A Spooky KS2 Poetry Activity for Halloween 🎃👻
Children love a touch of scary poetry at Halloween! My poem Visitors at Hallowe’en is a brilliant way to bring reading, performance, and creativity together in the classroom.
Here’s the full poem:
Visitors at Hallowe’en
A mummy and a vampire
A ghost all dressed in white
They all knocked on our door
Upon that terrifying night!
Two witches on their bicycles
Came flying down our street
I saw them from my window
Shouting loudly “Trick or Treat!”
A wizard and a werewolf
Came walking down our drive
That was six I’d seen already
And it was barely after five!
I really was quite terrified
I thought it all must be a dream
But my Dad said “Don’t be silly
Don’t you know, it’s Hallowe’en!”
Step 1 – Learn It by Heart 🧛♂️
Put pupils into pairs and give each child a copy of the poem. Challenge them to learn it off by heart with no mistakes.
Use repetition, clapping rhythms, and paired practice to help them embed the lines.
👉 For more memory-friendly ideas, see my blog Poems for KS2 Children to Learn and Perform.
Step 2 – Add Actions and Props 🎭
Actions make memorisation easier and more fun:
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A spooky walk for the vampire
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Cycling arms for the witches
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A howl for the werewolf
Props don’t need to be expensive. Hats, torches, masks, or a carved pumpkin can quickly transform the recital into a mini-performance.
👉 Try more simple warm-ups from Fun Writing Warm-Ups for KS2.
Step 3 – Choral Recital 🎶
Once pupils are confident, rehearse the poem as a whole-class choral piece. Experiment with:
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Echo lines
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Call-and-response
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Whispers and shouts
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Spooky sound effects
Split the class into groups, each responsible for a stanza.
When polished, take your performing class on tour around the school to deliver a Halloween poem extravaganza!
Extension and Fun Activities
🔊 Soundscape Performance
Half the class recite the poem, while the others provide background noises—creaking doors, ghostly whispers, wolf howls, or bicycle bells.
🎭 Freeze Frames
After each stanza, groups create a dramatic “living picture” of that moment in the poem, then spring back into life for the next verse.
👻 Rewrite the Visitors
Children swap in their own spooky characters—mummies, skeletons, giant spiders, or even a trick-or-treating teacher!
👉 For more creative challenges, see Creative Classroom Challenges for KS2.
🎨 Illustrate the Verses
Pupils design eerie illustrations for each stanza. Display them as a class mural or create a Halloween poetry booklet.
💻 Cross-Curricular Links
Record the performance using iPads to make a short poetry film. Add sound effects in ICT, or design masks and stage sets in art.
👉 Need ideas for linking literacy with other subjects? Try How to Use Poetry Across the Curriculum in Primary Schools.
✍️ Writing Challenge
Ask children to continue the poem with: “Who came knocking next at the door?” They invent new verses using the same rhythm and rhyme.
👉 For structured inspiration, try my Quick & Easy Poetry Starters for KS2.
🎤 Performance Assembly
End with a Halloween Poetry Assembly where groups perform to another class—or even to parents. A brilliant way to celebrate teamwork, confidence, and performance poetry.
👉 See also Performance Poetry Tips for KS2.
Final Word 🎃
Halloween poetry is a perfect chance to mix performance, creativity, and a bit of seasonal fun. With actions, sound effects, and imaginative twists, your class will never forget this activity.
Good luck—and remember, don’t be too scary!
Best wishes,
Ian Bland
