Short Story on Unity for Kids: Unity Is Strength
This short story on unity is our retelling of an old fable, “The Bundle of Sticks”. Its moral is famous: unity is strength. It takes about 3 minutes to read and suits children in class 1 to 5.
🌾 The Quarrelling Children
Long ago, an old farmer lived in a village with his four children. They were strong and clever, but they had one big problem: they quarrelled all the time.
They argued about who should milk the cow. They argued about who got the biggest roti. They argued about who should carry water from the well. Every day, the house was full of shouting.
The old farmer was worried. “When I am gone,” he thought, “how will they look after the farm if they cannot even work together?”
🪵 The Test
One evening, the farmer called his children. He gave each of them a single dry stick.
“Break it,” he said.
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Each child broke their stick easily and laughed. “That was too easy, Father!”
Then the farmer took four more sticks, tied them tightly together with a rope, and handed the bundle to his eldest son. “Now break this.”
The eldest son pushed and pulled. He put it over his knee. It would not break. One by one, the others tried. Nobody could break the bundle.
💬 The Lesson
The farmer smiled. “My children, you are like these sticks. Alone, each of you is easy to break. Anyone can defeat you, trick you, or push you around.”
He held up the bundle. “But together, standing side by side, nobody can break you.”
🤝 Stronger Together
The children looked at each other and felt ashamed of their quarrels. From that day, they worked as a team. One milked the cow while another fetched water. They shared the biggest roti four ways.
Years later, when a flood damaged the village, the four of them rebuilt their farm faster than anyone, and then helped their neighbours too.
💡 Moral of the Story
Unity is strength. When we stand together, we are much stronger than when we stand alone.
🗣️ Questions to Ask Your Child
1. Why could the children break one stick but not the bundle? 2. What did the farmer want his children to learn? 3. When have you been stronger because you worked as a team?
📚 More Moral Stories
- Short story on friendship
- Sharing is caring: a short story on sharing
- The Peace Story
- Short story on hard work
- 10 short bedtime stories with morals
Want your child to read stories like this on their own? ABC Phonics: Learn to Read teaches letter sounds and blending through simple games, free on Google Play.
Use This Story in Class or on Your Blog
Teachers can read this story aloud or print it for class for free. Using the pictures or the story on a school or blog page? Please credit us with a link (picture licence). Copy this credit line:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the moral of the bundle of sticks story?
Unity is strength. A single stick breaks easily, but a bundle tied together cannot be broken, just like people who stand together.
Who wrote the bundle of sticks story?
It is an old fable, usually credited to Aesop, and it is told in many countries. This version is our own retelling in simple English for children.
