7 Evergreen Motivational Stories to Read to Your Grandkids

In the old times, only a few women had access to education. They used to spend most of their time managing household affairs. My grandmother was one such woman, fair-looking, always wore cotton sarees and had thousands of stories to tell us. I still remember some of her bedtime stories and how peacefully I used to fall asleep while listening to those. Not only I but also my grandmother used to enjoy the storytelling time. She used to call me a miraculous joy. Today, I am going to talk about some stories or storybooks which I truly loved during my childhood days. These are stories full of value, morals, and other learnings, I believe reading them to your kids or grandkids will help give them exposure and it will also act as a bonding exercise. 

Short Motivational Stories To Read To Kids  

1. Panchatantra: These moral stories are one of the most liked and popular collections of animal-based fables. The roots of Panchatantra go back to the times of King Amarashakti, who appointed a renowned scholar, Vishnu Sharma to educate his three sons. After realising that the tools and techniques were not working well with the princes, Vishu Sharma decided to teach them through stories. Therefore, he wrote a collection of stories in five volumes, based on morality. During my childhood days, I was a fan of Panchatantra as the stories were light, colourful and provided me with valuable lessons for life. These stories are suitable for tiny tots and help grandparents teach their kids important life lessons and how they might help shape humanity’s destiny for good.      

2. The Little Book of Hindu Deities: This book of Hindu Deities is chock-full of demons, monsters, noble warriors, and divine devtas. While introducing kids to the Hindu pantheons, the cute-looking illustrations of the book walk kids through interesting stories. This book is written and illustrated by a Pixar animator and provides a perky, captivating introduction to Hindu deities. The short tales include everything from wars to romance, with fascinating characters ranging from demons to divine beings. These intriguing stories are woven with verve and humour. This book has a fascinating explanation of questions like why Goddess Kali is black and why Lord Ganesha has an elephant head. The book has colourful texts and beautiful illustrations that make it compelling. The descriptions are light-hearted, descriptive, and informative.  

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: This particular series of books is about a kid named Greg, who pens down all the misadventures of his life in his journal. Created by author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, this book took eight years to complete. The books are fun to read, full of illustrations, and perfect for kids. Personally, Greg has been my dearest character during my childhood days, he was horrible, but I rooted for him anyway. There are several funny episodes in the book series; every action of Greg has hilarious consequences. I loved the part the entire family forgot Greg’s mother at a petrol station at a very remote location – it is hilarious. I loved reading it so much.                

4. Roald Dahl Collection: One of the most famous children’s books, the Roald Dahl Collection, is much loved by young readers globally. He is known worldwide for his amazing contribution to children’s literature. His “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is my personal favourite due to its incredible characters and crisp writing. The author’s brilliant imagination transports the reader to places, many of which we think we may have seen before, and yet each is incredibly unique and compels us with its captivating realism. Dahl’s description of real things often sounds too surreal for words because of his gifted ability to tell a story as if it was a fact; he can successfully engage the reader – almost persuading them that what they are reading might be true. 

 5. My first book of money: This is an amazing book that aims to teach kids about the basic concepts of money. The writer has beautifully woven the concepts of money management in the form of a fictional tale of Aman and Arya.  Together with Daadi, Mom and Dad, they take a fascinating journey into money management and start asking questions, covering a wide variety of topics like credit cards, salaries, banks, currency, etc. The thing I liked the most about this book is that the language is homely, crisp, and very relatable to Indians but nowhere digress from the basic motive of imparting financial knowledge. It is not like a typical guidebook, but more like a lazy afternoon conversation with parents.            

6. Little Women: It is another classic, sweetly-written, and thoughtfully-crafted book that is very inspirational for young girls. It has strong, independent female characters who beautifully showcase American girlhood and young womanhood. The author of the book, Louisa May Alcott, has put her heart while reminiscing about her adolescence and her sisters, making the book semi-autobiographical. It is a very relevant book about womanhood and its many facets, especially for impressionable little girls. 

7. Charlotte’s Web: This beautiful story has been woven by E. B. White around a spider called Charlotte, a girl named Fern, and a pig named Wilbur. They all lived on a farm, and Fern is horrified after finding out that Wilber is going to be slaughtered soon. She recused Wilber and sent him away to her uncle’s farm, where he was snubbed by other animals except Charlotte, and this is how Wilbur’s adventures begin. I loved the part in the book when Charlotte’s eggs hatched, and they all left, apart from three. The story is so heart-throbbing and vividly woven, as a kid I loved it.   

To conclude, I would like to say that reading together is a great way to bond with a grandchild and helps instil a love of reading in them. I still remember the story time I had spent with my grandma years ago. Besides strengthening our bond, this time has instilled moral values and developed a love for literature in me. You can help make reading a favoured pastime of your grandchildren by sharing books that are appropriate for their age group. 

Hope you enjoyed reading this blog. The Books mentioned above are sure to be great reads for your grandchildren. If you have any other books you would like to suggest, please leave me a comment below, and I will be sure to add them to my list. I look forward to hearing from you! 

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