25 Short Stories For Kids To Develop A Noble Character

 

Enlightening Short Stories For Kids To Develop A Noble Character

 

Best Short Stories For Kids To Entertain Them: Tell me a story. How many times have you been asked to do this? If you are a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, babysitter, child-care worker, teacher, or anyone who has contact with children in some way, We are sure you have not escaped this frequent childhood request. But have you ever wondered what kids want when they make the request?

Short Stories For Kids

Are they just seeking entertainment? Are they wanting to journey into a world of fantasy? Do they want the intimacy of the special relationship that exists between storyteller and listener? Do they seek to identify with a character that may model what they would like to be? Are they requesting examples of how they should behave, relate, or cope in life?

Kids love stories for many reasons. If we need proof, just listen to them asking, “Tell me a story, please.” Look at the rows and rows of books of children’s stories that fill our bookstores and libraries. Look at the stories that come to life in popular children’s movies, or the tales of conflict, struggle, and victory that tend to be the theme of so many video games.

Such is our hunger for stories that we never stop asking to hear, even though the nature of the questions may change a little. So, today we have collected some popular short stories with moral values that you can read to your kids. We hope these stand-alone short stories would make your kid’s day. Also, don’t forget to follow the story links given below as you will find some really great stories for kids there.

1. The Fox And The Cat: Amazing Short Story For Kids

It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and she thought to herself: “She is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the world.” She spoke to her in a friendly way. “Good day, dear Ms. Fox, how are you? How is everything with you? How are you getting on in these hard times?” The fox, full of all kinds of arrogance, looked at the cat from head to foot, and for a long time did not know whether she would give any answer or not.

At last, she said, “Oh, you wretched bear-cleaner, you piebald fool, you hungry mouse-hunter, what can you be thinking of? Have you the cheek to ask how I am getting on? What have you learned? How do you save yourself from hounds? How many arts do you understand?” asked the fox. “When the hounds are following me, I can spring into a tree and save myself.” replied the cat.

“Is that all?” said the fox. “I am master of hundred arts and have into the bargain a sackful of cunning. You make me sorry for you; come with me, I will teach you how people get away from the hounds.” Just then came a hunter with four dogs. The cat sprang nimbly up a tree and sat down at the top of it, where the branches and foliage quite concealed her.

“Open your sack, Ms. Fox, open your sack,” cried the cat to him, but the dogs had already seized the fox, and were holding her dast. “Ah, Ms. Fox,” cried the cat. “You with your hundred arts are left in the lurch! Had you been able to climb like me, you would not have lost your life.”

Moral of The Story: Never brag too much about yourself. Instead, focus on improving yourself quietly. It is better to be a master of one art than to be a jack of many arts.

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2. A Loyal Dog And A Sly Wolf: Inspiring Short Story For Kids

Short Story of A Dog Who Taught A Lesson To The Wicked Wolf

There was once a shepherd who had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old and had lost all his teeth. And one day when the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house the shepherd said, “I will shoot old Sultan tomorrow morning, for he is of no use now.” His wife felt sorry for the poor dog, and answered, “He has served us for so many years and has kept with us so faithfully, he deserves food and shelter in his old age.”

“Dear me, you do not seem to understand the matter,” said the husband; “he has not a tooth in his mouth, and the thieves don’t care for him at all; so I do not see why he should not be made away with. If he has served us well, we have given him plenty of good food.”

Poor Sultan, who was lying stretched out in the sun not far off, heard all that the shepherd and his wife said to one another, and was very much frightened to think tomorrow would be his last day. So in the evening, he went to his good friend the wolf, who lived in the wood, and told him all his sorrows, and how his master meant to kill him in the morning.

A Great Plan That Worked Well For The Poor Dog

“Make yourself easy,” said the wolf, “I will give you some good advice. Your master, you know, goes out every morning very early with his wife into the field; and they take their little child with them, and lay it down behind the hedge in the shade while they are at work. Now you must lie down close by the child, and pretend to be watching it.”

