Halloween practically writes its own stories. Between the costumes, glowing jack-o’-lanterns and strange noises after dark, there’s plenty to get young imaginations going. And when everyone gathers to share spooky stories while stuffing their mouths full of candy, imaginations are free to run wild!
These Halloween writing prompts for kids turn all that October excitement into an opportunity to practice storytelling and creative thinking. With 12 prompts to choose from, kids can jump right into writing or read one of our suggested books on Epic for a little inspiration before creating a story of their own.
No perfect spelling required. A wildly imaginative plot? Highly encouraged.
Halloween Writing Prompts for Kids
1. The Pumpkin that Could Talk
You’re carving a jack-o’-lantern when it suddenly says your name. What does it tell you? Is it asking for help, sharing a secret or warning you about something?
Read it, then write it: Check out The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons on Epic, then invent a pumpkin with a personality of its own. What does it look like? What would it say if it could talk?
2. The Mysterious Trick-or-Treat Bag
You get home from trick-or-treating and find something in your bag that definitely isn’t candy. Describe what you find—and what happens when you pick it up.
3. Create a Halloween Character
Invent a Halloween character no one has ever met before. Give your character a name, a home and one unusual talent. Then send them on an adventure!
4. The Best Halloween Costume Ever
Imagine you could create any costume you wanted, with no limits. Maybe it flies. Maybe it glows.
Maybe it transforms when the clock strikes midnight. Describe it so clearly that someone else could draw it.
Read it, then write it: In The Halloween Costume Contest, costumes take center stage! After reading, challenge kids to dream up a costume so surprising that no one would recognize them. Encourage them to describe every detail, from its colors and textures to any magical features!
5. A Door You’ve Never Seen Before
While trick-or-treating, you notice a tiny door at the end of your street. You’re positive it wasn’t there yesterday.
You open it.
Where does it lead?
6. Halloween From a Pet’s Point of View
Imagine Halloween through the eyes of a dog, cat or other pet. What do they think about the costumes? The doorbell ringing all night? The enormous bags of mysterious food nobody will let them eat?
Write the night from their point of view.
7. The Case of the Missing Candy
Your Halloween candy has disappeared overnight—but whoever took it left three clues behind.
What are the clues? Where do they lead? And who took the candy?
Read it, then write it: Older readers can try Who Stole Halloween?, then create a Halloween mystery of their own. Encourage them to leave clues throughout the story before revealing the answer.
8. Finish This Halloween Story
Start with this sentence:
“Everything seemed normal until the jack-o’-lantern blinked at me.”
Now keep going. What happens next?
9. Invent a New Halloween Tradition
We carve pumpkins, dress up and go trick-or-treating. But what if you got to add a brand-new Halloween tradition?
Explain what people would do, what they would need and why everyone would look forward to it each year.
10. The Strange Sound Upstairs
Creaaaaak.
Thump.
Creaaaaak.
You hear something upstairs—but you know no one else is home. Write a story about what happens when you investigate.
11. Take a Pumpkin From Patch to Porch
Imagine you’re a pumpkin growing in a patch. Tell the story of everything that happens to you
before you finally become a jack-o’-lantern.
Read it, then write it: Read Pumpkin Time and talk about what happens first, next and last. Then kids can create their own pumpkin story—a fun way to sneak a little sequencing practice into Halloween writing.
12. The Morning after Halloween
You wake up on November 1 and discover something very strange happened overnight.
Maybe your costume won’t come off. Maybe every pumpkin in town has disappeared. Maybe there’s candy growing on the trees.
What changed—and what are you going to do about it?
Read a Story. Then Make One Up.
Explore more Halloween books on Epic, choose a story together and then come back to these Halloween writing prompts.
Who knows? The next great jack-o’-lantern mystery might already be taking shape.
▶ What are some good Halloween writing prompts for kids?
Try prompts that give kids a fun problem or situation without deciding the whole story for them. “Your Halloween costume suddenly gives you a superpower” or “You find a mysterious note inside your trick-or-treat bag” gives young writers somewhere to begin while leaving the rest up to their imaginations.
▶ How can I make Halloween writing fun?
Let kids choose what they want to write about. They can draw their character first, tell you the story aloud or even take turns writing sentences with you. And resist the urge to fix every misspelled word while they’re in the middle of an idea. Sometimes the best thing you can do is let the story come out.
▶ What are good Halloween writing prompts for elementary students?
Look for Halloween story prompts with a clear character, setting or problem. For example: “Your class pumpkin disappears the day before Halloween. Write about how you find it.” Younger kids can draw and dictate their story, while older elementary students can turn the same idea into several paragraphs.
▶ How can books help kids with creative writing?
Reading gives young writers examples of how stories work—characters want things, problems arise, clues get dropped and eventually something changes. After reading a book together, try asking, “What idea from this story could you turn into a completely different story of your own?”
