Fun Halloween activities for your class to practise English

Charlotte Guest
Charlotte Guest
A woman reading a book outdoors smiling
Reading time: 4 minutes

Halloween is a fun opportunity to bring something different into the classroom. It gives students a chance to learn new vocabulary, practise English and explore traditions and stories.

Here are some simple Halloween classroom ideas for students of different ages and English levels.

1. Learn Halloween vocabulary

Start with some common Halloween words. You could introduce words such as pumpkin, costume, witch, ghost, spider, skeleton, haunted house, monster and bat.

For younger students, use pictures, actions or simple definitions to help them understand the words.

With older students, go beyond basic vocabulary. Ask them to find adjectives to describe a Halloween scene, such as mysterious, frightening, creepy, strange or unusual. They could then write short descriptions using the new words.

2. Create a Halloween story

Give students a few Halloween words and ask them to create a short story.

For younger learners, give them five words such as ghost, pumpkin, forest, cat and door. They can create a simple story using the words.

Older students can take this further. Give them a story opening, such as: “When I opened the door, I immediately knew something was wrong…”

Ask them to continue the story. You could challenge them to include a twist at the end or tell the story from the point of view of a different character.

Halloween Classroom Ideas
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3. Design a Halloween costume

Younger students can design a Halloween costume, draw it and label the different parts in English.

For older students, turn this into a speaking or presentation activity. Ask them to invent a costume for a fictional character and explain their choices.

They could discuss questions such as:

  • Who would wear this costume?
  • What does it look like?
  • Why did you choose these colors?
  • What does the costume say about the character?

4. Play a Halloween guessing game

Write Halloween words on pieces of paper and put them in a box or bag. One student chooses a word without showing the class. They describe it without saying the word.

For older students, make the game more challenging by using more unusual vocabulary or banning certain words. For example, if the answer is ghost, students might not be allowed to use dead, white or haunted.

This encourages students to think of different ways to explain an idea.

5. Explore Halloween traditions around the world

Halloween is celebrated differently around the world. Ask students to research how Halloween is celebrated in different countries.

Older students could compare Halloween with another celebration or tradition from their own culture. They can look at similarities and differences in food, costumes, activities and beliefs.

This can lead to a useful class discussion about how traditions change between countries and over time.

6. Have a Halloween debate

Halloween can also be a good topic for older students to practice giving opinions.

Give them questions such as:

  • Should schools celebrate Halloween?
  • Are scary films suitable for teenagers?
  • Is Halloween too commercial?
  • Should people spend money on Halloween costumes?
  • Are traditional Halloween activities still relevant today?

Students can work in pairs or teams to prepare arguments before having a class debate.

7. Analyze a scary story or film

For older learners, use a short scary story, film clip or trailer as a language activity. Ask students to identify words used to create suspense and discuss how the writer or director makes the audience feel.

They could then write their own short description of a scary scene, using techniques such as suspense, dialogue and descriptive language.

8. Finish with a Halloween quiz

End the lesson with a short quiz about Halloween vocabulary, traditions and culture.

For older students, let them create their own questions and quiz their classmates. You could also include questions about Halloween history, popular culture or unusual traditions from different countries.

Halloween does not need to mean a whole lesson of spooky games. With a few simple changes, the theme can be used with different age groups to practise vocabulary, speaking, reading, writing, creativity and critical thinking.

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