Boo-ster Your Child’s Reading with

Spooky Halloween Literacy Activities

By Keara Holmes, blogger and virtual reading specialist at The Community Classroom

Boo! It’s that time of year again when things get a little spooky, and what better way to celebrate than by blending some eerie fun with reading activities for your little goblins! Whether you’re a teacher or a parent, these frightfully delightful ideas will have your kids howling with excitement while boosting their reading skills! Let’s dive into the cauldron of creative, spine-tingling literacy activities!

Halloween Literacy Activity 1: Create Your Own Ghost Story

Okay, as you may know, I’m all about story creation. Allowing your children to create their own stories helps them take ownership of their own learning and boosts engagement. You can turn your home or classroom into a storytelling workshop! But leave the gooey eyeballs in the kitchen! Start by asking kids to imagine their very own haunted house, with creaky floors and pretty friendly ghosts I should add. Give them a spooky sentence starter like, “On a dark and stormy night, I heard a strange noise coming from the attic…” Then, let their imaginations run wild! Encourage them to use descriptive words to make their story even more eerie, yet fun! Believe it or not, doing this helps strengthen children’s vocabulary and written expression. The more practice they have, the better they will become. For younger kids, you can work as a group to craft a collaborative ghost tale or make some creepy artwork while using descriptive language as you finish up the project.

Halloween Literacy Activity 2: Monster Mad Libs

What’s more fun than creating your own monster? Monster Mad Libs! Write a short, silly monster story with blanks for adjectives, nouns, and verbs. You can more than likely find a free graphic organizer for this type of activity. Ask your students to fill in the blanks with their favorite spooky words like “slimy,” “cackling,” or “glowing.” Once all the words are in, read the hilariously monstrous stories out loud. Not only is it a great way to practice parts of speech, but it also brings out the silliest side of spooky season! And who doesn’t like that?

Halloween Literacy Activity 3: Frighteningly Fun Reading Bingo

Create a reading bingo card filled with fall-themed reading challenges. For example, one square might say, “Red a book about a pumpkin,” while another says, “Read a scary story under a blanket with a flashlight.” The goal is to complete a row of spooky tasks by reading different books or passages. Once they’ve completed their bingo, reward them with a little treat, maybe candy, stickers, or a bookmark. Don’t forget to add the “Free Space.”

With these spooky activities, you’ll turn reading into a thrilling adventure that kids will love. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your favorite book and activities–things are about to get wonderfully wicked!

For more seasonally-themed learning fun, please visit:

• This blog post on Spooky Science you can do at home,
• These math number talks,
• This free event we are hosting on October 23, 2024, at the Florence Farmers Market.