Stories have been a constant source of entertainment and learning for ages. In the old times, when there was no television or mobile phones to keep people entertained in their leisure time, stories and fables became an escape for people to get out of their mundane lives. Stories can have a significant impact on a child's mind and can teach them some valuable life lessons.
In India, Panchatantra stories have a long-standing history of being a conventional tool of educating kids. These may also instill some important moral values in them. Stories may enhance your child’s vocabulary and knowledge about nature as well. Thus, short stories can have an overall positive impact on your child's mind and shape them into a more creative and principled person.
You can disseminate a lot of valuable life lessons to your child through the aid of some interesting stories. Here is a list of such stories that can teach your child timeless values and help them become a better individual.
Once upon a time, there lived a group of mice in an abandoned village. Near the village, there was a pond where a herd of elephants used to regularly visit to drink water. Once, while returning from the pond, the elephants trampled over some mice by mistake. The leader of the mice group decided to visit the leader of the elephants and asked them to change their route. However, the elephants disagreed. After some time, a hunter from a village nearby came to catch some elephants by entangling them in nets. When the mice came to know about the same, they went and helped the elephants by cutting the net with their teeth. After being rescued, the elephants realised their mistake and decided to change their path for the safety of the mice. The moral of the story is that it is always important to be kind to people and return kindness in whatever way possible.
Once upon a time, there lived three fish in a pond. The first fish was extremely clever and smart. The second fish, on the other hand knew how to get itself out of trouble, and the third fish resented change or making any efforts. One day, the first fish heard a fisherman talking about a plan to catch all the fish in that pond. Scared, the first fish went back to its friends and told them about the danger. It advised the other two fish to accompany it to the other pond. However, the second fish decided to stay back and see if there was any danger, along with the third fish. After the first fish went away, the fisherman came and caught the other two fish with a net. While the second fish cleverly got out of the net, the third fish remained caught and ended up dying. The story teaches one about the importance of sensing danger and immediately acting upon it.
This is the story of a jackal who wandered from one place to another in search of food. Suddenly, the jackal heard a strange sound that instantly scared him. After gathering a lot of courage, the jackal decided to go near the source of the sound. After travelling for some distance, the jackal found out that the sound was coming from an abandoned drum that was being constantly hit by the branches of a tree, which is why it was making a particular sound. The jackal also found a lot of food near that drum and ate a satisfactory meal after that. The story highlights the need for one to overcome their fears and not run away from them.
This is a story about two sparrows who lived in a cozy nest. One day, it was raining torrentially when a monkey came near their nest. One of the sparrows advised the monkey to make a house for itself so it wouldn't have to get drenched and feel cold in the rainy season. This annoyed the monkey, and instead of listening to the sparrow's advice, it destroyed the nest. This left both the sparrows without a home. The story teaches kids about the importance of being selective when giving advice. One should only counsel if an individual genuinely deserves it.
Once there was a tiger who was in search of food. After travelling through villages, it found out that a goat wrestling competition was being organised at one of the villages. The goats wrestled as the people around them gathered and cheered suddenly. After a few minutes of fighting, one of the goats started bleeding. As the tiger was hungry, it couldn't resist. It directly jumped on the goat and ate it there. This made the other goats extremely angry, and they trampled and killed the tiger with a lot of force. The story sheds light on the dangers of not thinking before deciding on life and how it can be deadly.
Each of these stories can be narrated to your child before bedtime. These cover various themes like friendship, intelligence, respect, and honesty. They can have a strong impact on your child's perception of the world and build strong values.