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Top 10 Halloween Books for Kids: Spooky Stories + Classroom Activities
Amelia Bedelia helps prepare for a Halloween party… but her literal interpretations cause hilarious confusion!
Try this no-prep activity: Literal or Not?
Objective: Help students distinguish between literal and figurative language.
- Low learners: Thumbs-up/down for literal vs. figurative phrases read aloud.
- Medium learners: Students rewrite figurative phrases to make them literal.
- High learners: Create a short Amelia-style scene using at least 3 figurative phrases.
Related Resource:
Amber has the perfect costume but is worried Halloween fun may be spoiled by her parents’ arguing.
Try this no-prep activity: Secret Costume Clues
Objective: Practice descriptive writing and inference.
- Low learners: Draw a costume and name it aloud.
- Medium learners: Give 3 spoken clues, others guess the costume.
- High learners: Write a riddle describing their costume using sensory details.
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Oscar the dachshund gets bullied over his Halloween costume—until his bravery saves the day.
Try this no-prep activity: Hero Role-Play
Objective: Explore courage and character.
- Low learners: Share a time they helped someone.
- Medium learners: Role-play a scene where someone stands up for a friend.
- High learners: Write and perform a skit about an unexpected hero.
Related Resource:
The Hallow-Wiener Reading Comprehension Task Cards
Lulu can’t decide what to be for Halloween… until she realizes who she is meant to be.
Try this no-prep activity: True to You Talk Time
Objective: Promote self-awareness and self-expression.
- Low learners: Choose from picture cards and share something they love.
- Medium learners: Fill in the prompt: "I feel most like myself when…"
- High learners: Write or share aloud a story of a time they were true to themselves.
Related Resource:
Ladybug Girl and the Dress-up Dilemma Reading Comprehension Task Cards
Two sets of feet walk through a spooky house full of creepy surprises.
Try this no-prep activity: Sound Effects Storytelling
Objective: Enhance oral language and sequencing.
- Low learners: Clap or snap for each scary word.
- Medium learners: Add a sound effect for each line as the teacher reads.
- High learners: Create and perform their own short spooky sound story.
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Siblings try to roll a gigantic pumpkin down a hill—with chaotic results!
Try this no-prep activity: Retell Relay
Objective: Practice sequencing and retelling.
- Low learners: Retell using picture cards in order.
- Medium learners: Retell the story aloud to a partner.
- High learners: Create a new ending and share it with the class.
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Rebecca hates pumpkins… until her yard is overrun by them and she turns it into a community celebration.
Try this no-prep activity: Pumpkin Persuasion
Objective: Practice opinion writing and oral expression.
- Low learners: Thumbs-up/down: "Do you like pumpkin?"
- Medium learners: Finish the sentence: "Pumpkins are great because…"
- High learners: Write a short persuasive speech to convince others to love/hate pumpkins.
Related Resource:
A witch can’t move her giant pumpkin until a tiny bat comes up with a brilliant idea.
Try this no-prep activity: Teamwork Tower
Objective: Explore cooperation and problem-solving.
- Low learners: Discuss: "Why is working together important?"
- Medium learners: Act out parts of the story using group movements.
- High learners: Create their own Halloween teamwork story.
Related Resource:
Brother and Sister Bear learn not to judge others by appearances.
Try this no-prep activity: Don’t Judge That House!
Objective: Build empathy and critical thinking.
- Low learners: Match facial expressions to feelings.
- Medium learners: Tell a time when they misjudged someone.
- High learners: Write a "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover" story.
Related Resource:
A baby fruit bat lands in a bird nest and learns to adapt until she finds her way back home. A touching story about identity, differences, and friendship.
Try this no-prep activity: Bat vs. Bird Sort (Oral)
Objective: Compare and contrast in a whole group setting.
- Low learners: Teacher says a fact; students call out "Bat!" or "Bird!"
- Medium learners: Students sort facts into categories orally.
- High learners: Students explain differences in full sentences.
Related Resource:
Plan Your Halloween Read-Aloud Week!
Each of these Halloween books brings something special to your classroom—humor, suspense, kindness, or courage. With no-prep activity ideas and ready-to-use printable resources, you can save planning time and keep the October fun going.
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Shelly Anton is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. ** This means there are Amazon affiliate links in these blog posts. This does not mean you pay a dime more when you purchase a product through the link. It just means I am trying to save you valuable teacher time by making it easier for you to find great resources for your students, and I earn a few cents for my research and time. Thank you for all you do for kids!
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