5-10 Lines Bedtime Short Stories With Moral for Kids

The Monkey and The Crocodile

Once upon a time, there was a clever monkey who lived in a tree with tasty red apples. One day, a hungry crocodile came and asked the monkey for food.

The kind monkey shared his apples, and they became friends. The crocodile started visiting every day and became friends with the monkey.

The crocodile mentioned his wife and how she loved the apples. The monkey happily gave him extra apples to take home. Their friendship grew deeper.

However, the crocodile’s wife became jealous and wanted to end their friendship. She tricked the crocodile into bringing the monkey to their home, planning to eat him.

She pretended to be sick and claimed that only a monkey’s heart could cure her. The crocodile felt torn between his friend and his wife’s life. He invited the monkey to cross the river but had a hidden plan to kill him.

As they crossed the river, the crocodile revealed his plan. The smart monkey told him that his heart was left in the apple tree and they needed to go back.

The crocodile, eager to save his wife, swam back. The monkey quickly climbed the tree, outsmarting the crocodile.

He told the crocodile to go home and tell his mean wife that he was the silliest crocodile in the whole world.

Moral of the story: Be careful who you trust, as some people may pretend to be friends but have selfish intentions.

The Bear and The Two Friends

Once, two friends went into a strange forest. They knew it could be dangerous, so they promised to stay together no matter what.

Suddenly, they saw a big bear coming towards them! One friend quickly climbed a tree, but the other didn’t know how to climb. So, the clever friend lay on the ground, pretending to be a statue.

The bear came closer and sniffed around the still friend. It looked and listened carefully. After a while, the bear decided to go away. You know why? Bears don’t harm things they think are already dead.

When it was safe, the friend who climbed the tree came down and asked, “What did the bear say to you?” Smiling, the other friend replied, “The bear told me to watch out for fake friends.”

Moral of the story: A true friend is someone who is always there for you and supports you, no matter what happens.

The Ant and The Dove

Once upon a time, in a forest, a little ant was searching for water. It wandered and wandered until it found a spring. But oh no! The ant slipped and started to drown.

Luckily, a kind dove was flying nearby and saw the ant in trouble. The dove quickly grabbed a twig and dropped it into the water. The ant grabbed onto the twig and the dove gently brought it to safety on the ground.

But there was more danger! A hunter wanted to catch the dove with a net. The clever ant realized what was happening. It bravely bit the hunter’s foot, making him drop the net in pain. The dove flew away, safe and sound.

Moral of the story: One good action leads to another.

The Rabbit and The Tortoise

Once upon a time, there was a rabbit who was known for his speed. He loved boasting about how fast he could run and would often make fun of other animals for being slow. One day, he came across a tortoise who was minding its own business.

Mocking the tortoise, the rabbit said, “You are so slow! I bet I could beat you in a race without even trying.”

The tortoise, wise and composed, replied, “I may be slow, but I am determined. If you are up for a race, let’s give it a try.”

Excited to prove his speed, the rabbit agreed and the race began. The rabbit zoomed ahead, leaving the tortoise far behind. Confident of his victory, the rabbit decided to take a nap under a shady tree since he was so far ahead.

Meanwhile, the tortoise kept plodding along steadily, never losing sight of the finish line. Slowly and steadily, he made progress. When the rabbit woke up, he was surprised to see the tortoise nearing the finish line.

With a burst of energy, the rabbit sprinted towards the finish line, but it was too late. The tortoise had already crossed it.

The rabbit was shocked and realized that his overconfidence had cost him the race. He admitted his mistake and learned an important lesson about patience, determination, and not underestimating others.

Moral of the story: Slow and steady wins the race. It’s not always about being the fastest, but about staying focused, determined, and never underestimating the abilities of others.

The Thirsty Crow

On a hot day, a thirsty crow flew around the fields searching for water. But there was none to be found. The crow started feeling weak and lost hope.

Just then, it noticed a water jug under a tree. Excitedly, the crow flew down to see if there was any water inside. And yes, it could see some water!

The crow tried putting its head into the jug, but the jug’s neck was too narrow. Then it tried to push the jug to make the water flow out, but the jug was too heavy.

