Short cute stories for kids
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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15 Benefits of Reading to Children: Reasons to Read!
One of the most powerful things you can do for your child is to read with them.
Reading has numerous benefits for children, including a positive effect on development, communication, and school performance.
We’ve put together why reading is so important for children, and some great book ideas to get started.
Table of Contents
- When Should You Start Reading To Children?
- The Benefits of Reading to Children
- Book Recommendations for Kids
When Should You Start Reading To Children?
Even when your baby is a newborn, it’s a great time to introduce reading. Here are some of the reasons why (1):
- It gives you another bonding opportunity for snuggles and interaction.
- Your child will be preparing, even when they don’t know it, for reading on their own someday.
- It can help your baby develop language skills.
- They’ll pick up on a variety of emotions.
The Benefits of Reading to Children
Here are some of the ways your child can benefit from reading.
1. Language Neural Connections
The neural connections in the brain are fueled by listening to someone reading so your child will get a vocab boost just by hearing you read. Listening to reading is shown to increase a baby’s receptive vocabulary (2).
Receptive vocabulary means the words they understand.
2. Cognitive Development
When you’re reading to them, your child will pick up on the cognitive perks — they’ll start to take in what you’re saying and they’ll learn things about numbers, colors, shapes, animals, or anything else you’re reading about.
They’ll start to understand cause and effects, and their logical thinking ability will be more developed.
3. Fosters a Strong Relationship
The family that reads together stays together. It gives you two one more way to spend time bonding. You’ll have a lot of ways already, but there’s something especially relaxing about reading time.
Because you’re actively doing something, you won’t be able to concentrate on anything else but you and your baby. When you’re reading, there’s no way you’ll be able to surf your phone — you’ll be totally engaged in the moment.
That’s good news for both you and your baby in terms of bonding.
4. Simply Fun
Having fun can be a benefit all on its own. It can cut down on the stress a child feels — and yes, children can have stress too, just like adults can.
Time spent having fun can lead to better sleep, more positive feelings, and even stronger relationships (3).
5. Calming Influence
Young children aren’t exactly known for being calm — especially when you want them to be. It seems they have a knack for getting wound up right when you most want them to wind down, like at bedtime.
Reading can help them calm down so you can both get some sleep. You may want to start a half-hour before bedtime. Tuck them in, dim the lights a bit, and read to them in a softer soothing voice.
6. Improves Communication
If you want to have a close relationship with your children where you can talk about anything that’s on your mind, reading is a good place to start.
When you read to your children, you do more than just say the words printed on the page.
You interact — you ask them questions, they ask you some. You discuss how the people in the book are feeling and anything else that crosses your mind or your child’s mind.
That’s how communication grows — by sharing those little moments and building trust and conversation so eventually, you’ll be able to broach those bigger subjects.
7. Better Performance in School
Even the act of reading to your child can set them up for better grades in school. It doesn’t matter if they don’t understand the words you’re telling them yet. Early learning experiences like reading to your child will enhance their school performance (4).
They’ll learn to love reading or at least realize it’s important, and reading is a skill they’ll use in every subject they tackle in school.
8. Lengths Attention Span
So much of today’s world is working against our desire to help our children develop their attention spans. With video games, cell phones, and tablets, it can be hard to get a child to stick with something that takes a little more attention and dedication than they’re used to.
Reading is something that’s slower-paced than what your child is used to. And that’s a good thing in today’s click-bait world.
Pro Tip
If they are introduced at an earlier age to books and reading, it won’t be as much of a shock to their system. They’ll be used to the process and their attention spans will benefit from it.
9. Better Listeners
When your child doesn’t know how to read yet, their only clues about what’s happening in a book are the pictures they see and the words they hear you say.
You’re opening up a whole new world to them with the tale you’re spinning and they will be listening carefully, even when you don’t think they are. You’ll realize just how observant kids are someday when you’re trying to have a private conversation with your spouse or friend and suddenly realize your child is eavesdropping on every word you say!
Having that quiet time with you now will get them accustomed to listening instead of just being silent.
10.
Builds ImaginationHave you ever watched a movie version of a book you’ve read and been disappointed because it wasn’t quite how you’d envisioned it when you were reading the book? That’s your imagination at work.
