Posts Tagged ‘Halloween’

Halloween-Theme Stories and Printables for Homeschool and Classroom

As the days grow shorter and cooler weather arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, October is a wonderful month to share a variety of Halloween-theme picture books with children. Halloween is also a great time to enjoy concept books with children and more than one of our featured books highlights counting.

Here are some of our favorite stories exploring themes of friendship, tolerance, learning about others while trick or treating, wearing costumes and enjoying the fun of Halloween.

Scroll down for our free Halloween-theme printables for children

A Very Brave Witch written by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Harry Bliss
Halloween-theme picture book published by Simon & Schuster / Paula Wiseman Books

A Very Brave Witch is the tale of a green-skinned, broomstick-flying, costume-loving witch. She thinks she knows all about humans and decides that Halloween night is the perfect opportunity to take a closer look. After a flying mishap, she meets three, costumed human trick-or-treaters including one girl who is dressed up as a witch. Together, the pair manages to shatter stereotypes as they discover friendship and celebrate Halloween together.

Young readers will enjoy investigating a recently-decorated haunted house and collection of costumes. The witches’ fear of humans is good fun.

Well-suited for a group read-aloud, the colorful watercolor illustrations nicely match the tone of the story.

Suitable for preschool and older

Scare Factor = 1

A Very Brave Witch at Amazon.com

A Very Brave Witch at Amazon.ca

A Creepy Countdown written by Charlotte Huck and Jos. A. Smith
Halloween-theme picture book published by Harper Trophy

Beautifully detailed, dark and creepy illustrations are a highlight of this Halloween-theme counting book. The rhyming text includes alliteration and guides readers as they count from one to ten and back down to one.

Five furry bats hanging upside down
Six skinny witches flying through the town

Recommended for children aged 5 and up. Illustrations are well-suited to a group setting and could be used to inspire young artists to work primarily in black.

Scare Factor = 2

A Creepy Countdown at Amazon.com

A Creepy Countdown at Amazon.ca

Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt
Halloween-theme picture book published by Kids Can Press

Scaredy Squirrel is a fun series of picture books written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt. In Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween, Scaredy has put together eight short chapters featuring panels with maps, lists, illustrations and diagrams intended to keep trick or treaters safe and happy. Best-suited to independent readers or a one-on-one read aloud, this is a fun book with rich vocabulary and detailed, engaging illustrations. Not great for a large group setting, this will be a very satisfying “chapter book” for a child in grade one or two and will produce lots of giggles when read by a parent to a child.

Scare Factor = 1

Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide for Scaredies at Amazon.com

Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide for Scaredies at Amazon.ca

Ten Timid Ghosts written and illustrated by Jennifer O’Connell
Halloween-theme counting book published by Cartwheel Books, an imprint of Scholastic

When a moving truck pulls up to a haunted house, the ten resident ghosts watch nervously. Before too long, a green-skinned witch is scaring the ghosts with a skeleton, a bat and various costumes. Ms. O’Connell provides fun clues for readers to notice including buttons that look like eyes, white face powder and a roll of toilet paper.

The repetitive, rhyming text adds to the fun in this counting book. Young children will love finding the ghosts in each of the illustrations.

Scare Factor = 1

Ten Timid Ghosts at Amazon.com

Ten Timid Ghosts at Amazon.ca

Trick or Treat written by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson, illustrated by Paul Meisel
Halloween-theme picture book published by Aladdin Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster

It’s Halloween night and time to trick or treat in a ten-story apartment building. A young, wide-eyed boy goes from floor to floor, meeting all sorts of costumed neighbors with wonderful names like Wiggle Waggle and Limbler Lamber. When the boy reaches the top floor, Merlin answers the door and waves his magic wand and tells the boy that everything is “WackBards“, sending the boy back to each apartment for Belly Jeans and “Twicorice Lists“

Great use of alliteration and wordplay along with colorful, fun illustrations make this an excellent read-aloud for kindergarten and older children. In a classroom setting, children could have fun illustrating a favorite candy WackBards.

Scare Factor = 1

Trick or Treat? at Amazon.com

Trick or Treat? at Amazon.ca

Free Printable Halloween Theme Learning Resources for Kids

  Writing paper for kids - Witch Hat

Halloween, Witch theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Pumpkin

Fall theme interlined paper with pumpkins for beginning writers.