“Then I will come out of the wood and steal away the child; you must run after me as fast as you can as if to save it from me. Then I will let it drop; and you must bring it back again to its parents, who will think that you have saved their child, and will be so thankful to you that they will take care of you as long as you live. You will be received into full favor, and they will never let you want for anything again.”

The dog liked this plan, which was carried out accordingly. The wolf ran with the child a little way; the shepherd and his wife screamed out, but Sultan overtook him and carried the poor little thing back to his master and mistress. The shepherd was much pleased with the dog, and patted him on the head, saying,

“Old Sultan has saved our child from the wolf, and therefore he shall live and be well taken care of, and have plenty to eat.” And he said to his wife, “Go home directly and give him a good dinner, and let him have my old cushion to sleep on as long as he lives.”

From that time old Sultan was made so comfortable that he had nothing left to wish for. Soon afterward the wolf came and wished him joy, and said, “Now, my good friend, you must tell no tales, but turn your head the other way when I want to taste one of the old shepherd’s fine fat sheep.”

How Faithful Sultan Saved Himself From The Wolf

“No,” said the Sultan; “I will be true to my master.” However, the wolf thought he was in joke, and came one night to carry off the sheep. But Sultan had told his master what the wolf meant to do; so he laid wait for him behind the barn door, and when the wolf was busy looking out for a good fat sheep, he had a stout cudgel laid about his back, that combed his locks for him finely.

The wolf was very angry but had to make his escape. However, he warned the dog in these words, “You shall pay for this, you traitor!” The next morning the wolf sent the wild boar to challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the matter. Now Sultan had nobody he could ask to be his second but the shepherd’s old three-legged cat.

So he took her with him, and as the poor thing limped along with some trouble, she stuck up her tail straight in the air. The wolf and the wild boar were first on the ground; and when they saw their enemies coming and caught sight of the cat’s long tail standing straight in the air, they thought she was carrying a sword for Sultan to fight with.

And every time she limped, they thought she was picking up a stone to throw at them. So they said they should not like this way of fighting, and the boar lay down behind a bush, and the wolf jumped up into a tree. Sultan and the cat soon came up, and looked about and wondered that no one was there.

The boar, however, had not quite hidden himself, for his ears stuck out of the bush; and when he shook one of them a little, the cat, seeing something move, and thinking it was a mouse, sprang upon it, and bit and scratched it, so that the boar jumped up and grunted, and ran away, roaring out, “Look up in the tree, there sits the one who is to blame.”

So they looked up and espied the wolf sitting amongst the branches, and they called him a cowardly rascal, and would not suffer him to come down till he was heartily ashamed of himself, and had promised to be good friends again with old Sultan.

Moral of The Story: Trust and loyalty give life to any relationship. So treasure your loyal friends and be vigilant of cunning fellows.

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3. The Queen Bee And The Prince: Top Short Story For Kids

Short Story of A Prince Who Solved A Weird Riddle

Two king’s sons once upon a time went into the world to seek their fortunes; but they soon fell into a wasteful foolish way of living, so that they could not return home again. Then their brother Witling, who was a little insignificant dwarf, went out to seek his brothers: but when he had found them they only laughed at him, thinking that he, who was so young and simple, should try to travel through the world, when they who were so much wiser, had been unable to get on.

But they all three went on together until they came to an ant-hill. The two elder brothers would have pulled it down, in order to see how the poor ants in their fright would run about and carry off their eggs. But the Witling said, “Leave the little creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be disturbed.”

And they went on farther until they came to a lake, where many many ducks were swimming about. The two eldest brothers wanted to catch a couple of them and cook them, but Witling would not allow it, and said, “Leave the creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be killed.”