Your child’s imagination can be unlocked by activities such as unsupervised play and reading. They get sucked into a make-believe world and they feel like they are part of the action. They imagine how they would feel or act if they were thrust into the situations the main characters find themselves in.
And for some children, reading a book makes them imagine their own tales. Most writers were first hardcore readers before they wrote a word of their own (5).
11. Raises IQ
Reading comprehension is kind of like having a superpower. It gives you the ability to understand complicated questions.
Remember those dreaded word problems in school when you were doing math? Those ones you had to use all your concentration on just to figure out how to compute what they were asking you for? Reading comprehension made solving those possible.
The way to answer a problem correctly is to first fully understand what it’s asking, and that’s what reading comprehension can do for you.
12. Improves Critical-Thinking Skills
It’s not enough just to listen to the words of a book to improve this skill though. You and your child will have to put in more effort than that.
The key isn’t just to actively listen to the tale, your child has to attempt to understand what they are reading or hearing to get the most out of the book. Encouraging your young child to do that may seem difficult, but all you have to do to get them started is to ask questions. One of the questions, for instance, can be what the main character should do to get themselves out of the jam they might find themselves in.
13. Helps Develop Empathy
If there is one thing this world needs more of, and one thing experts say children are losing, it’s empathy (6). Empathy is how well your child can understand someone else’s feelings.
To help develop their empathy, you can get books that will aid their ability to relate to other people and what they might be going through. There are a lot of books geared toward inclusion and how being bullied can make someone feel.
To assist with their empathy, you can ask questions while you are reading the book about how your child would feel if they were the main character. If they had a potty training accident, for instance, you can ask them if they would be sad or embarrassed.
14. Builds Coping Skills
Seeing how other people deal with their emotions can help your child learn to handle their own. They can learn important coping skills from reading or being read to.
Point out when a character is mad, sad, or disappointed. Show them the picture in the book that allows them to see that expression on the character’s face. That will help them recognize the emotion as well as figure out ways to deal with it.
15. Helps Through Life Stages
Life stages like potty training or transitioning to kindergarten is scary stuff for a young kid.
I still remember being terrified to attend kindergarten. Books can help children who are going through these stages feel braver and ready to tackle a new challenge.
Book Recommendations for Kids
When you’re looking for books for your child, you need to not just consider the type of interests they have, but also their reading level. If you find books that are too hard for them to tackle, they’ll lose interest quickly and it will add to their frustration.
Here is how you can determine if the level will be good for your child:
- Most children’s books have the reading level listed on the front or back cover.
- Look at how difficult the words are. If you’ve been listening to your child read, you should be able to tell if they’ll be able to handle it.
- Use an app to help you determine the level. With apps, like Literacy Leveler, you just scan in the ISBN code on the book, and you can look up the reading level online.
- Ask for recommendations from teachers, fellow parents, and librarians.
- Use the Accelerated Reader website to find out the difficulty level of a book.
Good Ideas for Babies
- Books Ideas for 1-Year-Olds
- Book Ideas for 2-Year Olds
Book Ideas for Toddlers
Looking for more ideas for your toddler? Read our in-depth guides:
- Interactive Books Recommendations
- Books Ideas for 3-Year-Olds
- Book Ideas for 4-Year Olds
Book Ideas for Preschoolers
Want more ideas for preschoolers? Check out these great reads by age group:
- Books Ideas for 4-Year-Olds
- Book Ideas for 5-Year Olds
- Book Ideas for 6-Year Olds
Book Ideas for Elementary School Children
Want more ideas for elementary school kids? Check out our guides!
- Books Ideas for 7-Year-Olds
- Book Ideas for 8-Year Olds
- Book Ideas for 9-Year Olds
- Book Ideas for 10-Year Olds
- Book Ideas for 11-Year Olds
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Best short stories for children
Article
A short story with a lot of meaning is much easier for a child to master than a long story with several themes. Start reading with simple sketches and move on to more serious books. (Vasily Sukhomlinsky)
Ingratitude
Grandfather Andrei invited his grandson Matvey to visit. The grandfather put a large bowl of honey in front of his grandson, put white rolls, invites:
- Eat, Matveyka, honey. If you want, eat honey with rolls with a spoon, if you want - rolls with honey.
