake and proceeded to cry over his lost resource. As the days went on, the farmer and his wife became poorer and poorer. How jinxed and how foolish they were.
8. The Farmer and the Well
The Moral
Cheating will not get you anything. If you cheat, you’ll pay soon enough.
One day, a farmer was looking for a water source for his farm, when he bought a well from his neighbor. The neighbor, however, was cunning. The next day, as the farmer came to draw water from his well, the neighbor refused to let him take any water.
When the farmer asked why, the neighbor replied, “I sold you the well, not the water,” and walked away. Distraught, the farmer went to the emperor to ask for justice. He explained what had happened.
The emperor called on Birbal, one of his nine, and wisest, courtiers. Birbal proceeded to question the neighbor, “Why don’t you let the farmer take water from the well? You did sell the well to the farmer?”
The neighbor replied, “Birbal, I did sell the well to the farmer but not the water within it. He has no right to draw water from the well.”
Birbal said, “Look, since you sold the well, you have no right to keep the water in the farmer’s well.
Either you pay rent to the farmer, or take it out immediately.” Realizing that his scheme had failed, the neighbor apologized and went home.
9. Elephant and Friends
The Moral
Friends come in every shape and size.
A lone elephant walked through the forest, looking for friends. She soon saw a monkey and proceeded to ask, ‘Can we be friends, monkey?’
The monkey quickly replied, ‘You are big and can’t swing on trees like I do, so I cannot be your friend.’
Defeated, the elephant continued to search when it stumbled across a rabbit. She proceeded to ask him, ‘Can we be friends, rabbit?’
The rabbit looked at the elephant and replied, “You are too big to fit inside my burrow. You cannot be my friend.”
Then, the elephant continued until she met a frog. She asked, “Will you be my friend, frog?”
The frog replied, “You are too big and heavy; you cannot jump like me. I am sorry, but you can’t be my friend.”
The elephant continued to ask the animals she met on her way, but always received the same reply.
The following day, the elephant saw all the forest animals run in fear. She stopped a bear to ask what was happening and was told the tiger was attacking all the small animals.
The elephant wanted to save the other animals, so she went to the tiger and said, “Please, sir, leave my friends alone. Do not eat them.”
The tiger didn’t listen. He merely told the elephant to mind her own business.
Seeing no other way, the elephant kicked the tiger and scared him away. Upon hearing of the brave tale, the other animals agreed, “You are just the right size to be our friend.”
10. When Adversity Knocks
The Moral
We can choose how to respond in difficult situations.
Asha was getting frustrated and tired of life, so she asked her father what to do. Her father told her to bring an egg, two tea leaves, and a potato. He then brought out three vessels, filled them with water, and placed them on the stove.
Once the water was boiling, he told Asha to place the items into each pot and keep an eye on them.
After 10 minutes, he asked Asha to peel the egg, peel the potato, and strain the leaves. Asha was left confused.
Her father explained, “Each item was placed into the same circumstance, boiling water. See how each responded differently?”
He continued, “The egg was soft, but is now hard. The potato was hard, but is now soft. And the tea leaves, they changed the water itself.”
The father then asked, “When adversity calls, we respond in the same manner as they have. Now, are you an egg, a potato, or tea leaves?”
11. The Needle Tree
The Moral
It’s important to be kind, as it will always be rewarded.
Once, there were two brothers who lived at the forest’s edge. The oldest brother was always unkind to his younger brother. The older brother took all the food and snatched all the good clothes.
The oldest brother used to go into the forest in search of firewood to sell in the market. As he walked through the forest, he chopped off the branches of every tree, until he came upon a magical tree.
The tree stopped him before he chopped its branches and said, ‘Oh, kind sir, please spare my branches. If you spare me, I will provide you with golden apples.’
The oldest brother agreed but was feeling disappointed with how many apples the tree gave him.
Overcome by greed, the brother threatened to cut the entire tree if it didn’t provide him with more apples. But, instead of giving more apples, the tree showered him with hundreds of tiny needles. The brother fell to the ground, crying in pain as the sun began to set.
Soon, the younger brother became worried and went to search for his older brother. He searched until he found him at the trunk of the tree, lying in pain with hundreds of needles on his body.