Next, they came to a bee’s nest in a hollow tree, and there was so much honey that it ran down the trunk. The two eldest brothers wanted to light a fire under the tree and kill the bees, so as to get their honey. But Witling prevented them, saying, “Let the pretty insects enjoy themselves, I cannot let you burn them.”

What Happened With Princes Inside The Castle

At last, the three brothers came to a castle where there saw fine horses standing in the stables, but all were of marble, and no man was to be seen. Then they went through all the rooms, till they came to a door on which were three locks, and in the middle of the door a small opening through which they could look into the room.

There they saw a little grey old man sitting at a table. They called out to him once, twice, and he did not hear, but the third time he got up, undid the locks, and came out. Without speaking a word he led them to a table loaded with all sorts of good things, and when they had eaten and drunk he showed to each his bed-chamber.

The next morning the little grey man came to the eldest brother, and beckoning him, brought him to a marble table, on which were written three tablets directing by what means the castle could be delivered from its enchantment.

The first tablet said, “In the wood, under the moss, lie a thousand pearls belonging to the king’s daughter. They must all be found, and if one be missing by set of sun, he who seeks them will be turned into stone.”

The eldest brother set out and sought for the pearls the whole day but the evening came, and he had not found the first hundred. So he was turned into stone as the tablet had foretold. The next day the second brother undertook the task, but he succeeded no better than the first; for he could only find the second hundred of the pearls, and therefore he too was turned into stone.

How The Little Prince Married The Princess

And so, at last, it was Witling’s turn, and he began to search in the moss; but it was a very tedious business to find the pearls, and he grew so out of the heart that he sat down on a stone and began to weep. And as he sat there, the king of the ants (whose life he had saved) came to help him, with five thousand ants; and it was not long before they had found all the pearls and laid them in a heap.

Now the second tablet said, “Get the key of the princess’s sleeping chamber out of the lake.” And when Witling came to the lake, the ducks whose lives he had saved came swimming and dived below, and brought up the key from the bottom.

The third task that had to be done was the most difficult, and that was to choose out of the youngest and loveliest of the three princesses, as they lay sleeping. Now they were all beautiful, and all exactly alike but he was told that the eldest had eaten a piece of sugar, the next some sweet syrup, and the youngest a spoonful of honey; so he was to guess which it was that had eaten the honey.

Then came up the queen of the bees, who had been saved by the Witling from the fire, and she tried the lips of all three; but at last, she sat upon the lips of the one that had eaten the honey, and so it was that the king’s son knew which to choose.

Then the spell was broken, and all who had been turned into stones awoke and took their forms. And Witling married the youngest and the loveliest princess and became king after her father’s death. But his two brothers married the other two sisters.

Moral of The Story: Never harm others. Be kind to everyone. Kindness is strength. Every good and kind deed brings light, restfulness, and joy to our own life.

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4. The Straw, The Coal And The Bean Short Story For Children

A Captivating Short Story For Your Little Kids

In a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together a dish of beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth, and in order to make it burn better, she put in a handful of straw. When she was emptying the beans into the pan, one dropped without her observing it, and lay on the ground beside a straw, and soon afterward a burning coal jumped out of the fire and joined the pair.

The straw began first, and said, “Dear friends, how do you come here?” The coal answered, “I, fortunately, sprang out of the fire, and if I had not escaped by sheer force, my death would have been certain, – I should have been burnt to ashes.”

The bean said, “I too have come out of it with a whole skin, but if the old woman had kept me into the pan, I should have been cooked into a soft mass without any mercy, like my comrades.”

“Nor should I have met with a better fate,” said the straw; “the old woman has destroyed all my brethren in fire and smoke, she seized sixty of them at once and took their life. Very luckily I managed to slip through her fingers.”

“But what are we to do now?” said the coal.

“I think,” answered the bean, “that as we have been so fortunately escaped death, we should keep together like good companions, and, lest a new misfortune should overtake us here, we should go away together, and go abroad into foreign lands.”

