Halloween Poems and Songs

Children of all ages enjoy reading and hearing poetry. Many of the poems I've included can be acted out or done with finger plays. Teachers in the early grades can use short poems for daily penmanship exercises in an October poetry booklet, that the children can illustrate. Some lend themselves to acting out and choral reading.

All of these poems, stories and songs are suitable for younger children.

Tang of cider in the air,

Spooks and goblins everywhere,

Caldrons bubbling in the night,

Jack-o-lanterns burning bright

Gypsies stirring steaming brew.

On the fences black cats mew.

Bats in darkened corners hide.

Lurid witches broomsticks ride.

Skulls and crossbones act as hosts

To rows and rows of stately ghosts.

That's Halloween!

Fern Curtis

Strange things happen

On Halloween night.

A witch sails by on a broom.

Pumpkins grin slyly

from rickety fences

As owls fly away to the moon.

Virginia P. Flanagan

Witches, ghosts, and bats are seen

out at night on Halloween.

Boys and girls with scary faces

peer out from many spooky places.

Everything looks very queer

this jack-o-lantern time of year!

Ruth Linsley Forman

A great book for fall and October. Read it aloud and stomp your foot to keep the beat. Lots of fun for kids and adults.

Look at that!

Ghosts lined up

at the Laundromat,

all around the

block.

Each has

bleach

and some

detergent.

Each one seems to

think it

urgent

to take a spin

in a

washing machine

before the

clock

strikes

Halloween!

Lilian Moore

Three little ghostesses,

Sitting on postesses,

Eating buttered toastesses,

Greasing their fistesses,

Up to their wristesses,

Oh, what beastesses

To make such feastesses!

Anonymous

When the moon

rides high,

up overhead--

and I am snug

and warm,

in bed--

in the autumn dark

the ghosts move 'round,

making their

mournful,

moaning sound.

I listen to know

when the ghosts

go by,

I hear a wail,

and I hear a sigh.

But I can't quite tell

which I hear

the most--

the wind,

or the wail

of some passing ghost.

Anonymous

All of the Georgie Books are just right for lower elementary children.

by X.J. Kennedy

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Whose is the fairest face of all?

I'll come close, so you'll see me clearer--"

Pop! goes another magic mirror.

A Halloween Wish

by Mabel Harmer

If I could borrow a witch's broom

I'd ride far above the town;

I'd see the place where the sun comes up,

The place where the moon goes down.

I'd fly around by the old church tower

And wave to the folk below;

I'd see the haunts of the wise night owl

And follow the fireflies' glow.

I shouldn't care for a tall black hat

Or cat with fiery eye--

But I'd like to borrow a magic broom

And fly as the witches fly.

Song and Fingerplay

1 little, 2 little, 3 little witches

Flying in haystacks, diving in ditches.

Flying on broomsticks without any hitches.

Hey ho, Halloween's here.

Most of the poems on this page came from Poetry Place Anthology. This is an excellent resource filled with delightful poems for children of all ages, but especially the lower grades.

A great teacher resource with activities, bulletin boards, clip art and more geared to the months of September, October and November.