Welcome to the Top 17 Stories About Punishment for kids to read online! This fantastic collection, perfect for bedtime or night-time reading, has been curated to spark the imagination and curiosity of children everywhere. We have gathered the best, most famous, and engaging stories available, suited for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary students alike. With printable, easy-to-download pdf versions and dynamic, entertaining audio recordings, children can enjoy these tales anytime, anywhere. What sets these stories apart is that they each come with a unique educational and moral lesson, targeting an array of topics, which makes them a perfect learning tool for early years and EYFS pupils. From classic fairy tales to unique, lesser-known gems, our curated list features something for everyone—boys, girls, toddlers, and beyond. These short stories are ideal to tell during story-time or fun English lessons, as they include captivating pictures that help children visualize the narrative, ensuring the ultimate interactive experience. Most importantly, these tales are designed for both younger and older kids, with versions ranging from easy-to-read summaries to longer, more elaborate renditions. So, gather around and get ready to embark on a mesmerizing literary journey with this free online collection of Stories About Punishment.

Top 17 Stories About Punishment for kids to read online:

1. The Goose Girl at the Well: In this story, a young man helps an old woman carry her heavy load and is rewarded with a gift. Later, he learns that the gift is connected to a lost princess and he sets out to find her. He meets a magical old woman and eventually finds the princess, who has been punished by her father for not being able to compare her love for him with anything. The old woman rewards them all with a splendid palace, and the young man and princess may have married. The narrator suggests that such magical events no longer happen, but the mystery of the old woman remains unsolved.
2. Bluebeard: In this story, a wealthy man with a repulsive blue beard tries to find a wife among his two neighbours. The youngest one agrees after spending a fun week with him, but she is forbidden from entering one particular room in the mansion that he leaves her in charge of while he is away on a trip. Curious, she enters the forbidden room only to find the murdered bodies of his previous wives. When her husband finds out, he intends to kill her, but her brothers arrive in time to save her and kill him. She inherits all of his wealth and eventually marries a nice man, leaving her dark past behind. The story is available for download as a PDF.
3. The Red Shoes: The story is about a poor girl named Karen who is given a pair of red shoes after her mother’s death. She is taken in by an old, rich lady and given beautiful clothes, but the red shoes are thrown away. Later, Karen sees a princess wearing beautiful red shoes and becomes obsessed with having a pair like them. Against the old lady’s wishes, Karen buys a pair of red shoes and wears them to church, where she becomes unable to stop dancing. The shoes take control of her and eventually lead her into the forest. Karen seeks help from the executioner, who cuts off the shoes and makes wooden feet for her. She returns to a quiet, happy life, never again seeking pretty clothes.
4. The Rose-Tree: In this story, a wicked stepmother chops off her stepdaughter’s golden hair and cooks her heart. The brother buries the heart under a rose tree, which blooms in the spring with a white bird singing a beautiful song about what happened. The bird trades the song for red shoes, a gold watch, and a millstone, which it drops on the stepmother when she goes to investigate the noise. The father and brother are happily reunited and enjoy their gifts from the bird.
5. Story of the wonderful mango fruit: In a city, a poor couple raised a parrot and treated it like their own child. One day, the parrot learnt about a miraculous mango fruit across the seven oceans that can give perpetual youth to whoever eats it. The parrot flew to find the fruit with a flock of parrots, and when they found it, the parrot gave the fruit to the poor couple, who then gave it to the king. When the priest who ate the fruit died, the king, after much investigation, discovered that poison from a serpent had fallen on the fruit. Once the king realised his error, he shared the fruit with his people, and the poor couple got their youth back. However, they lost the parrot forever.
6. King Midas: In this story, the prophecy of a ruler arriving in a farm wagon comes true when a peasant and his family bring their son, Midas, to the palace in an ox cart. Midas becomes king of Phrygia and his reign begins promisingly until he receives a wish from Bacchus to turn everything he touches to gold. Initially thrilled, Midas quickly realises the curse in this power when he turns his food and drink to gold, leading him to beg Bacchus for help. Bacchus tells Midas to wash in the River Pactolus to remove his greed, and Midas abandons his wealth to live a simple life worshipping Pan, the god of the fields.
7. The Peasant and the Cucumbers: In this short story, a peasant decides to steal cucumbers from a gardener to start a chain of investments that will lead to him having his own garden. However, after acquiring all these investments, he hires watchmen to keep an eye on his own cucumbers, only to forget and accidentally beat himself up when he tells the watchmen to be on high alert.
8. The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats: The story is about a mother goat who warns her seven little kids about a scary wolf in the forest. The wolf tries to trick the little goats by disguising himself, but they recognize his voice and black paws. When the wolf finally gets in, he eats all of the little goats except for one who hid in a clock cabinet. The mother goat finds her six little goats inside the wolf’s belly and sews him back up with stones inside. The wolf falls into a well and drowns. In the end, the seven little goats live happily ever after.