How The Three Friends Started Their Journey

The proposal pleased the two others, and they set out on their way together. Soon, however, they came to a little brook, and as there was no stepping stone and no bridge, they could not tell how they were to get to the other side. The straw hit on a good idea, and said, “I will lay myself straight across so that you can walk over me as if I were a bridge!”

So the straw stretched itself from one bank to the other, and the coal, who was of an impetuous disposition, quickly trotted up to go over the new-made bridge. But when, she had reached the middle, and heard the water rushing past beneath her, she was after all, afraid, and stood still, and could get no farther.

So the straw began to burn, broke into two pieces, and fell into the stream. The coal slipped after her, hissed when she touched the water and breathed her last. The bean, who had prudently stayed behind on the shore, could not help laughing at the sight, and not being able to contain herself, went on laughing so excessively that she burst.

It would have been all over with her, likewise, if, by good fortune, a tailor who was traveling in search of work, had not sat down to rest by the brook. As he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread and sewed her together. The bean thanked him most prettily, but as the tailor used black thread, all beans since then have a black seam.

Moral of The Story: Never do work in a hurry, instead think wisely and act accordingly.

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5. The Fox And The Horse: A Great Short Story For Kids

Short Story of A Horse Who Was Expelled By His Master

A farmer had a horse that had been an excellent faithful servant to him but he was now grown too old to work; so the farmer would give him nothing more to eat, and said, “I want you no longer, so take yourself off out of my stable; I shall not take you back again until you are stronger than a lion.” Then he opened the door and turned him adrift.

The poor horse was very melancholy, and wandered up and down in the wood, seeking some little shelter from the cold wind and rain. Presently a fox meet him and said, “What’s the matter, my friend?” said he “Why do you hang down your head and look so lonely and woe-begone?”

“Ah!” replied the horse, “Justice and avarice never dwell in one house; my master has forgotten all that I have done for him so many years, and because I can no longer work he has turned me adrift and says unless I become stronger than a lion he will not take me back again; what chance can I have of that? he knows I have none, or he would not talk so.”

How The Witty Fox Helped The Poor Horse

However, the fox bid him be of good cheer, and said, “I will help you; lie down there, stretch yourself out quite stiff, and pretend to be dead.” The horse did as he was told, and the fox went straight to the lion who lived in a cave close by, and said to him, “A little way off lies a dead horse; come with me and you may make an excellent meal of his carcass.”

The lion was greatly pleased, and set off immediately; and when they came to the horse, the fox said, “You will not be able to eat him comfortably here; I’ll tell you what – I will tie you fast to his tail, and then you can draw him to your den, and eat him at your leisure.”

This advice pleased the lion, so he laid himself down quietly for the fox to make him fast to the horse. But the fox managed to tie his legs together and bound all so hard and fast that with all his strength he could not set himself free. When the work was done, the fox clapped the horse on the shoulder, and said, “Jip! Dobbin! Jip!

Then up he sprang, and moved off, dragging the lion behind him. The beast began to roar and bellow, till all the birds of the wood flew away for fright; but the horse let him sing on, and made his way quietly over the fields to his master’s house.

“Here he is, master,” said he, “I have got the better of him” and when the farmer saw his old servant, his heart relented, and he said. Thou shalt stay in thy stable and be well taken care of.” And so the poor old horse had plenty to eat and lived till he died.

Moral of The Story: Kindness is the mightiest force in the world. Always help the needy and the deprived people.

 

Short Stories For Your Kids on The Importance of Hard Work

6. The Gold In The Orchard: An Italian Short Story on Labor

There was once a farmer who had a fine olive orchard. He was very industrious, and the farm always prospered under his care. But he knew that his three sons despised the farm work, and were eager to make wealth fast, through adventure. When the farmer was old and felt that his time had come to die, he called the three sons to him and said, “My sons, there is a pot of gold hidden in the olive orchard. Dig for it, if you wish it.”

