The Ant and the Grasshopper: A Timeless Tale of Preparation

We adults have fond memories of listening to Bedtime stories when we were children.
Simple stories that inspired us to Dream, well beyond our Sleeping hours.

A classic example of one such story is, The Ant and The Grasshopper. Written by Aesop, it’s a timeless story that never grows old over the passage of time. If your child hasn’t heard it yet, we can vouch for the fact that they will be absolutely captivated when you narrate it to them. For that, of course, you must know the Ant and the Grasshopper story yourself! Sit back and relax, with our rendition of this classic tale, that is sure to have an impact on you as well.

Without further ado, here is the story of the Ant and The Grasshopper.

The Ant and The Grasshopper Story

Once upon a time, in the enchanting season of Spring, there was a grasshopper who was happily dancing away, singing his sweet Spring Song. Chancing upon an ant, he asked her what she might be doing.

The ant, who seemed a tad serious, replied that she was busy gathering food and building a shelter for herself. How the grasshopper poked fun at her, telling her that it was Spring and a time for Merriment and Fun!

However, the ant ignored the ramblings of the grasshopper, and continued about her work as usual. Only a few days later, there was an intense downpour of rain. In but a short while, the entire jungle had been rendered into a swamp!

The grasshopper, who until now had been without a care in the world, suddenly found himself helpless. At once he thought of the hardworking ant. He felt that if there was ever a place where he would get some sort of shelter, it would be in her place.

Arriving at the ant’s shelter, he implored, ‘O Ant! I am in desperate need of some food and shelter. Could you please help me?’ It was only in this moment of abject despair, that he understood why the ant had been working so hard during the spring season.

Luckily for the grasshopper, the ant acquiesced to helping him out. Taking him in, she offered him all the food and shelter he needed. More than being relieved, the thankful grasshopper was humbled. He had finally realized the importance of hard work, a lesson that was going to be etched in his mind forever.

Summary of the Story

If we have to summarize the Ant and The Grasshopper story, it is imperative to take a look at the different ‘attitudes’ of the Ant and the Grasshopper.

While the Ant is extremely hardworking, all that the Grasshopper wants to do, is to simply laze around and play. This is why, in the Summer, the Grasshopper does not seem to ‘get it’, when the Ant refuses to play with him, despite his repeated demands. It is only in the winter, that the Grasshopper realizes the futility of not planning for the future.

The Ant and the Grasshopper Story: The Origins

Did you know that Aesop, the author of this endearing tale, was a storyteller that lived in ancient Greece? He wrote a collection of fables, amongst which the Ant and the Grasshopper story is one of the most popular.

In fact, the central characters of most of Aesop’s wonderful fables, are played by Animals or Birds. Just like in the Ant and the Grasshopper Story, all the other tales focus on important life lessons. What’s more, they are all stories that provoke our children to ask interesting questions.

What is even more interesting to note is, all of the stories that Aesop wrote, were targeted towards an adult audience. It was only much later, owing to the invaluable morals stitched into this tale, that it became a popular story among children as well.

Want to know about the Moral of this timeless fable? Keep reading!

The Moral of the Story of the Ant and Grasshopper

If you’re looking for the meaning of this story to be summed up in a sentence, you need to know the Moral of the Ant and Grasshopper story.

It is this: ‘Work hard today, to prepare for tomorrow.’

Indeed, the Ant and the Grasshopper short story is all about being Prepared. Children must learn that if they work hard in the Now, they will never find themselves in the vulnerable grasshopper’s position. Further, they will come to rely on themselves, instead of others.

The ant, too, can learn something of vital importance from the grasshopper. When she was busy working in the Springtime, she was not happy. It seemed that all of her mental energy was spent thinking about the Future, and working towards weaving a blanket of security.

What the ant needs to learn from the grasshopper, is how to enjoy life. To simply be In The Moment, without thinking of the future. Of course, this sense of enjoyment needs to be perfectly balanced with hard work. Something that the ant was well versed in performing.

We can take inspiration here, from the well-known phrase, ‘All Work and no Play, makes Jack a dull boy.’ This is yet another moral of the ant and grasshopper story, that needs to be imbibed by all children. Especially in today’s day and age, where competition is so intense it put a lot of children through undue stress. All this, to get better grades.

Children must be made to understand, that it’s not only Hard Work that makes for good use of the extra time we have on our hands. They must be taught that it is important to use their time well, with the goal of adding some Meaning to their lives.

What this means is, they should spend the free time they have in doing Constructive things. This could be reading, playing a sport or even, pursuing something creative, like Painting!

There’s good reason that The Ant and the Grasshopper short story is one of the most meaningful fables of all times. As we have seen, the Moral of the Story of the Ant and the Grasshopper, is indeed a most powerful one.

What’s more, this is a tale they will visit in their minds time and again, whenever they find themselves in a dilemma over how to use their valuable time.

At Eurokids, we believe in the power that stories hold, to make a difference in the lives of people who read them. One of the best things about fables is, they help us see human shortcomings more easily, thanks to their non-human characters.