Top 5 Folk Tales With Morals For Kids

The folk stories in English for kids are well-known stories that are often been told to kids through generations. These are stories that people tell each other verbally rather than in writing. Folk tales for kids tell about different parts of life. The folktale's stories may have sorrows, joys, heroes, magic, and villains. Different folk tales and stories teach different lessons to kids. Every region has different traditions and folktales.  For example, you may find Indian Folktales, African Folktales, Spanish Folktales, Swedish Folktales, European Folktales, and more.

But have you ever tried listening to Indian folk tales? If not, we will here give you an overview of 5 Indian folktales with morals that are fascinating but also teach you different lessons. Let’s begin our folktales rides with a snippet of 5 fascinating and famous Indian folktale stories.

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Folk Tales Meaning

The folk tales meaning: “Characteristically anonymous, timeless, and placeless tale passed orally among different people.”

Here is the list of very short folktales with morals for kids. Read these famous folktales stories with morals or kids, which they enjoy, and develop respect for certain characters described in the stories.

Top 5 Indian Folktales Stories With Moral Lessons

Read the 5 top Indian folk stories in English for your kids and teach them a valuable life lesson.

1. The Brahmarâkshas and the Hair

In a village there lived a landlord who could make Brahmarakhshas appear and work as a servant for him; however, the Brahmarakhshas should be given work all the time, or he would create chaos. The landlord assigned him many time-consuming and challenging tasks, which he performed in no time. The landlord didn’t find any work that could keep the Brahmarakhshas engaged and became anxious about how to get rid of him. 

Then the landlord asked the Brahmarakhshas to straighten a piece of long curly hair. The Brahmarakhshas tried for days but couldn’t do it. He then put the hair in the fire to make it straight, however, it disappeared quickly with no trace. The Brahmarakhshas was horrified as he could not straighten the hair for his master, and he ran away.

Moral: This story supports a custom of nailing a handful of hair to a tree to drive the evil spirits away.

2. The Wedding of the Mouse

A hermit once saved the life of a mouse and turned her into a beautiful girl with his divine power. When the girl grew up to marriageable age, the hermit approached the mighty sun, the vast cloud, the brisk wind, and the tall mountain one by one to marry the girl, but the girl rejected all of them, citing various reasons. 

Finally, the hermit approached a mouse as he had the strength to pierce through the mountain. When the girl heard this proposal, she agreed to marry the mouse. The hermit again turned the girl into the mouse and arranged the marriage.

Moral: The underlying message of this story is that it is hard to change the in-born characteristics of someone.

3. The Story of Akbar and Birbal

King Akbar once lost a ring and suspected that one of his courtiers stole the ring but could not identify and catch him. He asked Birbal to solve the case. Birbal said in the court that he knew who had stolen the ring. When the king asked him about the identity of that person, Birbal replied that the courtier with the straw in his beard was the one who had stolen the king’s ring. Immediately, the guilty courtier touched his beard to check for the straw. Birbal immediately pointed at him and caught him as the culprit.

Moral: The story conveys that a guilty person always fears being caught. 

4. Tenali Rama Story

The Rajguru of Vijayanagar court had a strong dislike towards lower caste people. He once told Tenali Rama, “If I look at these lower caste people, I will be born as a donkey in my next life.” Tenali Rama was deeply hurt by this discriminatory behaviour and decided to teach Rajguru a lesson. 

One day, King Krishnadev led the royal procession and his courtiers through the streets. On the way, Tenali Rama saw a group of donkeys. He immediately started bowing before those donkeys. Krishnadev was surprised and asked Teanali Rama the reason behind this act. Tenali replied, “I am paying respect to the ancestors of Rajguru, who had mistakenly looked at people of lower castes.” Rajguru understood that Tenali Rama was trying to convey the message to him. Realizing his mistake, Rajguru stopped discriminating against lower caste people from that day.

Moral: This tale conveys that it is wrong to discriminate against people based on their caste.

5. Vikram Betaal Story - Strange Decision

King Rajendra and Queen Prema had a beautiful daughter named Sona, who became proficient in bow and arrow and the sword. When she reached the marriageable age, the king wanted her to get married, but Sona decided to marry the person who would defeat her in bow and arrow and sword fighting. Many princes came to fight with her, but Sona defeated them, and they had to leave disappointed. A young man named Uday used to watch Sona fighting with others and gradually learned the techniques that Sona applied to defeat her opponents. 

He came forward and defeated Sona conveniently. When the King asked Uday about his training, he said he had learned the skill and techniques by observing Sona. But Sona denied marrying this man, and Uday also accepted it. The Betal then asked king Bikram to answer why Sona did not marry Uday, although Uday defeated her. The king replied that Uday had learned the techniques and strategies from Sona, so Sona became a teacher to Uday. A teacher can’t marry a student as per the culture, and both accepted it.

Moral: The story leaves a beautiful message: if you learn anything from anyone, you should consider them as your Guru or teachers.

Conclusion

The folktales reflect the tradition and culture of a society as prevalent in different parts of the world. These stories are told through generations but have kept their form relevant even today. Children of all ages are very fond of these stories and try to apply the underlying messages in their practical lives, which significantly adds to society.