  Halloween Picture Dictionary

Free printable Halloween picture dictionary for readers and writers in kindergarten and grade one.

  Five Little Ghosts

Use as an action chant or a felt board story

  Five Little Pumpkins

Use as a action chant or a felt board story

  The Wheels on the Halloween Bus

  Halloween Crossword Puzzle

  Halloween Word Search

My copy of Squeak Went the Door makes no attribution – it is printed on three pages that have been stapled together. I have had it for 30+ years.

This is a fun Halloween flannel board story I used to tell at Girl Guide and Brownie Halloween events. The felt pieces I use are very plain – I should probably add some glitter glue and trim. Predictable text and a hint of suspense make this fun for preschool and kindergarten age children.

Download a PDF copy

  Squeak Went the Door

A repetitive, predictable Halloween story that is great for a felt board.

You will also be interested in our Halloween and Fall printables for preschool and kindergarten.

Squeak Went the Door

There was an old, old lady who lived all alone in the woods, and who wanted someone to come and visit her. While she waited, she spun cloth.
Children But still she sat (fold hands)
And still she spun, (roll hands)
And still she waited
For someone to come.

Then, one dark, dark night when the old lady was sitting spinning, she heard a knock at the door, and she said, “Come in.”

S-Q-U-E-A-K went the door and in came two black, black boots. They walked across the floor and then set themselves down.

The old lady thought, “Oh, how strange to see those black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

Children But still she sat (fold hands)
And still she spun, (roll hands)
And still she waited
For someone to come.

Soon the old lady heard another knock at the door, and she said, “Come in.”

S-Q-U-E-A-K went the door and in came two short, short legs. They ran across the floor and then set themselves down on the black, black boots.

The old lady thought, “Oh, how strange to see those short, short legs on the black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

Children But still she sat (fold hands)
And still she spun, (roll hands)
And still she waited
For someone to come.

Before long the old lady heard another knock at the door, and she said, “Come in.”

S-Q-U-E-A-K went the door and in came a wee, wee waist. It came, bending up and down and set itself down on the short, short legs.

The old lady thought, “Oh, how strange to see that wee, wee waist on the short, short legs on the black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

Children But still she sat (fold hands)
And still she spun, (roll hands)
And still she waited
For someone to come.

And while the old lady was looking, she heard another knock at the door, and she said, “Come in.”

S-Q-U-E-A-K went the door and in came two broad, broad shoulders. They lifted themselves across the room and set themselves down on the wee, wee waist.

And she thought, oh how strange to see the broad, broad shoulders on the wee, wee waist on the short, short legs on the black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

Children But still she sat (fold hands)
And still she spun, (roll hands)
And still she waited
For someone to come.

And as she was spinning, she heard still another knock at the door, and she said, “Come in.”

S-Q-U-E-A-K went the door and in came two thin, thin arms and hung themselves over the broad, broad shoulders, and she thought, ” Oh, how strange to see those thin, thin arms on the broad, broad shoulders, on that wee, wee waist on the short, short legs on the black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

Children But still she sat (fold hands)
And still she spun, (roll hands)
And still she waited
For someone to come.

Now the little old woman was feeling just a tiny bit nervous. However, after the next loud knock she bravely said, “Come in.” S-Q-U-E-A-K went the door and in came two fat, fat hands. They danced across the room and set themselves on the thin, thin arms and she thought, “Oh, how strange to see those fat, fat hands on the thin, thin arms on the broad, broad shoulders, on that wee, wee waist on the short, short legs on the black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

Children But still she sat (fold hands)
And still she spun, (roll hands)
And still she waited
For someone to come.

Now, the little old woman was beginning to be a little more afraid. When she heard another knock at her door, she nervously said, “Come in.” S-Q-U-E-A-K went the door and in rolled a round, round head. It set itself down on those broad, broad shoulders and she thought, “Oh, how strange to see that round, round head on the fat, fat hands on the thin, thin arms on the broad, broad shoulders, on that wee, wee waist on the short, short legs on the black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

So she said, “Where did you get such black, black boots?”
“Much walking, much walking, ” it answered.
“Then where di d you get such short, short legs?”
“Much running, much running, ” was the reply.
“Where did you get such a wee, wee waist?”
“Much bending, much bending.”
“How did you get such broad, broad shoulders?”
“Much lifting, much lifting.”
“Where did you get such thin, thin arms?”
“Much carrying, much carrying.”
“Where did you get such fat, fat hands?”
“Much working, much working.”
“And where did you get such a round, round head?”
“From a pumpkin shell, a pumpkin shell.”
“What did you come for?”
“to visit YOU!!”

