We learn through avenues available to us, one of the most accessible mediums of education is through stories. For centuries, tales told to children have been of fantasy and adventure; they are how we pass on our culture and tradition to our children. These tales often also help us educate our children by embedding morals in them. When children hear or read these morals, they understand their importance and learn why they should follow them. Therefore, we must encourage our little ones to read such moral stories. Below, we have covered the names of some interesting moral stories for kids to read. Let’s take a look at them.
30 Amazing Short Animal Stories For Kids
The knowledge we impart onto our children is one of the most important jobs we can have as parents. Sometimes using inanimate objects or animals in stories can help make these lessons fun and relatable to kids. It can be said that kids animal stories are filled with wisdom that can be articulated in a coherent and understandable way for us to impart our experiences onto our children.
Here are the best short stories about animals with lesson to help shape your children’s moral compass.
1. The Hare and the Tortoise
This classic story about a race between one of the fastest creatures on earth and one of the slowest has been a favourite for generations. This truly is a timeless tale that engages kids from the ages of 2-6
Moral
Don’t underestimate a task, ensure you see it through without letting your ego swell up. Sometimes a slow pace and patience considered a better tool to face a challenge.
2. A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
A timeless tale of a wolf who used the flayed skin of a sheep to disguise itself and fool the other sheep into thinking it is one of their own. This story contains an important lesson that we all must learn at some point in our lives.
Moral
Appearances can be deceptive. One must never take people or circumstances at face value. A little bit of precaution can go a long way in self-preservation.
3. The Three Little Pigs
A tale to illustrate the folly of pigs who do not listen to their mother and build houses that are unstable. It’s a story where you can add a lot of effect and have your little one enthralled by the suspense of the fate of the big bad wolf.
Moral
The story teaches children that doing a job well is as important as getting the job done in the first place. Integrity and motivation of your actions go a long way.
4. The Crow and the Jug
A tale everyone grew up with. A telling of a crow and his thirst and his infallible attitude of never giving up. The crow uses his ingenuity and resourcefulness to solve his problem and fly away a happy bird.
Moral
Do not give up at the first sign of adversity. Use what you have around you to solve any problem and achieve your goals and dreams.
5. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The classic tale of a young girl who crosses the path of a bear family. The spoilt girl finally learns her lesson when the three bears are not taken in by her beauty and are upset at their home being used unannounced.
Moral
Always think of the consequences of your actions on the people surrounding you especially when your actions directly affect them.
6. Sour Grapes
A tale of a hungry fox and the grapes he cannot reach. After trying a few times, he declares them to be sour anyway and gives up promptly. His hunger remains unsatisfied.
Moral
Try till you succeed and do not be a sore loser. Accept defeat graciously and learn from your failures rather than trying to lay blame on other things.
7. Belling the Cat
The story of a family of mice and their fear of the cat ruling the house. A large discussion ensues on the possible solutions including a bell for the cat in order to receive warning of the cat’s approach.
Moral
Talking about doing something might be well and good until the action has to be carried out. It might be unpleasant and hard though and recognizing the pitfalls of seemingly good ideas is important.
8. The Hound and the Rabbit
A story of a hound chasing a rabbit. The hound becomes tired and gives up the chase. Upon being mocked by a herd of goats, the hound explains that the rabbit ran faster because it was fighting for its life.
Moral
The best incentives give the best results. Motivation is a key factor in any work being done.
9. The Ugly Duckling
A classic tale of a duckling who finds that all his brothers and sisters and even his friends are more beautiful than he is. Completely dejected, he leaves his family and cloisters himself in a secluded part of the lake. After he goes by a few visiting birds tell him that he has now grown into a beautiful swan.
Moral
Everyone is beautiful just the way they are even if they do not meat the ideals set by the world around them.
10. Two Cats and a Monkey
This is the story of two cats who were arguing over a cake. A monkey sees them and offers to help by diving the cake equally. After he breaks it in half, he says that the pieces are not equal. He takes a bite out of the bigger piece. He then takes a bite out of the other piece since it is now the bigger one. He does this until all of the cake is gone.
Moral
When we fight, others will benefit from us.
11. The Lion and the Mouse
The story of a lion who spares the life of a mouse after it promises the lion of helping the lion when it can. Soon enough, the lion gets trapped in a net put up by poachers. The tiny mouse sees the lion in distress and quickly chews away at the net and sets the lion free.
Moral
You never know who can become a great friend so be kind to everyone. Everyone will then be kind to you.
