12 Best Funny Short Stories for Kids to Read in 2024

Reading or listening to funny stories every day brings happiness to kids and helps them become better readers. It’s important for children to read regularly because it helps them learn new words and understand more about the world. Funny short stories for kids aren’t just fun; they also teach kids important things and make them smarter. Parents should try to read a story to their kids every night before bed to make reading a fun part of their day.

Math & ELA | PreK To Grade 5

Kids see fun.

You see real learning outcomes.

Watch your kids fall in love with math & reading through our scientifically designed curriculum.

Parents, try for free Teachers, use for free

“As per the research Cognitive processes develop rapidly in the first few years of life. In fact, by age 3, roughly 85% of the brain is developed. But, traditional education takes place in grades K-12, which begin at age five.”

Let’s have a look at the 12 best short funny stories for kids with morals that they may enjoy hearing.

1. The Hare And The Tortoise

• Written by Aesop for age group (2-5 years)

This short story is about a fast hare and a slow tortoise. The hare always talks about being fast, while the tortoise is relaxed.

One day, they decided to have a race. Everyone thinks the hare will win because he’s so fast. But the tortoise doesn’t give up.

During the race, the hare takes a nap, thinking he has time. But the tortoise keeps going steadily and wins!

Hare: “I’m the fastest in the forest!”

Tortoise: “Slow and steady wins the race, my friend”

Kids like this story because it’s full of surprises and unexpected twists, making it funny and interesting. And it teaches us that being slow and steady can sometimes be better.

Moral of the Story: “Slow and steady wins the race.”

2. The shepherd boy and the wolf

• Written by Aesop for age group (3-6 years)

Once upon a time, there was a mischievous shepherd boy. He’d cry for help, saying a wolf was attacking his sheep, just for fun. People rushed to help, but when they realized he was lying, they got angry and left. Then, the boy would laugh. 

This happened many times until one day, a real wolf came. The boy cried for help, But this time nobody heard him or offered to help him because they did not believe him anymore.

Kids find this story funny because the boy keeps tricking people by pretending there’s a wolf. And they learn from the story that lying for fun can lead to big problems, like people not believing us even when we’re telling the truth. 

Moral of the Story: “Dishonesty leads to loss of trust, making it hard for others to believe us even when we’re truthful.”

3. The Gingerbread Man 

• Written by Jim Aylesworth for age group (4-6 years)

In this funny story a little old woman baked a gingerbread man. When she opened the oven, the Gingerbread Man jumped out and ran away.

He shouted, “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

The Gingerbread Man ran past many animals and people who all tried to catch him, but he was too fast for them.

Finally, he met a sly fox who offered to help him cross a river. The Gingerbread Man agreed, but once they were in the water, the fox tricked him and ate him.

Kids find this story funny because the Gingerbread Man fools everyone and thinks he can outrun everyone, but gets outsmarted by the fox.

Moral of the Story: “Don’t trust anyone too quickly.”

4. The Elves and the Shoemaker

• Written by Brothers Grimm for age group (4-7 years)

It’s about a poor shoemaker and his wife who get help from magical elves.

Once there was a poor shoemaker who had just enough leather for one last pair of shoes. He cut the leather and planned to sew the shoes the next day.

That night, two little elves came and made a beautiful pair of shoes. The shoemaker was amazed to find the finished shoes the next morning and sold them for a good price.

With the money, he bought more leather and left it out again. The elves returned each night to make shoes, and soon the shoemaker was no longer poor.

This story teaches kids that sometimes, unexpected help can come from surprising places.

Moral of the Story: “Hard work and kindness bring rewards.”

5. Puss in Boots 

• Written by Charles Perrault for age group (6-9 years)

This story is all about a clever cat who helps his poor owner become rich and marry a princess. It starts with a miller’s son who gets nothing but a cat when his dad dies. But don’t worry, the cat promises to change their luck.

Puss in Boots is super clever. He tricks the king and makes sure his owner impresses the princess. With Puss’s smart moves, his owner becomes wealthy.

And guess what? Thanks to the cat’s brains, everyone in the end lives happily ever after.

It teaches kids how being smart and having a plan can make a big difference.

Moral of the Story: “Intelligence and cleverness can lead to success, even when you don’t have much to start with.”

6. The Monster Must Go

• Written by by Murray Hunter for age group (1-3 years)

“The Monster Must Go” is one of the funny stories for preschoolers, it’s about a young girl who discovers a friendly monster living under her bed. At first, she’s scared, but she soon realizes the monster is harmless and just wants to be friends.