Matvey ate honey with rolls, then rolls with honey. I ate so much that it became difficult to breathe. He wiped his sweat, sighed and asked:
- Please tell me, grandfather, what kind of honey is it - linden or buckwheat?
– What? - Grandfather Andrei was surprised. - I treated you with buckwheat honey, granddaughters.
- Linden honey is still tastier, - said Matvey and yawned: after a plentiful meal, he felt sleepy.
Pain squeezed the heart of grandfather Andrey.
He was silent. And the grandson continued to ask:
- And the flour for rolls - from spring or winter wheat? Grandfather Andrei turned pale. His heart clenched with unbearable pain.
It became hard to breathe. He closed his eyes and groaned.
Why say "thank you"?
Two people were walking along the forest road - a grandfather and a boy. It was hot, they wanted to drink.
The travelers approached the stream. Cool water gurgled softly. They leaned over and got drunk.
- Thank you, stream, - said the grandfather. The boy laughed.
- Why did you say "thank you" to the stream? he asked his grandfather. - After all, the stream is not alive, will not hear your words, will not understand your gratitude.
- That's right. If the wolf got drunk, he would not say “thank you”. And we are not wolves, we are people. Do you know why a person says "thank you"?
Think, who needs this word?
The boy thought. He had plenty of time. The way was long…
Swallow
Mother swallow taught her chick to fly.
The chick was very small. He clumsily and helplessly waved his weak wings. Unable to stay in the air, the chick fell to the ground and was badly hurt. He lay motionless and squealed plaintively. The mother swallow was very alarmed. She circled over the chick, screaming loudly and did not know how to help him.
The chick was picked up by a girl and put into a wooden box. And she put the box with the chick on the tree.
The swallow took care of her chick. She brought him food daily, fed him.
The chick began to recover quickly and was already chirping merrily and cheerfully waving its strengthened wings.
An old red cat wanted to eat a baby bird. He quietly crept up, climbed a tree and was already at the very box. But at this time the swallow flew off the branch and began to fly boldly in front of the very nose of the cat. The cat rushed after her, but the swallow deftly dodged, and the cat missed and slammed to the ground with all his might.
Soon the chick completely recovered and the swallow, with a joyful chirping, took him to his native nest under the neighboring roof.
Evgeny Permyak
How Misha wanted to outsmart his mother
Misha's mother came home after work and threw up her hands:
— How did you, Mishenka, manage to break off the wheel of a bicycle?
- Mom, it broke off by itself.
— And why is your shirt torn, Mishenka?
- She, Mommy, burst herself.
- Where did your other shoe go? Where did you lose it?
- He, mother, got lost somewhere.
Then Misha's mother said:
— How bad they all are! They, the scoundrels, need to teach a lesson!
— And how? Misha asked.
“Very simple,” Mom replied. - If they have learned to break themselves, tear themselves apart and get lost on their own, let them learn to repair themselves, to sew themselves up, to be themselves. And you and I, Misha, will sit at home and wait until they do all this.
Misha sat down by a broken bicycle, in a torn shirt, without a shoe, and thought hard. Apparently, this boy had something to think about.
Short story "Ah!"
Nadia couldn't do anything. Grandmother Nadya dressed, put on shoes, washed, combed her hair.
Mom gave Nadia water from a cup, fed her from a spoon, put her to bed, lulled her to sleep.
Nadia heard about kindergarten. It's fun for friends to play there. They dance. They sing. They listen to stories. Good for kids in kindergarten. And Nadenka would have been fine there, but they didn't take her there. Not accepted!
Ah!
Nadia cried. Mom cried. Grandma cried.
- Why didn't you accept Nadya in kindergarten?
And in the kindergarten they say:
- Yes, how will we accept her when she can't do anything.
Ah!
Grandmother realized it, mother realized it. And Nadia caught on. Nadia began to dress herself, put on her own shoes, wash herself, eat, drink, comb her hair, and go to bed.
When they found out about this in kindergarten, they came for Nadia themselves. They came and took her to the kindergarten, dressed, shod, washed, combed.
Ah!
Nikolay Nosov
Steps
Once Petya was returning from kindergarten. That day he learned to count to ten. He reached his house, and his younger sister Valya was already waiting at the gate.