And that is the story of the man with the round, round head, the fat, fat hands, the thin, thin arms, the broad, broad shoulders, the wee, wee waist, the short, short legs, the black, black boots on the cold, cold floor.”

Original Source Unknown

Free Halloween, Thanksgiving and Fall-theme printables for homeschool, kindergarten and preschool.

We love pulling together free preschool and kindergarten printables for young children to enjoy. We have many free Halloween, Thanksgiving and Fall theme kindergarten printables and hope you will check them out. Young children love our colourful Fall theme writing paper and those who are just starting to read and write will have fun with our Fall and Halloween picture dictionaries.

For your convenience, we have grouped some of our printables according to season and holiday. Follow these links to find our early learning printables grouped by subject –
Spring, Summer, Winter
Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Earth Day, Christmas

Our early childhood literacy printables, including our free Fall kindergarten printables are in PDF format, if you don’t already use Adobe Reader, you will need to use it to access the downloads.
Step 1 – Make sure you have Adobe Reader. If you don’t have it, please click on the ‘Get Adobe Reader’ button to install it for free.

Step 2 – Pin this page, bookmark this page, share this page or “Like” us on Facebook.
Step 3 – Choose from any of our 250 free downloads, including these free printable alphabets.

A large selection of free Fall-theme writing paper for young children

  Writing paper for kids - Back to School

Free printable Back to school theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Fall Theme incl. Tire Swing

Fall theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids- Scarecrow

Fall, scarecrow theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Witch Hat

Halloween, Witch theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Pumpkin

Fall theme interlined paper with pumpkins for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Apple

Apple theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Remembrance Day Poppy

Remembrance Day theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Thanksgiving Cornucopia

Thanksgiving theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Today I am Thankful for...

"Today I am Thankful for..." interlined writing paper - great for Thanksgiving.

  Writing paper for kids - Squirrel with nuts

Squirrel theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Thanksgiving Day Crossword Puzzle

Free printable Thanksgiving-theme crossword puzzle for children.

  Thanksgiving Word Search

  Thanksgiving Picture Dictionary

Free printable Thanksgiving picture dictionary for readers and writers in kindergarten and grade one.

Printables for a Halloween-Theme Circle Time or Storytime

For teachers, we have Five Little Ghosts and Five Little Pumpkins – these Halloween rhymes are perfect for circle time. You can easily make a seasonal felt board story with spooky ghosts or bright orange pumpkins.

  Five Little Ghosts

Use as an action chant or a felt board story

  Five Little Pumpkins

Use as a action chant or a felt board story

  The Wheels on the Halloween Bus

Check out Squeak Went the Door – A fun flannel board story for Halloween

Free Halloween and Fall-theme Picture Dictionaries and Writing Paper

Reading and Writing about Halloween and Fall
Autumn Poem

  Autumn Leaves

Use this free printable Autumn Leaves poem with kindergarten students or for homeschool

  Fall Picture Dictionary

Free printable Fall picture dictionary for readers and writers in kindergarten and grade one.

  Halloween Picture Dictionary

Free printable Halloween picture dictionary for readers and writers in kindergarten and grade one.

Fall leaves alphabet

  A Fall Leaves Alphabet

Attractive free alphabet printable features multi coloured Fall leaves

Free Halloween-Theme Writing Paper

  Writing paper for kids - Witch Hat

Halloween, Witch theme interlined paper for beginning writers.

  Writing paper for kids - Pumpkin

Fall theme interlined paper with pumpkins for beginning writers.

Halloween theme Crossword Puzzle and a Halloween theme Wordsearch

Halloween Crossword Puzzle

  Halloween Crossword Puzzle

Halloween Word Search

  Halloween Word Search

Remembrance Day Writing Paper

  Writing paper for kids - Remembrance Day Poppy

Remembrance Day theme interlined paper for beginning writers.