12. The Country Mouse and the City Mouse
The city mouse visits his cousin in the country who feeds him a dish of beans and rice. The city mouse turns up his nose at the food and takes his cousin to the city for a meal of cake and ale. While they are eating, two dogs chase the mice who run for their lives.
Moral
It is better to be happy with ordinary things that you can enjoy in peace than look for luxury that cannot be enjoyed.
13. The Monkey and the Crocodile
The story revolves around two friends – a monkey and a crocodile. The monkey used to give the crocodile an apple every day from the tree he lived on. The crocodile’s wife becomes greedy and asks for the monkey’s heart. The crocodile carries the monkey on its back to his wife. Once the monkey realizes what is happening, he tells the crocodile that his heart is on the tree and they must return to fetch it. Once they return, the monkey climbs onto the bank and runs away.
Moral
Staying calm and thinking clearly even in stressful situations can help you immensely.
14. The Elephant and His Friends
Juno the elephant was lonely and tried to make friends with the other animals in the forest. But, the other animals refused to play with Juno because of his size. One day, all the animal were running away from Dera the tiger who was eating everyone he could find. Juno went and gave Dera a swift kick who immediately ran away. Juno was now everyone’s friend.
Moral
Your inherent abilities are your best qualities and the reason for your success.
15. The Foolish Lion
A lion is hungry and goes in search of prey. He finds a cave whose inhabitant has gone out. He decides to lay in wait for the unsuspecting animal. The owner of the cave, a jackal, however suspects something is wrong when he arrives near the cave. The jackal asks the cave to reply to his calls. The foolish lion replies and the jackal escapes.
Moral
In haste, we make foolish decisions. One should always be calm and think of all the options before acting out.
16. The Monkey and the Dolphin
A dolphin saves a monkey in a storm and they swim to an island. The dolphin asks the monkey if he knows the island. The monkey says that he does know the island, and that he is in fact the prince of the island. The dolphin leaves the monkey at the island and swims away and the monkey finds himself all alone on the deserted island.
Moral
Boasting will not get you anywhere. Be careful of what you claim, you might actually have to behave accordingly.
17. The Clever Frog
In a pond was a large community of aquatic animals who all loved to play with each other. One day, two fishermen see the pond and the animals at play and talk about fishing at the pond but they leave as it was late. The frog tells everyone they must escape before the fishermen come back. However, everyone is sure of their ability to escape and decide to stay. The fishermen come the next day with strong nets and catch everyone except the frog who had left the pond.
Moral
It is better to err on the right side of caution. Assessing risks is a vital part of life.
18. Two Goats
There was a small creek over which was a fallen tree. A goat decides to cross the creek by walking over the tree. However, from the other side, another goat had the same idea and was crossing too. The fallen tree was not wide enough for them to pass each other, and they were too proud and stubborn to let the other one go. They readied their horns and charged at each other over and over with much force. Soon, the tree broke and both goats fell into the creek.
Moral
Being stubborn will not take you far. If you value your pride over everything else, you will suffer.
19. Friendship
This is the story of a dog Pepsi who wouldn’t play with the street dogs because he thought they were too dirty. One day, two thieves entered his house while his master was out and tried to push him into a sack. He cried for help and suddenly the dogs who lived on his street came and bit the thieves who dropped the sack with Pepsi and ran away. Pepsi learned his lesson and became friends with the dogs on his street
Moral
One must never discriminate against others based on their status or the things they own. Friendships are important.
20. The Roaring Lion
Sheru the lion liked to scare everyone by roaring as loud as he could with no warning. Soon, everyone in the forest became miserable with his roaring and stopped playing with him. One day he convinced Rinku to play catch with him. As the game got more intense, Rinku passed the ball hard just as Sheru began to roar. The ball got stuck in his throat and the entire forest had to help him remove it. Sheru swore never to roar unnecessarily again.
Moral
One must not annoy the people around them just because it entertains us.
21. The Lazy Donkey
Mamboo was a lazy donkey and would always try to get out of the work his master the washerman gave him. One day, he ran away from the house just as the washerman started to look for him. As he slept in the farm, a huge dust storm began. Afraid, Mamboo decided to go home. He was also afraid that the washerman would give him a beating. But the washerman was just happy that Mamboo was safe. Mamboo was ashamed of himself and decided to never be lazy again.
Moral
You must always do your work with sincerity.
