In a field one summer’s day, a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the next. “Why not come and chat with me instead of toiling and moiling that way?,” exclaimed the Grasshopper. “I am helping to lay up food for the winter and recommend you to do the same,” said the Ant. “Why bother about winter? We have got plenty of food at present,” said the Grasshopper. But the Ant went on its way and continued toiling. When the winter came, the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger, while It saw the ants distributing corns and grains everyday from the stores they had collected in the summer. By the time winter had ended, the Grasshopper learned a very valuable lesson. It is essential to prepare for the future. The moral of the story is to work today for what you will need tomorrow.
A few questions to share with your child would be:
1. Would he or she prefer to be the Ant or the Grasshopper? Why?
2. If we do not study well today, how will the future be like?
3. How should the Grasshopper improve on its attitude?
Vocabulary
1. Toil: work extremely hard or incessantly.
2. Essential: absolutely necessary; extremely important.