“Stone Soup” is one of the best known folktales among parents, teachers, and children. It contains some important lessons about generosity and teamwork that are important for young people to learn.
I wrote version of the story for you to share with kids along with some questions to discuss after reading the story.
A group of travelers arrived at a village carrying an empty cooking pot.
They went door to door asking for food, but no one was willing to share with them.
So, they went to the river and filled their pot with water. They dropped a large stone in the water and placed the pot over a fire.
One of the villagers walked by and saw the pot with the stone inside. “What are you doing?” she asked.
The travelers replied, “We are making stone soup, which tastes wonderful. We would be happy to share it with you, but we are in need of a little garnish to improve the flavor. Do you have anything to spare?”
“Why, yes, I think I know just the thing!” said the villager. She returned home and gathered some carrots to add to the stone soup.
Another villager saw the travelers cooking the stone in the pot and he asked what they were making.
“Stone soup,” they replied once more and again they offered to share some if the villager would add an ingredient.
The villager gathered some potatoes and onions to bring for the soup. Along the way a few other villagers saw the man who told them about the soup. They wanted to enjoy the delicious meal, too of course, so they gathered their own ingredients to add to the meal.
Villager after villager came to add to the soup until the entire village contributed something and gathered around the fire.
The travelers thanked the villagers for their contributions and removed the stone from the pot (for it is impossible to eat a stone).
Everyone enjoyed a delicious bowl of soup, which tasted just a little bit better since they all had a hand in making it.
A group of travelers arrived in a village seeking food. The villagers turned them away, so they went to the river and gathered water in a pot to make soup. They put a stone in the soup and convinced the villagers that the stone soup was delicious, but in need of just a few ingredients. The travelers went on to recruit everyone in the village to bring an ingredient to create a wonderful meal. Once the soup was finished, they removed the stone and shared the soup with everyone.
Download a PDF of this story along with the questions for reflection or discussion.
Download the Story and Questions
Jared Dees is passionate about sharing practical resources to teach faith. He is best known for his website The Religion Teacher and is the author of many books including 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator, Christ in the Classroom, and Beatitales: 80 Fables about the Beatitudes for Children.