22. The Evil Snake
An evil snake would steal the eggs of a crow couple when they would go out to hunt. Worried and heartbroken they asked the fox to help them. The fox told them to steal the princess’s chain when she came to bathe in the river. Sure enough, the crows stole the necklace and flew to the snake’s hole and threw the necklace in it. The princess’s guards dug into the hoe to retrieve the necklace when the snake appeared angry at the disturbance. The guards killed the snake and took away the necklace.
Moral
Anyone who does evil will have a similar fate lying in wait for them.
23. The Mouse and the Saint
A mouse was chased into a saint’s house by a cat. Seeing his plight, the saint changed the mouse into a dog. A few days later the dog ran into the saint’s house as he was being chased by a lion. Seeing this, the saint changed the dog into a lion. The lion went to the jungle and defeated the other lion and ruled the jungle A few days later he went to the saint’s house so that he could gobble him up. The saint immediately changed the lion back into a mouse and told him to never come back.
Moral
Do not bite the hand that feeds you.
24. The Goat
Asha was going out and instructed her maid to close the door if she was going to do any work outside. After a while the maid went out without closing the door. A goat entered the house and ran into Asha’s bedroom. He saw another goat in the mirror and charged at it and destroyed the mirror. Asha came home to see the destroyed mirror and fired her maid immediately.
Moral
Doing your duty is of utmost importance.
25. The Cow’s Bell
Nasir was looking after his father’s cows who had a beautiful bell each. One day, a stranger came by and offered to buy the most beautiful cow’s bell for a large price Nasir agreed and sold the bell, but he could no longer tell where the cow went. The stranger waited for Nasir to lose the cow and then stole it. Nasir went home crying where his father was displeased with him.
Moral
We must never let greed cloud our thinking.
26. The Fox and the Stork
It is a story of a clever fox who invites the stork for dinner but serves her soup in a shallow bowl, from which she can’t drink because of her long beak. The next day, the stork invites the fox over for dinner and serves him soup as well, but in two narrow vases. This time, the stork enjoys her soup while the fox went home hungry, realising his mistake.
Moral
Don’t be selfish because it will come back to you at some point.
27. The Fox and the Goat
One day, while walking alone in the forest, an unlucky fox fall into a well. Unable to get out by himself, he waits for some help. A goat was passing, saw the fox, and asked him why he was in the well. The clever fox replies that as there is going to be a great drought, he is making sure to have water. The innocent goat believes him and jumps into the well to do the same. The fox swiftly jumps on the back of the goat to reach the top, leaving the poor goat in the well.
Moral
Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties.
28. The Boar and the Lion
On a very hot summer day, a lion and a boar reach a small water body for a drink at the same time. They started fighting about who should drink the water first. Soon they realised that there were vultures above them and understood that they were waiting for one or both to fall to feast on them. The boar and the lion then decided not to fight and end up becoming food for vultures. They drank the water together and went their ways after.
Moral
Those who strive are often watched by others to take advantage of their defeat.
29. The Dog and the Shadow
A story of a dog who finds a piece of meat and, while taking it home, he has to cross a bridge over a stream. As he walks over it, he sees his reflection in the water and thinks it is another dog with a similar piece of meat. The dog then gets greedy and decides to have that piece of meat as well. He snaps at the reflection, and as soon as he opens his mouth, his piece of meat falls into the water and disappears.
Moral
Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.
30. The Foolish Rabbit
A nut falls on a foolish rabbit’s head, and he thinks that the sky is falling and runs as fast as he can. On their way, he tells all the other animals that the sky is falling and spreads fear among the jungle animals. The king of the jungle, the lion, sees the chaos and finds out that it was just a nut and the rabbit was indeed foolish.
Moral
Be careful who you trust, or you could be fooled.
FAQs
1. What Is An Animal Fable?
An animal fable is a story with a moral lesson for children that consists of animals as the story’s main character. The animals act and speak just like humans to teach children important moral values.
2. Why Are Animal Characters Used in Kid’s Stories?
Stories help to educate children and make them learn moral lessons. Sometimes the human elements are too difficult or scary for children to handle. Therefore, animals are used as characters in the stories as having animal characters helps them to easily understand the stories and adds a degree of emotional distance for the kids.
Moral stories are a key component in a child’s life because it helps them build a strong moral character and instills virtues in them. It is said that a child’s mind is highly impressionable and whatever values you inculcate in them in their childhood stay forever. Reading animal story in English with a moral enhances verbal proficiency and encourages creativity in children. Get your hands on the activity box for kids which contain classic moral stories and impart good values to your kids through fun tales.