The sons tried to get him to tell them in what part of the orchard the gold was hidden, but he would tell them nothing more. After the farmer was dead, the sons went to work to find the pot of gold; since they did not know where the hiding place was, they agreed to begin in a line, at one end of the orchard, and to dig until one of them should find the money.

They dug until they had turned up the soil from one end of the orchard to the other, around the tree roots and between them. But no pot of gold was to be found. It seemed as if someone must have stolen it, or as if the farmer had been wandering in his wits. The three sons were bitterly disappointed to have all their work for nothing.

The next olive season, the olive trees in the orchard bore more fruit than they had ever given; the fine cultivating they had had from the digging brought so much fruit, and of so fine a quality, that when it was sold it gave the sons a whole pot of gold!

And when they saw how much money had come from the orchard, they suddenly understood what the wise father had meant when he said, “There is gold hidden in the orchard; dig for it.”

Moral of The Story: It has never been an easy task to achieve the most precious things in this world. They first test your ability and strength.

7. Wonderful Short Story on The Importance of Hard Work

A rich man’s son sent a proposal for a beautiful girl from a poor family. The father of the girl inquired about the profession of the son. He was told that the boy does not do any work and lives on the money of his father. The girl’s father said, “A person who does not earn on his own does not deserve my daughter’s hand. The future of the boy is not bright”.

The boy felt very hurt by the statement and decided to turn things around. He toiled hard in his father’s business, expanded it, and created a name for himself. This time girl’s father came with the proposal and said, “You have developed the quality that I was looking for in the groom for my daughter. Now, I will have no worries about my daughter’s future as it will be in the right hands”.

Moral of The Story: A person who rises to the top through his own hard work is genuinely respected in society because he is a self-made person who does not depend on his father’s fortune or a stroke of luck to achieve recognition.

 

Short Zen Stories For Kids To Acquire Knowledge & Wisdom

8. Secret of Prosperity: A Short Zen Story on Wisdom

A rich man asked a Zen master to write something down that could encourage the prosperity of his family for years to come. It would be something that the family could cherish for generations. On a large piece of paper, the master wrote, “Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.” The rich man became angry when he saw the master’s work.

“I asked you to write something down that could bring happiness and prosperity to my family. Why do you give me something depressing like this?” “If your son should die before you,” the master answered, “this would bring unbearable grief to your family.

If your grandson should die before your son, this also would bring great sorrow. If your family, generation after generation, disappears in the order I have described, it will be the natural course of life. This is true happiness and prosperity.”

Moral of The Story: It requires wisdom to understand wisdom.

9. How To Experience The Truth: A Short Zen Story

Once a disciple of a celebrated Zen Guru asked his teacher – “Master, I am unable to grasp the meaning of one of the Buddha Sutras. Please elucidate it for me”. The Zen guru opened a book and began searching for the sutra. The disciple asked in surprise – “Master, you are so learned. How come you are unable to recollect a small sutra and you have to search for it in the book’?

The Zen guru laughed at this and said – “If I point out the moon to you with a finger, the finger does not become the moon. The scriptures, similarly, are mere pointers to the truth. Truth can be realized only by direct experiences. Merely memorizing the scriptures will not necessarily lead to the actual feeling of spiritual experiences in life.’ The disciple understood the meaning of the scriptures.

Moral of The Story: The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.

10. Transient: A Short Zen Story on Knowledge

A famous spiritual teacher came to the front door of the King’s palace. None of the guards tried to stop him as he entered and made his way to where the King himself was sitting on his throne. “What do you want?” asked the King, immediately recognizing the visitor.

“I would like a place to sleep in this inn,” replied the teacher. “But this is not an inn,” said the King, “It is my palace.”

“May I ask who owned this palace before you?” The teacher said to the king.

“My father. He is dead.” “And who owned it before him?” “My grandfather. He too is dead.”

“And this place where people live for a short time and then move on – did I hear you say that it is NOT an inn?”