He rushed to him and started to painstakingly remove each needle with love. Once the needles were out, the oldest brother apologized for treating his younger brother so badly. The magical tree saw the change in the older brother’s heart and gifted them with all the golden apples they could need.
12. A Glass of Milk
The Moral
No good deed goes unrewarded.
There once was a poor boy who spent his days going door-to-door selling newspapers to pay for school. One day, as he was walking his route, he started feeling low and weak. The poor boy was starving, so he decided to ask for food when he came to the next door.
The poor boy asked for food but was denied every time, until he reached the door of a girl. He asked for a glass of water, but seeing his poor state, the girl came back with a glass of milk. The boy asked how much he owed her for the milk, but she refused payment.
Years later, the girl, who was now a grown woman, fell sick. She went from doctor to doctor, but no one was able to cure her. Finally, she went to the best doctor in town.
The doctor spent months treating her until she was finally cured. Despite her happiness, she was afraid she couldn’t afford to pay the bill. But, when the hospital handed her the bill, it read, ‘Paid in full, with a glass of milk.
’
13. The Ants and the Grasshopper
The Moral
There’s a time for work and a time for play.
One bright autumn day, a family of ants was busy working in the warm sunshine. They were drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer when a starving grasshopper came up. With his fiddle under his arm, the grasshopper humbly begged for a bite to eat.
“What!” cried the ants, “Haven’t you stored any food away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all summer?”
“I didn’t have time to store any food before winter,” the grasshopper whined. “I was too busy making music that the summer flew by.”
The ants simply shrugged their shoulders and said, “Making music, were you? Very well, now dance!” The ants then turned their backs on the grasshopper and returned to work.
14. The Bundle of Sticks
The Moral
There’s strength in unity.
Once upon a time, there was an old man who lived in a village with his three sons.
Although his three sons were hard workers, they quarreled all the time. The old man tried to unite them but failed.
Months passed by, and the old man became sick. He asked his sons to remain united, but they failed to listen to him. At that moment, the old man decided to teach them a lesson — to forget their differences and come together in unity.
The old man summoned his sons, then proceeded to tell them, “I will provide you with a bundle of sticks. Separate each stick, and then break each into two. The one who finishes first will be rewarded more than the others.”
And so, the sons agreed. The old man provided them with a bundle of ten sticks each, and then asked the sons to break each stick into pieces. The sons broke the sticks within minutes, then proceeded to quarrel among themselves again.
The old man said, “My dear sons, the game is not yet over. I will now give you another bundle of sticks. Only this time, you will have to break them together as a bundle, not separately.
”
The sons readily agreed and then tried to break the bundle. Despite trying their best, they could not break the sticks. The sons told their father of their failure.
The old man said, “My dear sons, see! Breaking every single stick individually was easy for you, but breaking them in a bundle, you could not do. By staying united, nobody can harm you. If you continue to quarrel, then anyone can quickly defeat you.”
The old man continued, “I ask that you stay united.” Then, the three sons understood there’s power in unity, and promised their father they would all stay together.
15. The Bear and the Two Friends
The Moral
A true friend will always support and stand by you in any situation.
One day, two friends were walking through the forest. They knew the forest was a dangerous place and that anything could happen. So, they promised to remain close to each other in case of any danger.
All of a sudden, a big bear was approaching them.
One of the friends quickly climbed a nearby tree, leaving the other friend behind.
The other friend did not know how to climb, and instead, followed common sense. He laid down on the ground and remained there, breathless, pretending to be dead.
The bear approached the friend lying on the ground. The animal started to smell his ear before slowly wandering off again because bears never touch those who are dead.
Soon, the friend who hid in the tree came down. He asked his friend, “My dear friend, what secret did the bear whisper to you?” The friend replied, “The bear simply advised me never to believe a false friend.”
16. The Miser and His Gold
The Moral
A possession is as important as what it’s used for.
There once was an old miser who lived in a house with a garden. The old miser used to hide all his gold coins under stones in his garden.
Every night, before he went to bed, the miser went out into his garden to count his coins.
He continued the same routine every day, but he never spent a single, golden coin.