9. Graciosa and Percinet: A king agrees to marry an ugly, ill-tempered duchess who has tricked him into thinking she has a vast wine cellar. She demands control over his obedient daughter in exchange. Meanwhile, the princess meets a handsome young fairy who loves her and helps her deal with the duchess’s cruelty. In the end, the princess is banished to a dark hole under a stone. But she crawls through a door and finds herself in a beautiful garden, where she marries her fairy prince and lives happily ever after.
10. The Six Swans: A king gets lost in a large forest while hunting and meets an old woman who agrees to show him the way out but only if he agrees to marry her daughter. He does so out of desperation and brings his new bride home to his castle. When the king’s wicked stepmother learns he has children, she turns them into swans and hides them in a castle in the woods. The daughter finds them and learns that in order to break the spell, she must sew six shirts from aster flowers while remaining silent for six years. The king finds her but she cannot defend herself against accusations of cannibalism. As she is about to be executed, the six years are up, and she finishes sewing the last shirt, and her brothers turn back into humans. She clears her name and the wicked stepmother is punished.
11. The White Doe: A queen and king wished for a child, and when the queen wished upon a fountain, a crab appeared and took her to the palace of fairies, where they promised her a daughter named Desirée. When Desirée was born, a Fountain Fairy appeared and stated that the princess wouldn’t see the sunlight until her fifteenth year, otherwise, it would cost her life. The princess was locked in a tall tower without windows or doors, where she only lived by candlelight. When she turned fifteen, a wealthy young man named Bécafigue came to propose to her, and Prince Guerrier saw the portrait and fell in love with her. Eventually, Desirée decided to visit Guerrier, but she transformed into a young white deer, and Princess Noire and Longue Epine executed a wicked plan, making Guerrier believe that the fake Desirée was the real one. Desirée ran away and lived as a deer in the forest, and eventually, fairy magic helped her shorten the time of the transformation. Guerrier found her, and they got married, and so did Bécafigue and Giroflée, Desirée’s bridesmaid. Princess Noire and Longue Epine were also released from prison.
12. The Twins with the Golden Stars: In this fairy tale, three sisters meet the son of an emperor while picking strawberries in the forest. Each sister makes a promise to their chosen groom, with the youngest promising twin sons with golden hair and a star on their forehead. The emperor falls in love with her and they get married, but a wicked empress causes trouble and Laptitza is locked up while the emperor is away. The twins are born and hidden, and years later, they’re found by a fisherman and raised to be strong and wise princes. When they return to the palace, the emperor learns the truth and punishes the empress while Laptitza returns to her rightful place by his side.
13. The Bird Boy: This is a story about a queen who wanted a son with wings, and her wish was granted. However, the baby’s wings caused concern in the king and his advisor, resulting in the queen and her son being locked up. The son was spared from being killed by the prison guard and grew up as a bird boy in a charcoal-burner’s family until he was taken to the king’s castle. Years later, the evil advisor staged a coup and the bird boy’s true identity was revealed. The new king was saved by a swarm of gray birds that dropped stones on his enemies, and he ruled happily ever after with his love, Princess Rosabella.
14. The Story of Echo: In this story, Echo is a mischievous wood-nymph who loves to play tricks and tease her friends. She is constantly playing pranks, including leading a shepherd astray. Her friends become tired of her behavior and Juno (Hera) punishes her by only allowing her to speak when spoken to, causing Echo to retreat into the forest alone. If someone calls out to her, she will answer, but she never shows herself. Her voice is still heard in lonely places to this day. An ebook download link is also provided.
15. How the Goblins Were Out-Tricked: In this story, the fairies and goblins are not friends, with the goblins being jealous of the power of the fairies. The goblins stage a plan to frighten the fairies when they discover that they were planning a revel in a certain dell but not invited. Mischievous goblins hide under the flowers, planning to carry the fairies off to a dark place. However, the quick-witted fairies touch the goblins with their wands, turning them into stone. With the help of the moon, the fairies are able to revert the goblins and bring back their flowers, bringing peace between the two magical creatures.
16. How Sunflower Became An Outcast: In this story, the Dust Imps have taken over the garden, and the flowers are suffering. Rosebush asks Sunflower to request the Sun to bring Rain Elves to drive away the Dust Imps, but Sunflower is in love with the Sun and won’t ask. Honeysuckle takes it upon herself to help and gets the Rain Elves to come. The flowers are saved, but Sunflower is blamed for not helping, and she becomes an outcast. However, the flowers appreciate Honeysuckle’s help and call her sister.
17. Jack Pumpkinhead and the sawhorse: In this story, the princess of the Emerald City of Oz sees in her magic picture that two children are lost in the forest and sends Jack Pumpkinhead, a unique inhabitant of Oz, and the Sawhorse to rescue them. They find the children, but are confronted by enraged squirrels who accuse the children of theft. Eventually, Jack’s pumpkin head is smashed, leaving him headless. The Wizard of Oz saves the day by carving a new pumpkin head for Jack and reuniting the lost children with their families. Downloads of the story are available in PDF format.

In conclusion, the Top 17 Stories About Punishment offer valuable life lessons for kids to learn from as they navigate through their personal and social lives. These stories teach essential moral values, such as honesty, fairness, compassion, and the importance of making good choices. By exploring the consequences of bad actions, children are encouraged to reflect on their own behavior and understand the importance of taking responsibility for their mistakes. These engaging and relatable narratives help kids develop a strong sense of right and wrong, shaping them into responsible and empathetic individuals for a brighter future.