The world is truly like a big ocean of stories. We may have heard quite a lot. But there are always interesting stories that we haven’t heard about. Most of the time, the stories come from folklore around the world. We find them fascinating and consider them to be an important part of our lives, one of many ways to learn and experience the world. Most importantly, the stories and storytelling remain a beautiful memory from everyone’s childhood. Some stories are just funny. Some, on the other hand, bring a moral lesson too. So, it is up to adults to choose funny stories for kids or bedtime stories for kids.
A good story can empower the bond between parents and children, grandparents and grandkids, and it can nurture the children with awareness and intelligence. Here are five folktales that are ideal as funny stories for kids. Most of them are quite suitable for bedtime stories for kids as well. Why not tell a story to your kid that has a funny narrative, moral lessons, and a happy ending before he or she goes to sleep?
1. Funny Stories of Andare, the Royal Comedian
In a world full of comedy stories, Tales of Andare is one of the best comedy story series we can use as funny stories for kids or even as bedtime stories for kids. These stories revolve around a jester from Sri Lanka who lived in the Kandyan Era and was born in a village called Udamalala in Matara District, Sri Lanka. The king, Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe, who ruled the Native Kingdom of Sri Lanka from 1747 to 1781, appointed Andare to amuse the king and the ministers.
Most of the stories depict his intelligence and, of course, good verbal communication. He was a master of explaining things with examples, finding the loopholes in any obstacle he found, and crafting quick but brilliant solutions for every bad situation he stepped into. He was indeed a cunning person who had an excellent talent for turning situations to his benefit. But his intelligence cannot be neglected.
The folktales about Andare are mostly his pranks on others, including the king, queen, and ministers. He was poetic and could craft verses in every situation that made sense or gave him the escape he needed. There are many stories that can be used as funny stories for kids among the tales of Andare. And since all of those are connected to the time period this folktale character lived in, these stories provide a picture of an ancient monarch and lifestyle in ancient Sri Lanka. The list below contains only three of Andare’s tales. Don’t miss out on the rest!
- How Andare defeated a giant
- How Andare arranged a meeting between his wife and the Queen
- How Andare ate Java apple
Read the full article about Andare, the jester in Sri Lanka in 18th Century and stories of Andare
2. Stories of Gamarala, the Village Chieftain
Another interesting and funny folklore story series is The Tales of Gamarala. These tales revolve around a funny folklore character called Gamarala and his wife, Gamahamine or Gamamahage, and their daughter. Gamarala is not the name of a person; it’s a post and it means village chieftain in Sinhalese traditional culture from Sri Lanka.
Similar to The Tales of Andare, this is also a story series around a funny character. But this one is more of an ordinary Sinhalese villager, unlike Andare. So, Gamarala does both foolish and smart things. Sometimes, Gamarala is fooled by not only other people in the village but also by jackals. Sometimes Gamarala plays smart and teaches anyone who is trying to fool him a lesson. Either way, the tales of Gamarala bring the listener laughter for sure.
There are plenty of funny stories around this character that are still passed out to generations in Sri Lanka. Also, the tales about Gamarala are indeed stories with moral lessons. And all of the stories are appropriate as bedtime stories or just as funny stories for kids. In fact, most of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka grew up listening to these stories from their mothers or grandmothers at bedtime. Personally, I cannot imagine a better ending for the day than going to sleep after listening to those stories from my mother as a kid. Five stories from Tales of Gamarala are mentioned below. But there is more!
- How Gamarala went to heaven
- How Gamarala caught the ash-pumpkin thief
- How Gamarala ate a demon
- How Gamarala hid gold
- Gamarala and his daughter
3. Funny Tales of Maha-Denamuththa
Another folktale story series is Mahadenamuththa and his pupils from Sri Lankan folklore. Maha means great or main and Denamuththa means a knowledgeable person from whom to get advice in Sinhala. Mahadenamuththa means the great knowledgeable person from whom to get advice. Simply put, it means great-knows-all. Mahadenmuththa appears to be a smart and knowledgeable person and his followers blindly follow him. There are five pupils called Puwak-Badilla, Rabboda-Aiya, Kotu-Kithaiya, Idi-katu Pancha, and Pol-ba Moona.
The tales bring us laughter by crafting scenarios where Mahadenmuththa tried to act smart but gave foolish advice to people in and around the village. His advice indeed made things worse. But his students followed him blindly. These stories are ideal for bedtime stories for kids as they attract listeners to the story, make the listener laugh, and contain simple but important moral lessons. All of the stories can be used as funny stories for kids. Here, only five stories are mentioned below!
- stealing a well
- the sleeping river
- the goat and the pot
4. The Tales of the Jackal: The Ideal Bedtime Stories for Kids
One beauty of folktales is that they are not limited to the stories of people. Folktales bring us the beauty of the lives animals have in the jungle. These stories feel so real that, at the end, the listener might ask why animals don’t talk now. The animal life is well recreated in these stories to bring the life of the jungle closer to the listener.
One such story series is The Tales of Jackal in Sri Lanka. These folktales are usually connected to the tales of Gamarala. These stories revolve around a cunning jackal who is constantly trying to hunt chickens at Gama-gedara, the house of Gamarala, and who is also trying to make fools of other animals. Since these stories depicting the incidents expand the imagination and give off simple but important moral lessons, they can be used as funny stories for kids. Not to mention bedtime stories for kids.
- Jackal that fell into Blue ink bucket
- Jackal and grapes
- Jackal and milkrice
5. Funny Story of Raigamaya and Gampolaya
One of the most famous folktale in Sri Lanka is the tale of Raigamaya and Gampolaya. Raigamaya, is a man who is from the village called Raigama and the Gampolaya is a man who is from Gampola. These two cunning men who are not second to each other met an ambalama. They talked and both of them were on the way to a monthly fair. Raigamaya was a betel seller. Gampolaya was a betel nut seller. In the morning, both departed for the fair and sold their goods. Then they both agreed to meet each other again in the next month and went back. On the way home, they both decided to make fools of each other.
The story flows, describing how these two men tried to fool each other and be fooled by each other at the same time. The tale of Raigamaya and Gampolaya brings us laughter and a moral lesson, along with the beauty of the lifestyles in ancient times in Sri Lanka.
Click here to read the story of Raigamaya and Gampolaya
Summary
The story series and stories introduced above are ideal stories for kids. Whether you are looking for bedtime stories for kids or just funny stories for kids, these stories will definitely satisfy you, as they are appropriately funny and contain moral lessons. Most importantly, your kids will love them.