The girl decides to help the monster find a new home where it can be happy without scaring anyone. 

Kids find this story funny and interesting because it’s about a friendly monster under a bed, which makes them curious, and learning to overcome fears and make friends.

Moral of the Story: Overcome your fear with kindness and acceptance.

7. George And Martha 

• Written by James Marshall for age group (5-8 years)

George and Martha are two hippos best friends who are always getting into funny situations. 

One day, George decided to play a prank on Martha by pretending to be sick. Martha, worried about her friend, brought him soup and tried to make him feel better. But soon, she realized George was just pretending.

Martha: “George, why did you pretend to be sick?”

George: “I just wanted to see how much you care about me, Martha!”

This series helps kids understand the value of friendship and humor in everyday life. Kids find this story funny because George’s prank doesn’t go as planned, and Martha’s reaction is both caring and clever.

Moral of the Story: “Be honest with your friends and don’t play tricks.”

8. The Mice That Ate Iron

• Written by Katherine Evans for age group (4-7 years)

“The Mice That Ate Iron” is a funny story about some little mice who like to eat iron. A man leaves his iron scale with his friend, but when he comes back, the friend says mice ate it. 

To teach his friend not to lie, the man tricks him into thinking an eagle took his son. The friend learns that lying is wrong and gives back the scale. 

This story teaches kids that it’s important to tell the truth and not to be greedy. Being honest helps avoid problems, while greediness can cause trouble. It also shows that forgiving others and learning from mistakes is a good thing.

Moral of the Story: “Honesty is always the best policy.”

9. The Musical Donkey 

• Written by Shobha Viswanath for age group (5-7 years)

The donkey is always portrayed as an animal with no brain despite hard work. This story revolves around a donkey who loves to sing and a jackal who is his friend.

The hardworking donkey who often sang loudly while working. His friend, the clever jackal, warned him to be quiet while stealing cucumbers from a field.

One night, after eating cucumbers, the donkey felt happy and started singing loudly. The noise woke up the farmers, and they came running. The jackal quickly ran away, but the donkey kept singing and was caught by the farmers.

This story helps kids understand the importance of intelligence in addition to hard work.

Moral of the Story: “There’s a right time and place for everything.”

10. Foolish Lion and Clever Rabbit 

• Written by Vishnu Sharma age group (5-9 years)

This story is about a cunning rabbit and a foolish lion who always falls for the rabbit’s tricks.

Once, a foolish lion and a clever rabbit lived in the same forest. The lion thought he was the smartest, but the rabbit always outsmarted him.

In one of their encounters, the lion fell into a trap set by the rabbit, proving that intelligence is more important than strength.

Kids find this story funny because the lion, who is supposed to be powerful, keeps getting tricked by the small rabbit.

Moral of the Story: “Brains beat brawn.”

Read more: 5 Amazing Short Stories for Kids That Teach Moral Values

11. Ant’s Accident 

• Written by Jay Hosler for age group (3-6 years)

This story teaches kids that accidents happen, no matter how careful we are. It follows the misadventures of an ant who, despite being cautious, ends up in funny mishaps.

Once, a little ant named Andy was on his way to collect food. He was very careful, but he accidentally slipped on a banana peel!

Even though Andy tries to be careful, he often ends up in funny accidents. Kids laugh because they can relate to little accidents like this.

Moral of the Story: “Even if we’re careful, accidents can still happen. It’s important to stay positive and keep going, just like Andy the ant.”

12. The Intelligent Merchant

• Written by Andrew Lang for age group (7-11 years)

In this story, the cleverness of the merchant stands out. It teaches kids that intelligence, along with hard work, is important for success.

The tale follows a merchant who outsmarts others with his wit and intelligence, making him a fascinating character for older children.

Once upon a time, there lived a shrewd merchant known for his quick thinking and clever strategies. While others worked hard, he relied on his intelligence to succeed.

One day, faced with a difficult problem, the merchant used his sharp mind to find a solution that surprised everyone.

Kids enjoy this story because they admire the merchant’s smartness and how he uses it to overcome obstacles.

Moral of the Story: “Intelligence is a valuable tool that can help us overcome challenges in life.”

Related Reading: Funny Children's Books to Read With Your Kids

These comedy stories for kids are great for preschoolers too. You can create more kids funny stories to attract children of this age group, because young children love them and they make them giggle.

Related Reading: Free Online Classic Storybooks for Kids

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)