- I already know how to count! Petya boasted. - I learned in kindergarten. Look how I now count all the steps on the stairs.
They began to climb the stairs, and Petya loudly counted the steps:
- One, two, three, four, five ...
- Well, why did you stop? Valya asks.
- Wait, I forgot which step is next. I will remember now.
- Well, remember, - says Valya.
They stood on the stairs, they stood. Petya says:
- No, I can't remember that. Well, let's start over.
They went down the stairs. They started going up again.
- One, - says Petya, - two, three, four, five... And he stopped again.
- Forgot again? Valya asks.
- I forgot! How is it! I just remembered and suddenly forgot! Well, let's try again.
They went down the stairs again, and Petya started over:
- One, two, three, four, five...
- Maybe twenty-five? Valya asks.
- No! You just stop thinking! You see, I forgot because of you! Will have to start over again.
- I don't want to at first! Valya says. - What it is? Up, then down, then up, then down! My legs already hurt.
- If you don't want to, don't, - answered Petya. “I won’t go any further until I remember.”
Valya went home and said to her mother:
- Mom, there is Petya counting steps on the stairs: one, two, three, four, five, but then he doesn't remember.
- And then six, - said my mother.
Valya ran back to the stairs, and Petya kept counting the steps:
- One, two, three, four, five...
- Six! Valya whispers. - Six! Six!
- Six! Petya was delighted and went on. - Seven eight nine ten.
It's good that the stairs ended, otherwise he would never have reached the house, because he only learned to count to ten.
Hill
The children built a snow hill in the yard. They poured water on her and went home. The cat didn't work. He was sitting at home, looking out the window. When the guys left, Kotka put on his skates and went up the hill. Teal skates in the snow, but can't get up. What to do? Kotka took the box of sand and sprinkled it on the hill. The guys came running. How to ride now? The guys were offended by Kotka and forced him to cover the sand with snow. Kotka untied his skates and began to cover the hill with snow, and the guys poured water over it again. Kotka also made steps.
Nina Pavlova
The little mouse got lost
The mother gave the forest mouse a wheel made of a dandelion stem and said:
— Come on, play, ride near the house.
- Beep-beep-beep! the mouse shouted. - I will play, I will ride!
And rolled the wheel along the path downhill. I rolled it, rolled it, and played so much that I did not notice how I found myself in a strange place.
Last year's linden nuts were lying on the ground, and above, behind the carved leaves, a completely foreign place! The mouse is quiet. Then, so that it would not be so scary, he put his wheel on the ground, and he sat in the middle. Sitting and thinking:
“Mom said: “Ride near the house.” And where is now near the house?
But then he saw that the grass trembled in one place and a frog jumped out.
- Beep-beep-beep! the mouse shouted. - Tell me, frog, where is near the house, where is my mother?
Luckily, the frog knew just that and answered:
— Run all straight and straight under these flowers. Meet the newt. He has just crawled out from under the stone, lies and breathes, is about to crawl into the pond. From the newt, turn left and run along the path all straight and straight. You will meet a white butterfly. She sits on a blade of grass and waits for someone. From the white butterfly, turn left again and then shout to your mother, she will hear.
- Thank you! - said the mouse.
Picked up his wheel and rolled it between the stems, under the bowls of white and yellow anemone flowers. But the wheel soon became stubborn: it would hit one stalk, then another, then it would get stuck, then it would fall. And the mouse did not back down, pushed him, pulled him, and finally rolled out onto the path.
Then he remembered the newt. After all, the newt never met! And he did not meet because he had already managed to crawl into the pond while the little mouse was fiddling with his wheel. So the mouse did not know where he needed to turn left.
And again he rolled his wheel at random. Rolled up to the tall grass. And again, grief: the wheel got tangled in it - and neither back nor forward!
Barely managed to get him out. And then only the mouse remembered the white butterfly. After all, she never met.
And the white butterfly sat, sat on a blade of grass and flew away. So the little mouse did not know where he needed to turn left again.
Luckily, the mouse met a bee.
She flew to the flowers of red currant.
- Beep-beep-beep! the mouse shouted. - Tell me, bee, where is near the house, where is my mother?
