Reading Halloween poems for kids can be a good way to introduce the idea of horror to them. According to some experts, introducing the concept of horror to children can help fuel curiosity and stimulate learning. However, it is essential to remember that each child and their limits differ. Therefore, respect your children’s limits while presenting this new concept to them. Poems can be a gentle way to help children understand the idea of horror and associated creepy elements, such as ghosts, black cats, and bats, and let them explore whether they like it or not. However, if you are unsure what poems to introduce first, this post can help you. It provides you with a list of spooky and scary Halloween poems that you can read to your children. So, read on to know more.
Short Scary Poems For Kids
1. Cries
A beautifully written poem, it talks about how a child hears a girl crying in the forest, and what happens after that.
“As a child, I played in the forest nearby,
One evening I heard, a little girl cry,
It was obvious she was lost,
In the middle of winters frost.
I ran out in a frantic search,
Bells rang in our local church,
Ran faster, followed the cries,
My fear for her, began to rise.
Cries turned into a continuous weep,
I never felt emotions so deep.
Looked up, dropped to my knees,
A dying crow, I saw in the trees.”
Did you find this poem eerie enough? Don’t worry, our next poem promises to scare your little one; it’s a Halloween special.
2. Witches and goblins
No Halloween is complete without a scary poem that makes the full moon autumn night spookier. Here’s one poem that you shouldn’t miss!
“Witches and Goblins, spooks and elves,
With spirits and gnomes from Elfland delves,
Tonight are flying here and there,
Yes, Up and down and everywhere.”
3. A butterfly in my room
This cute little Halloween poem for kids is based on a butterfly. However, don’t be fooled by the seemingly harmless title, this poem could make your little one quite anxious.
“Once there came a butterfly in my room,
Believe it or not, it made a big boom,
I tried chasing it with a broom,
Because it made me feel gloom.
For some reason, it liked sitting on my bed,
And then hopped and sat on my head,
Then it sat on a box that is red,
That made tears from my eye shed.”
4. The creature
What if you told your child that there is something under his bed? And just when he puts his imagination to use, read this poem aloud.
“In the middle of the night,
in the part that’s known as “dead,”
I wake and hear the breathing
of the creature ‘neath my bed.
Sometimes he growls and threatens me,
sometimes he only stares.”
5. Skeleton parade
A beautiful short poem, which talks about skeletons. If you want to teach your kids about skeletons, use this poem, and they’ll get exactly what you mean.
“The Skeletons are out tonight,
Bony bony bony bony nothing in between.
They march about the street,
With bony bodies,
Bony heads, bony hands and feet.
Up and down and all around, they march on Halloween.”
6. The nine little goblins
Last but the most interesting of the lot, this is for a little older kids. This is another Halloween-based poem, read it aloud, read it quietly, read it because it shall spook your kid out.
“They all climbed up on a high board fence,
Nine little Goblins, with green glass eyes,
Nine little Goblins that had no sense,
And couldn’t tell the coppers from cold mince pies.”
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can parents help their children memorize and recite Halloween poems?
Parents can play the Halloween poems on their music player or recite them aloud so the child learns and recites them. While the child learns the poems, parents can tell children about Halloween traditions involving eerie costumes, pumpkins, candy apples, and candy corns to take them a step closer to the Halloween month’s (October) unusual but fun festivities.
2. How can children use Halloween themes to create their own unique poems?
Children can think of a scary story, then use rhyming words to create their own unique scary poem for Halloween.
3. How can parents and teachers use Halloween poems to teach children about literary elements and poetic devices?
Halloween poems can help teach children poetic devices such as rhyme, imagery, alliteration, repetition, and personification.
4. What are some fun activities or games that can be played with Halloween poems?
You can keep a competition for the scariest Halloween songs and poems for kids written by the game players. Alternatively, you can ask the players to sit in a circle. The first player says a line, and the next player has to add a rhyming line to it and make it scary. Children can keep adding lines to the poem until they run out of ideas.
5. How can children use technology to create multimedia presentations or animations to accompany their Halloween poems?
Children can pick copyright-free images available online and edit them in a photo editing app or software. These apps also help add audio video effects and animation, which can then be used to present a Halloween poem.
Poems offer an excellent opportunity to engage children in a fun learning experience. English poems for kids teach children about rhythm, modulation, rhyme, and inflection and can help introduce them to different figures of speech. These interesting Halloween poems for kids are thus an ideal way to add fun and learning to your spooky Halloween celebrations. You could print them in some scary fonts and use them as decorations for your Halloween celebrations. Further, you could also use them on your child’s Halloween party invites or Halloween gifts at school.
Infographic: Why Is Halloween Celebrated?
If you want your child to know more about Halloween and its celebration, save and take a printout of this infographic and explore it with your child.
Key Pointers
- Introducing spooky elements through Halloween poems can be less scary for children.
- Halloween poems can teach rhymes, alliteration, imagery, and personification.
- Competitions, where the person with the scariest Halloween poem wins a prize, can be a fun way to introduce creepy poems.
Illustration: Sweet And Scary Halloween Poems For Kids
This video has a fun compilation of Halloween songs and nursery rhymes. Sure to make the kids groove and enjoy!
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