The Ant and The Grasshopper Story Bedtime Story in English

The Ant and the Grasshopper story in English is undoubtedly the favorite moral story to most of us. We all grew up listening to this The Ant and the Grasshopper full story for kids since our childhood. It is the magic of this moral story in English that tells morals most simply and engagingly. 

Another secret why we all love this the Ant and the Grasshopper bedtime story in English is that the narration goes on with the insects that we see in daily life – the ant and the grasshopper.

The story of Ant and the Grasshopper

Once upon a time, there was an ant and a grasshopper who lived near each other along the river meadows. The ant was known for its hard-working nature. It always believed in working hard and preparing for the future. On the other hand, the ant also enjoyed her hard work. She believed hard-working today would help in times of need. 

The grasshopper on the other hand was lazy. It always believed in enjoying the moment. The grasshopper ate whatever it found for that day. It never had future planning. 

During one summer season, as usual, the grasshopper was sitting lazily on a branch of a tree. The grasshopper was singing merrily. 

At the same time, the ant was passing by the tree. The ant was carrying a load of food to her home. Ant’s idea is to save the food for the future when it might become tough to find food. 

The lazy grasshopper sees the ant. Read the scorpion and the frog story

It says, “ Oh you poor ant! You are a fool. Why do you work so hard all the time? Look at me. How I enjoy it!! Why don’t you stop working hard and enjoy like me?” 

The ant smiled and said, “ Hey grasshopper, I am already enjoying my work. I am saving the food for the winter season. It helps me when the snow falls and we cannot find any food outside. I suggest you also save some food for you for winter.” 

Saying that the ant walked away. Thumbelina story in English

The next day, the same continued. The ant carried the food and preserved it in her home. While the grasshopper enjoyed and just had no planning for winter. Every time the grasshopper saw the ant working hard, it made fun of it. It mocked and called it a fool to work like that. 

Days and months passed on like this. The winter breezes started. The ant and the grasshopper could not move out of their homes because of the snow and freezing climate. The trees were filled with snow. The lakes froze. There was nothing in sight that could help provide some food.

The grasshopper started suffering from hunger. It could not move out, nor did it have any stocked-up food at home. The grasshopper could not bear the hunger anymore. It decided to visit ant’s house for help. For the grasshopper knew that the ant had saved enough food for its winter.

The grasshopper knocked on the door of the ant. The ant opened the door and was surprised to see the grasshopper. The ant wished it and welcomed it. The grasshopper said, “ I am feeling very hungry. Please share some food from your stock.” 

The ant understood the situation of the grasshopper. It shared some food with it. The grasshopper felt very thankful to the ant. It realized its mistake of not working hard and planning for the future. 

From the next summer onwards, the grasshopper too joined the ant. It started working hard along with the ant and understood how important it is to work hard and plan for the future.

Origin of the Ant and the Grasshopper story in English

The bedtime story of the ant and the grasshopper originates from the famous Aesop’s fables like the ant and the dove story. Since its origin, the ant and the grasshopper story for kids has undergone many changes in its versions. Despite the version of the ant and the grasshopper bedtime story for kids, the moral and the overall flow of the story remained similar.

The moral of the Ant and the Grasshopper story

We can understand the following morals from the ant and the Grasshopper story for kids in English:

• The ant was hard-working. It had foresight about tomorrow. At the same time, the ant believed in enjoying her work. She never felt that working for tomorrow or saving for tough times is burdening. That was the secret to her happiness even in hard times.

Moral: Working hard will come to help at any time. Some people say working smart is also important. But only when we work hard in the initial days, we will know how to work smart and do the same work with ease. So, there is no option to grow and succeed except to work hard.

उद्यमेन हि सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि

This is a Sanskrit verse about hard work that says like how a chariot does not move without a moving wheel, our destiny will not support us and give fruits if we do not do hard work.

• The grasshopper was lazy. It never believed in working hard. But once it realized its mistake, it rectified it and started changing its lazy nature.

Moral: It is never too late to realize our mistakes and start afresh. We can let the past be past and welcome a new future by changing our bad habits.

A sloka from Ganesha Purana says how important it is to realize our own mistakes.

आच्छादने दोष वृद्धि ख्यापने तू क्यो भवेत्।

दोष (अपराध​) छुपाने से बढ़ता है और प्रकट करने से समाप्त होता है।

This means: our fault gets lessened if we agree wholeheartedly and reveal to others. The more we try to hide our faults, the more it aggravates and creates other problems for our own selves. 

• The ant did not stop working hard when the grasshopper mocked it. It knows what is the right way. So, it did not bother or get influenced by bad suggestions and comments it was getting from the grasshopper.

Moral: An old proverb says, an elephant never minds barking dogs. It means when an elephant is carrying on its duty with pride, the dogs keep barking unable to see its greatness. But that does not stop the elephant from performing its duty. 

• The ant welcomed the grasshopper when it arrived at her door for help in winter. It did not mock it or make fun of it.

Moral: Whenever anyone comes for help, we should first help them. Be it our friend or enemy, we should treat the same when they request our help. Helping hands is better than praying lips. By helping people, we might even bring a positive change in them. 

In Sanskrit, there is a great verse about helping others who are in need:

अष्टादश पुराणेषु व्यासस्य वचनद्वयम् | परोपकारः पुण्याय पापाय परपीडनम् ||

ashtAdasa purANeshu vyAsasya vachandwayam | paropakArah puNyAy pApAy parapiDanam ||

Meaning: To help others is a great virtue of a human being and to trouble, others are the greatest sin.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed the story of the ant and the grasshopper bedtime story in English. This story is a great choice for all those who want to teach morals to their children. It is easy to understand and narrate. Please explore our other moral stories too.