Halloween ESL worksheets, lessons and games
236 worksheets, 84 lessons, 14 vocabulary decks and 10 shadowing scripts · Free time & culture
Start here — 14 free samples
Free to try: open, print and play them — no account needed.
Halloween worksheets
236 printable worksheets with answer keys; the 24 most used, easiest level first.
Halloween lessons
84 ready lessons for the four skills: teach on the board, set online or print.
Halloween vocabulary
14 word decks with meanings, examples and pronunciation: flip, quiz, print as flashcards or play as a game.
Halloween shadowing
Listen, repeat, record and compare: short scripts for pronunciation and fluency.
Warm-ups and fillers
Quick Fun Corner activities on the same theme: no preparation.
- Riddle · KidsHint: There's a candle inside me at Halloween.
- Riddle · KidsHint: Flies don't like me!
- Filler · KidsPlay spooky music. Children move like ghosts, bats or cats. When the music stops, everyone freezes. Anyone who moves says a Halloween word to get back in.
- Ice breaker · KidsSit in a circle and pass round an imaginary pumpkin. Each child opens the lid, takes something out and mimes it: "In my pumpkin there's a bat!" The others guess, then say it together.
- Ice breaker · KidsChildren walk around the room. Call out "Ghost!", "Cat!" or "Witch!" and they greet the nearest friend in that voice: "Hello, I'm Leo! Wooooo!" or "Hello, I'm Amira! Meow!"
- Filler · KidsChildren crouch down small like pumpkin seeds. Count slowly to five while they grow into big, round pumpkins. On "Light it up!" everyone makes a huge smiley pumpkin face. Then shrink back and grow again, faster.
About Halloween
Halloween is one of the easiest days of the year to get a class talking: costumes, pumpkins, ghost stories and a little bit of fear give learners something real to say. Everything here is written for the English classroom, not just decoration, so each activity practises vocabulary, grammar or a skill.
Young learners (Toddlers to Flyers) count pumpkins, colour bats and cats, learn Halloween words with picture flashcards and play bingo. A1 and A2 learners describe costumes, read about how Halloween started and write party invitations. B1 learners read about festivals of the dead around the world, use modals of deduction to solve a mystery and write a ghost story. B2 to C2 learners discuss why people enjoy being scared and debate whether Halloween has become too commercial.
Pick a level below, print a worksheet with its answer key, teach a lesson on the class board, or turn the Halloween words into a game in one click.
Teaching tips: Halloween
- Not every family celebrates Halloween. Present it as a tradition to learn about, keep the scary parts light for young learners, and offer an autumn or costume version of any activity.
- Use the vocabulary decks for a quick warmer, then let the class vote on the best costume description or the creepiest ghost story.
- Halloween is a natural context for the past continuous and past simple (I was walking home when I heard a noise) and for modals of deduction (It must be the cat).
- Teach the date as well: on the 31st of October, the night before All Saints' Day.
Questions teachers ask
Are there free Halloween ESL worksheets?
Yes. Several Halloween worksheets, the Kids Halloween words deck and some of the Fun Corner warmers are free to open and print, no account needed. Premium opens everything else.
What Halloween activities work for young learners?
Picture flashcards and bingo for the words (pumpkin, ghost, bat, witch, spider), counting and colouring pages, a picture reading about dressing up and a simple listen-and-point lesson.
How can I teach Halloween to adults or teenagers?
Use the reading lessons on how Halloween started and why we enjoy being scared, a discussion on commercial festivals, and a ghost story writing task that practises narrative tenses.
What if some students don't celebrate Halloween?
Treat it as cultural knowledge, keep it light, and let students compare it with autumn festivals or days of remembrance in their own countries.