The crow thought hard for a moment. Then it looked around and saw some pebbles nearby. Suddenly, it got a clever idea!

It started picking up the pebbles one by one and dropping them into the jug. As more and more pebbles fell into the jug, the water level began to rise. Soon, it was high enough for the crow to drink. The crow’s plan had worked!

Moral of the story: If you think and work hard, you can find a solution to any problem.

The Fox and The Grapes

Once upon a time, a clever fox was walking through the forest when it spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from a high branch. The fox’s mouth watered at the sight.

“I want those grapes!” the fox exclaimed.

The fox took a few steps back and tried to jump up to reach the grapes, but it missed. It tried again, and again, but it couldn’t reach them. The fox started to feel a bit frustrated.

“They’re probably sour anyway,” the fox grumbled, and walked away with a shrug, leaving the grapes behind.

Having no food to eat that night, he slept on an empty stomach.

Moral of the Story: We make excuses when something is too difficult to attain. Instead of working hard for it, we tell ourselves that it’s probably not that great.

Honesty is the Best Policy Story – The Honest Woodcutter

Once upon a time, there lived a poor woodcutter named Ramu. He lived with his wife and two children in a small hut. Everyday Ramu would go in the forest and chop trees for wood. He would then sell the wood in the market and earn a meagre income to support his family. Though poor, Ramu was a very honest man.

One day, while Ramu was chopping wood in the forest, the axe slipped from his hand and fell into the river that flowed nearby. Ramu was very sad and worried, as he knew that he would not be able to replace the axe and would now have to find some other means of livelihood.

He prayed sincerly for his axe, and a goddess appeared from the river. She asked Ramu what he had lost and why he was so sad. Ramu told her everything.

Goddess, then went back into the river and came back with a silver axe, Ramu said that it wasn’t his axe. Goddess, once again went back into the river and this time came back with an golden axe, again Ramu said that it wasn’t his axe.

The Goddess smiled and pulled out his iron axe from the river and gave it to him. Ramu was delighted to get back his old axe and thanked the Goddess.

Goddess was very happy with Ramu’s honesty and rewarded him with the silver and the golden axe. Ramu was overwhelmed with happiness and went back home with his new found wealth.

Moral of the story: Honesty is always the best policy. It is better to lose something temporarily than to lose your honesty and integrity forever.

The Lion and the Poor Slave

There was once a slave whose master was cruel to him. One day, he couldn’t stand it anymore, so he fled into the forest.

On his way, he encountered a lion that was unable to walk because of a thorn in its paw. Even though he was scared, the slave mustered his courage and pulled out the thorn in the lion’s paw.

When the lion was free from the thorn, he ran into the forest without hurting the slave. Soon after, the slave was caught by his master in the forest. The slave was then thrown into the lion’s den by his master.

As soon as he saw the lion, the slave recognized it as the same lion he had rescued previously. As a result, the slave escaped unharmed.

Moral of the Story: Your good deeds will always come back to you. Do good deeds and be kind to others, and the universe will reward you.

The Wise Man

A wise man used to give advice to anyone who approached him. Over the years, he noticed that people had been complaining about the same problems to him.

One day, he told a joke, which made everyone laugh out loud.

He told them the same joke after a few minutes, and only a few of them smiled.

The third time he told the same joke, no one laughed.

He smiled and said, “You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why are you always crying about the same problem?”

Moral of the Story: You won’t solve your problems if you worry; you’ll just waste your time and energy.

True Wealth

Two friends named Max and Tim met after a really long time. “I have a huge house with a pool,” Max boasted while drinking his tea. “I have 30 cars and a garden in front of my house,” Tim said.

Soon they started fighting over who was richer and who was less. Suddenly, the ground started shaking and they realized it was an earthquake. Tim quickly hid under the table and pulled Max down with him.

Max took his handkerchief and wrapped Tim’s bleeding hand that he hurt while pulling Max. The bamboos and bricks the hotel was made of started falling down. But Max and Tim were safe.

They realized none of their wealth helped them, friendship and kindness did.

Moral of the Story: True wealth isn’t money or materials, it is friendship and kindness.

Posted on May 30, 2021December 4, 2023
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