MORAL STORIES

Children enjoy reading about different characters and story plots. But how often do they learn something from these tales?

What if your child could be taught good manner or habits through these stories, that can be applied in their everyday lives? In fact, the way a child behaves, talks and responds to a situation can be directly influenced by simple, moral stories. Here are some of the most popular and easy to comprehend moral stories –

1. The Golden Goose :

               This is one most amazing short stories for kids, The Golden Goose.  Once upon a time in a village, there lived a farmer with his wife.  They were very poor.  They had nothing but a little farm where they grew vegetables that they could eat. However, he managed to save a little money each time he sold vegetables from his farm.

              Eventually he saved up enough money to buy a goose.  He took it home and made a nest for it to lay eggs.  “The goose will produce eggs which he could use for selling, eating and making bread”, thought the farmer. Also, read The Ant And The Grasshopper.

     The next morning when he went to gather some eggs for his breakfast, he lifted the goose and to his surprise the goose had laid a golden egg.  The next morning, he found another egg and the next, and the next. Slowly and steadily, the farmer and his wife were becoming richer and richer.  Also, read The Honest Woodcutter.

                        “Just think if we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster”, said the greedy wife.  “You are right! We would not have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day,” replied the farmer greedily.

                The next day, farmer went to the goose quietly and picked her up carefully.  He was hiding the knife in his pocket.  The couple killed the goose and cut her open only to find that she was just like every other goose.  She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.  Alas! Now the farmer and his wife had lost the goose and they would never get and golden egg ever again.

Moral: TOO MUCH GREED ALWAYS LEADS TO GREAT LOSS.

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The Ant and the Grasshopper

One summer’s day, in a field, a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great effort an ear of corn he was taking to his nest.

"Why don’t you come and chat with me," asked the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling your life away?"

"I am helping to store up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and I recommend you to do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper. "We have got plenty of food at present."

But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.

When winter came, the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing, every day, corn and grain from the stores they had collected in summer.

Then the Grasshopper knew...

MORAL: WORK TODAY AND YOU CAN REAP THE BENEFITS TOMORROW!

More about the ant and the grasshopper story

Are you an ant or a grasshopper? In other words, do you tend to finish all your work, and then relax, or do you relax first and procrastinate about work?

Most of us, in fact, are somewhere in between. However, different types of personalities behave differently, when presented with a situation where there is an option of working and saving for future, and leading a carefree life. Most artists and creative people are usually categorized as the latter type.

Research shows that people who are basically explorers and entertainers, do not care much about finishing their work before enjoying themselves. They like to live one day at a time, and impulsively follow where their heart leads. They believe in living in the moment.

People who are diplomats, analysts, logicians and mediators, tend to strike a balance between work and play, with a slight inclination towards work than play.

People who are sentinels are definitely the ‘ant’ type, working very hard now, so that they can enjoy the fruits of their work later. They are very strict about themselves and their work, and do not have a carefree attitude to anything in life. They are likely to be successful in the long run, but may seem to have a ‘dull’ life.

It is a sad fact that some people take the ‘work before play’ concept too far and get stressed out eventually. It must be for those that the saying ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ was invented! Many studies show that workaholics suffer from mental and physical illnesses.

The key is therefore, to strike a balance between work and play. Work well, and save for a rainy day. However, remember to take breaks and rest in between. “It's all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family,” said Philip Green.

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The Honest Woodcutter 

This tale is based on the moral “Honesty is the best policy” and involves a poor woodcutter who loses his axe in a river. It shows children how they will get appreciated and rewarded if they live with honesty.

Once there lived a poor woodcutter. He used to cut trees in the woods. One day he was cutting wood on the bank of a river. His axe fell down into the river. The river was deep. He could not take his axe out. He sat on the bank and began to weep.

Mercury, the god of water appeared. He asked the reason of his weeping. The woodcutter told the whole story. Mercury dived into the water and brought a golden axe. The woodcutter refused to take it. Mercury again dived and brought a silver axe. The woodcutter did not take it either. Then he brought an iron axe. The woodcutter took it gladly. Mercury was much pleased. He rewarded the woodcutter with the other two axes.

Moral: Honesty is the best policy.

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The Greedy Crocodile

Once there was a crocodile. He was really hungry. He saw a boy. The boy had some meat in his hand. He decided he wanted to eat both the boy and his meat. He would trick the boy.

The crocodile said, "Oh! Little Boy! Could you please give me some meat?"

The boy said, "Oh no, you will eat me"

The crocodile said, "I promise, I won't eat you."

So the boy went near the crocodile to give him the meat. But, instead the crocodile tried to catch the boy. It caught just his arm.

There came a rabbit. It wanted to help the boy. It did help the boy. The crocodile wanted to eat the rabbit first, so he let go of the boy's arm.

The boy ran away and escaped and the rabbit too fled away. The cunning crocodile didn't get his dinner.

Moral : A quick wit can solve most problems.

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!"

The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.

"Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's no wolf!" They went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the boy sang out again, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away.

When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!"

But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.

Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!"

But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.

At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.

"There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, "Wolf!" Why didn't you come?"

An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.

"We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!"

Moral: Liars are not believed even when they speak the truth.

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The ugly duckling

It is a beautiful summer day. The sun shines warmly on an old house near a river. Behind the house a mother duck is sitting on ten eggs. "Tchick." One by one all the eggs break open.

All except one. This one is the biggest egg of all.

Mother duck sits and sits on the big egg. At last it breaks open, "Tchick, tchick!"

Out jumps the last baby duck. It looks big and strong. It is grey and ugly.

The next day mother duck takes all her little ducks to the river. She jumps into it. All her baby ducks jump in. The big ugly duckling jumps in too.

They all swim and play together. The ugly duckling swims better than all the other ducklings.

- Quack, quack! Come with me to the farm yard! - says mother duck to her baby ducks and they all follow her there.

The farm yard is very noisy. The poor duckling is so unhappy there. The hens peck him, the rooster flies at him, the ducks bite him, the farmer kicks him.

At last one day he runs away. He comes to a river. He sees many beautiful big birds swimming there. Their feathers are so white, their necks so long, their wings so pretty. The little duckling looks and looks at them. He wants to be with them. He wants to stay and watch them. He knows they are swans. Oh, how he wants to be beautiful like them.

Now it is winter. Everything is white with snow. The river is covered with ice. The ugly duckling is very cold and unhappy.

Spring comes once again. The sun shines warmly. Everything is fresh and green.

One morning the ugly duckling sees the beautiful swans again. He knows them. He wants so much to swim with them in the river. But he is afraid of them. He wants to die. So he runs into the river. He looks into the water. There in the water he sees a beautiful swan. It is he! He is no more an ugly duckling. He is a beautiful white swan.

Moral: You cannot judge a person by outward appearance.

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