And the bee just knew this and answered:
— Run downhill now. You will see - in the lowland something turns yellow. It's as if the tables are covered with patterned tablecloths, and on them are yellow cups. This is a spleen, such a flower. From the spleen go uphill. You will see flowers radiant like the sun and next to them - on long legs - fluffy white balls. This is a coltsfoot flower. Turn right from him and then shout to your mother, she will hear.
- Thank you! - said the little mouse...
Where to run now? And it was already getting dark, and no one could be seen around! The mouse sat down under a leaf and cried. And he cried so loudly that his mother heard him and came running. How happy he was for her! And she even more: she didn’t even hope that her son was alive. And they merrily ran side by side home.
Valentina Oseeva
Button
Tanya's button came off.
Tanya sewed it to her blouse for a long time.
“Well, grandmother,” she asked, “do all boys and girls know how to sew on their own buttons?”
- I really don't know, Tanyusha; both boys and girls know how to tear off buttons, but grandmothers get more and more to sew on.
- That's it! Tanya said offended. - And you made me, as if you yourself were not a grandmother!
Three comrades
Vitya lost his breakfast. At the big break, all the guys had breakfast, and Vitya stood on the sidelines.
- Why don't you eat? Kolya asked him.
- Breakfast lost ...
- Bad, - said Kolya, biting off a large piece of white bread. - It's still a long way to lunch!
- Where did you lose it? Misha asked.
— I don't know… — Vitya said quietly and turned away.
— You probably carried it in your pocket, but you should put it in your bag, — Misha said. But Volodya did not ask anything. He went up to Vita, broke a piece of bread and butter in half and handed it to his friend:
- Take it, eat it!
Funny children's stories
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Read, smile, and maybe even laugh!
It was in the Crimea, apparently near some slope. Paragliders settled on this slope. Under the slope are two wonderful children, a girl and a boy, the weather (4-5 years old). With their heads up to the top, they watch paragliders fly. And then there's the dialogue.
Boy:
- Pilots!!!
Girl:
- And my mother said - morons ...
We are standing with the kid at the traffic light, next to him is a girl in patent leather stilettos, a short sarafan, the kid looked admiringly, even bent down and touched the shoes, and said:
- What a woman! What slippers!
A young man comes for his sister. And she completes the make-up. The door is opened by the niece (5 years old). Boyfriend to niece:
- Mademoiselle, call Anya for me.
- Uncle, she puts on makeup.
- Yes, I'll tell her something now and go out.
- No-no-no! You can't look at her!
- Why so?
- Only me, my mother and grandmother can look at her without paint.
— Why?..
— Well, we can't marry her.
We had a two-room apartment, the rooms were adjacent. One evening everyone went to bed, the children in one room, we in another. I almost fell asleep, suddenly I hear through my dream my daughter (3 years old) loudly asks like this:
- Dad, and dad, have you ever slept with two women?
Estimate my amazement. Finding nothing to answer:
“No,” I say.
And she, taking a deep breath:
— Okay, I'm going.
Victoria, 6 years old. “Opened” a beauty salon at home. She invited me to "clean my feathers." I made up with my children's cosmetics, combed my hair, did a manicure. All so courteous, polite, in general, entered the image in full.
Dad also decided to join the game:
— Girl, can you do my hair?
Answer:
- Sorry, man, but the salon is only for women!
When my friend was pregnant with her third child, she tried not to let her older daughters into it until the very end - this topic was not discussed in their presence.
One day their grandmother made a playful remark to one of the girls (4.5 years old):
- Ksyusha, stop eating cookies, otherwise you will get fat ... Look, like a mother - she ate her belly.
Child (hotly):
- No, woman, mother is not fat! - turning to a whisper: - She is pregnant ... Only she does not know about it yet.
I made cottage cheese pudding according to a recipe from the Internet. I take it out of the oven and see that it didn’t turn out very well - it burned a little from the bottom, and the surface was all cracked.
Danila, looking over his shoulder with doubt in his voice:
— Mom, is this tasty?
- Try it!
Sniffs noisily and carefully touches with his finger:
— Well, or at least edible? Or at least… useful?!
Walking with our 9-year-old son holding hands. To meet a friend:
- Such a big boy, but you still walk by the hand with your mother.
Grigory, looking into my eyes, says loudly:
— Mom, her children have grown up, so she is jealous, don't worry, I'll kiss you now.