One day, a thief saw the old miser hiding his coins. Once the old miser went back into his house, the thief went to the hiding place and took all the gold.
The following day, as the old man came out to count his coins, he found it was gone and started wailing loudly. His neighbor heard the cries and came running, asking what had happened. Upon learning what had occurred, the neighbor asked, “Why didn’t you just save the money inside your house where it would’ve been safe?”
The neighbor continued, “Having it inside the house would make it easier to access when you need to buy something.” “Buy something?” answered the miser, “I was never going to spend my gold.”
When hearing this, the neighbor picked up a stone and threw it. Then, he said, “If that’s the case, then save the stone. It’s as worthless as the gold you’ve lost.”
17. The Dog At the Well
The Moral
Always listen to what elders say and don’t defy them.
A mother dog and her pups lived on a farm. On the farm, there was a well. The mother dog always told her pups never to go near or play around it.
One day, one of the pups was overcome by curiosity and wondered why they weren’t allowed to go near the well. So, he decided he wanted to explore it.
He went down to the well and climbed up the wall to peek inside. In the well, he saw his reflection in the water but thought it was another dog. The little pup got angry when his reflection was imitating him, so he decided to fight it.
The little pup jumped into the well, only to find there was no dog. He began to bark and bark until the farmer came to rescue him. The pup had learned his lesson and never went back to the well again.
18. Controlling Anger
The Moral
Anger is like a knife — one of the most dangerous weapons. When you use it, the wounds will heal, but the scars remain.
Once, there was a young boy. This boy had problems controlling his anger.
When he got angry, he would say the first thing that came to mind, even if it affected people.
One day, his father gifted him a hammer and a bundle of nails, then said, “Whenever you get mad, hammer a nail into the backyard fence.”
In the first days, the boy used up half of the nails. Over the next weeks, he used up fewer nails, until his temper was under control. Then, his father asked the young boy to remove a nail for each day he didn’t lose his temper.
On the day when the boy removed his last nail, his father told him, “You have done good, boy. But, can you see the holes in the wall? The fence is never going to be the same. Likewise, when you say mean things in anger, you’ll leave a scar.”
19. The Leap at Rhodes
The Moral
It’s the deeds that count, not the boasting words.
Once, there was a man who visited foreign lands. When he returned, all he could talk about was the wonderful adventures he had and the great deeds he had done.
One of the feats he told was about a leap he made in a city called Rhodes.
“The leap was so great,” the man said. “No other man can make such a leap. Many persons in Rhodes saw me and can prove I am telling the truth.”
“No need for witnesses,” said one who was listening. “Suppose that this city is Rhodes, now show how far you can jump.”
20. The Wolf and the Sheep
The Moral
A person’s ulterior motives are easy to spot if someone is paying attention.
A wolf had gotten seriously hurt during a fight with a bear. He wasn’t able to move, and so, could not satisfy his thirst or hunger.
One day, a sheep passed by his hiding place, and so the wolf decided to call out to him. “Please fetch me some water,” said the wolf. “That might give me some strength to get some solid food.”
“Solid food!” the sheep said. “I suppose that means me. If I brought you something to drink, it would merely be to wash me down. Don’t speak to me about fetching a drink.
”
How Moral Stories Benefit Children
Moral stories offer several benefits for children of all ages. They work to engage your child’s imagination, are entertaining, and can make your little one smile. Short moral stories work well at getting your child’s attention, keeping them focused during the length of the story.
However, the best moral stories will also teach a truth to your child. Children, especially younger ones, love repetition, and with moral stories, that’s the whole point. The more you read the same moral stories, the more your child will familiarize with the story and the moral lesson (1).
Reading Tip
When you read the story, remember to discuss the situations and events that occur, if your child is old enough. This is an excellent teachable moment, as well as providing an opportunity for bonding (2).
The Takeaway
Short moral stories for kids are fantastic for teaching valuable life lessons in a fun way children can understand.
Short stories work well as they’re just long enough for your child to concentrate.
There’s a large selection of great stories online, and here you have 20 examples to get you started. When reading the story, try to discuss the content afterward with your child.
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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.
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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. nine0003
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.
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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. |
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. nine0032
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. nine0003
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.