Moral of The Story: The whole world… its every possession, its every luxury is transient but we are always so lost in the objects of sensual pleasures that we never experience the reality of this ever-changing world.

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Short Stories For Kids To Develop Good Habits & Personality

11. The Needle Tree And Two Brothers Story For Kids

There lived two brothers near a forest. The elder one was very mean to the younger brother. He would finish all the food and wear all the new clothes of his younger brother. One day, the elder brother decided to go into the forest to get some firewood and sell it in the market. As he went around, chopping tree after tree, he stumbled upon a magical tree.

The tree said, “Oh kind sir, please do not cut my branches. If you spare me, I will give you golden apples.” He agreed but was left disappointed with the number of apples the tree gave him. As greed overcame him, he threatened the tree that he will cut the entire trunk if it didn’t give him more apples.

The magical tree, instead, showered upon the elder brother, hundreds and hundreds of tiny needles. The elder brother lay on the ground, crying in pain, as the sun set. The younger brother was worried and so he went in search of his elder brother. He found him lying in pain near the tree, with hundreds of needles on his body.

He rushed to his brother and removed each needle, lovingly and gently. After he finished, the elder brother apologized for treating him badly and promised to be better. The tree saw the change in the elder brother’s heart and gave them all the golden apples they would ever need.

Moral of The Story: Kindness and Generosity are very important things in life, as they will always reward their owners.

12. A Story About The Evil Effects of Flattery

A teacher while instructing his students was describing the evil effects of flattery. He said, “Have you not seen a kind of fish which you can puff up by blowing into its mouth? The more it is blown into, the more it swells, till a time comes when it bursts and dies. Once upon a time, a king was invaded by his enemy. The matter was discussed for hours by his cabinet.

Unfortunately, he had a number of flatterers in his cabinet who assured him that nothing could happen to him as he was a very mighty king. The king felt so much flattered that he took no action or precaution; with the result that the enemy invaded his kingdom and having conquered it put him to an ignominious death.

Moral of The Story: Flattery corrupts both the receiver and the giver.

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Short Stories on Happiness, Simplicity, And Peace of Mind

13. Short Story on The Importance of A Peaceful Mind

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, and went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.” So the farmer sent the little boy back to the barn. After a while, the little boy came out with the watch in his hand!

The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed. The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

Moral of The Story: A peaceful mind can think better than a worked-up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be…!

14. The Real Miracle: A Short Zen Story on Simplicity

When Zen Master Bankei was preaching at Ryumon temple, a priest, who believed in salvation through the repetition of the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him. Bankei was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared but the fellow made such a disturbance that Bankei stopped his discourse and asked about the noise.

‘The founder of our sect,’ boasted the priest, ‘had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river, his attendant held up a paper on the other bank, and the teacher wrote the holy name of Amida through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing?’

Bankei replied lightly: ‘Perhaps your fox can perform that trick, but that is not the manner of Zen. My miracle is that when I feel hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink.’

Moral of The Story: There is no greatness where there is no simplicity.

15. The Crow And The Peacock Short Story For Kids

Once there was a crow who wishes to be colorful and beautiful like other birds. He then went to the parrot and shared his thoughts. But the parrot said peacock is the most beautiful bird so talk to him. Then the crow went to the peacock and told him about his looks.

Then the peacock replied, “You are the luckiest bird that has been never caged in life and we because of our beauty stay caged, and you are always free.” After listening to this, crow realized his mistake and thanked God for making him like this and he flew away happily.

Moral of The Story: Never compare yourself to others. Be happy with what you have and what you are.

Stories are the best ways to teach moral education to kids and adults. In this post, we tried our best to entertain your toddlers with the most captivating stories we found at various places. And we are sure these short stories for kids would be the perfect dosage to increase their moral values. We will continue our work by bringing more and more interesting stories here. So keep visiting our Story Section regularly.

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