I had the BEST day at work on Friday telling spooky Halloween tales to the kids in the After-School Program! We dimmed the lights, sipped hot chocolate and spooked and giggled ourselves silly.
I had searched for Halloween stories that would be appropriate for 3rd through 5th graders, but found that everything labeled "scary stories for children" either ended with severed heads or dead bodies. I don't think so.
I searched for "spooky stories for kids with funny endings" & stumbled upon this site:
Bare Bones for Storytellers that labels each story by funny, scary, etc. and found the perfect mix to share with the kiddos. Spooky story time was a HIT! And definitely the highlight of my week. Also makes a great family night activity!
Spooky / Funny Halloween Stories for Kids
*successfully tested out on 3rd - 5th graders
**can be adapted as needed
***some stories were adapted/embellished (see the link above for the originals)
THE GRAVEYARD VOICE
John and Mary were an ordinary couple, and their children, Jimmy and Jeannie, were also ordinary, except for the fact that they lived beside a graveyard.
John walked to and from work through the graveyard every day, and never worried about a thing. When daylight savings time kicked in, and it was dark by the time he came home, however, he stared to feel very uneasy. One night as he was walking home through the graveyard, he heard a voice in the darkness saying, "Turn me over, turn me over!" He was so scared, he ran all the way home. His wife and children laughed at him and told him there was nothing spooky in the graveyard, nothing to fear.
The second night, he heard the voice again, moaning in the darkness, "Turn me over, turn me over!", and ran all the way home. And again they laughed at him.
The third night was Halloween. Clouds covered the moon, and the night was pitch black. This time, when he heard the voice, he followed it. Through trees, past bushes, down a dark graveyard path, he saw a huge marble crypt, surrounded by a wrought iron fence. He pushed the gate (cree-eeak). He walked down the steps (13 of them).
The voice was coming from behind the huge metal door. "Turn me over, turn me over." He put his shaking hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly, cree-eak . . . and looked inside.
He saw a pile of red hot coals. On top of that was a metal grill. And on top of the grill was a hamburger, done on one side. He picked up the spatula, and turned the hamburger over.
It said, "Thaaaank youuuuuu."
THE BLOOD-COVERED VAMPIRE aka THE BLOODY VAMPIRE
The vampire went home to his castle one night, flying in through the window to find a bunch of vampires waiting for him. When they saw the blood on his face, they began to get thirsty and asked: "Where did you find the blood?"
He answered: "I can't tell you - it's too embarrassing!"
The other vampires said: "Please, tell us! We are so thirsty!"
The vampire said: "Okay, follow me!"
He led them into the dark nights sky and suddenly off in the distance there was a big dark tower.
The vampire asked: "Do you see the tower?"
The other vampires answered: "Yes, we do."
"Well, I didn't!"
RUBY RED LIPS
(somewhat more scary than the others - adapt as necessary)
Once upon a time there was a girl named Lucy who was very excited about moving to a new house. She was going to have her own room for the very first time in her life! Lucy loved her bedroom on the first floor near the back of the house by the old, oak tree. The first night her parents went to bed. Then Lucy went to bed.
She was in her room...all by herself..in the dark..when she heard a tap, tap, tap, tap outside her window. She looked outside too see a woman with long, wild, black hair, a pale white face, long boney fingers, and long red fingernails. The woman cried out, "Lucy, do you know..what I can do..with my long red fingernails...and my ruby red lips?" "NO!" said Lucy. "And I don't want to know!" She slammed the window shut and jumped in bed and pulled the covers over her head. She did not move all night.
The next night when she went to bed she heard the tap, tap, tap, on her window again..and the same woman was there "Lucy, do you know..what I can do..with my long red fingernails...and my ruby red lips?" "NO!" yelled Lucy and slammed the window. She stayed under the bed all night.
The next night when she went to bed, she heard the tap, tap, tap on her window..."Lucy, do you know..what I can do..with my long red fingernails...and my ruby red lips?" Again she yells, "NO!" and slams the window. She stayed in the closet all night.
The next night when she went to bed, she put the pillow over head, but soon she could still hear the tap, tap, tap at the window. "Lucy, do you know..what I can do..with my long red fingernails...and my ruby red lips?" Well, Lucy was TIRED, Lucy was UPSET, Lucy NEEDED to get some sleep, so Lucy opened the window and yelled, "What, what, WHAT? Every night you come here. Every night you say, "Lucy, do you know..what I can do..with my long red fingernails...and my ruby red lips?" Well, I don't know! I don't know! And I don't care! Answer the question yourself. What do you do with your long red fingernails and your big red lips?"
The creature looked at the girl, smiled hideously and slowly reached up with one of its long, long red fingernails, and reached toward its two big red lips and went "B-b-b-l-l-b-b-b-b-l-l-l-l-l-l
SHORTEST SCARY STORIES IN THE WORLD
1. A boy sat down on a park bench next to an old woman. She turned to him and asked, "Do you believe in ghosts?" "NO!" said the boy. "Well, I do," said the woman, as she disappeared.
2. A man awoke in the middle of the night, and terrified, he reached for a flashlight. It was placed in his hand.
3. The last person on earth was alone in a house. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
THE MUMMY
This is a story told by a man working late at the St. Louis Art Museum. One night, as I was closing up the mummy exhibit, the guard was called away. I promised not to touch anything and to lock up when I was finished. As I was about to lock the door, I noticed a piece of the white mummy wrapping coming loose, and reached over to tuck it back in place. Suddenly, the mummy sat up and reached toward me. I jumped and backed away, but he stood up and began to follow me. I ran out the door and he was there. I ran down the hall, and he was there. I ran over to the closet, and he was there. In a final desperate attempt to get away I crouched down underneath the staircase. I was trapped. I had no where else to go and covered my head with my trembling hands. There under the staircase, as the mummy slowly approached me, I could hear him dragging his long wrapped legs behind him. Slowly, he reached out toward me and touched my arm, and said, "Tag, you're it!"
THE GHOST WITH ONE BLACK EYE
Once there was a baby who lived with her family in a little house at the edge of town. Her favorite drink was apple juice. One stormy night, when the electricity was out, there was no apple juice left in the kitchen.
Baby: I want my apple juice, and I want it NOW!
Father: Okay, I’ll go to cellar for your apple juice.
Father walked down the dark, creaky steps with his dim flashlight to the even darker cellar. As he opened the cellar door (creeeaaak) and began to walk inside, in the blackness he heard, I AM THE GHOST WITH ONE BLACK EYE
Father ran upstairs as fast as he could! "I don’t want to go down there any more!"
Baby: I want my apple juice and I want it NOW!
Mother – I don't want to go down there!
Big brother – I don't want to go down there!
Big sister – I don't want to go down there!
Baby gets down from her highchair and says, Fine! I'll get it myself!
Baby walks down the creaky steps to the dark cellar. As she opens the cellar door (creeeaaak) and begins to walk inside, in the blackness she hears, I AM THE GHOST WITH ONE BLACK EYE
Baby: Well, I’ll give you two black eyes if you try to stop me from getting my apple juice!
The ghost was never heard from again
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
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