Spooky Classroom Poetry Games for KS2 🎃
Why Use Poetry at Halloween?
The National Curriculum for English encourages children to develop confidence in spoken language, read and perform poems aloud, and experiment with vocabulary, rhythm and structure. Halloween offers a playful and engaging context to meet these aims while also giving pupils opportunities for collaborative work and creative expression.
The following spooky poetry games have been designed for KS2 classrooms. Each activity supports key curriculum objectives while ensuring pupils have fun exploring rhythm, performance, and imaginative writing.
By taking part in these spooky poetry games, pupils will:
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Spoken Language: Develop confidence in performing poetry aloud using expression, rhythm and intonation.
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Reading: Listen to and discuss a wide range of poems, recognising features such as rhyme, repetition and figurative language.
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Writing: Compose poetry for different purposes, experimenting with vocabulary, structure and presentation.
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Vocabulary Development: Broaden their word choices by using a bank of Halloween-themed vocabulary.
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Collaboration: Work creatively in pairs, groups and as a whole class to create and share poems.
These activities support the aims of the KS2 English National Curriculum and are suitable for Years 3–6.
Check out my latest Hallowe’en poem!
Hallowe’en Primary School
The Reception teacher’s a ghost
She scares the kids the most
And what gives you a clue
Is the way that she goes oooooohhhhhh!
Yr1 is Frankenstein
She does this all the time
And the way that you can check
Spot the bolt that’s in her neck!
Yr 2 is an evil ghoul
She’s vicious and she’s cruel
She floats round in her room
She says this is her tomb!
Yr 3 is a goblin
She puts kids in the bin
She likes to make up spells
She also makes bad smells
Yr 4 is Dracularrr
She likes to go HA Ha!!!
She thinks that is good
When her teeth are dripping blood!
Yr 5 teacher is a zombie
She comes from Abercrombie
Her voice is just a drone
She likes to wail and moan!
A witch lives in Year 6
She does such vicious tricks
And when the head’s not looking
She gets those spells a cooking!
The deputy’s a phantom
She comes from Wolverhampton
Her fingers shoot out lightning
She’s dangerous and she’s frightening
The head is an evil force
He’s usually on a course
Just look him in the eye
And part of you will die!
And then you’ll start to cry
And nobody knows why
Have you seen his freaky tie?
He’s such a scary guy
I think he’s from Brunei
Or maybe that’s Shanghai
Now it’s time to say goodbye!
👉 In my Poetry Days in primary schools across the UK I work hard to get the children excited about writing and performing their own poems. I visit over 100 schools every year and I’d love to work with your children and teachers.
📅 You can book me for:
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In-person Poetry Days across the UK
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Online Poetry Workshops (affordable and flexible)
➡ Secure your date here: Poets in Schools – Ian Bland
1. Creepy Calligrams ✍️
Learning focus: Pupils link meaning to presentation by shaping words visually.
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Ask children to create spooky calligrams such as:
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BOO shaped like a ghost
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HOWL curling like a wolf’s cry
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CREEP written in staggered footsteps
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👉 For more detailed guidance see my blog on KS2 Calligrams.
2. Halloween Tongue Twisters 👅
Learning focus: Develop fluency, rhythm and diction in spoken language.
Challenge pupils with Halloween-themed tongue twisters, e.g.:
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“Wicked witches whisper wildly.”
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“Seven skeletons silently slithered.”
Children can work in pairs to practise accuracy and performance, then take part in a friendly whole-class challenge.
👉 More examples in Fun Tongue Twisters for KS2.
3. Trick-or-Treat Kennings 🍬
Learning focus: Use figurative language and build vocabulary.
Introduce kennings as two-word descriptive clues. Ask children to create Halloween kennings for characters such as:
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Vampire = night-flyer, fang-flasher
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Witch = potion-maker, broom-rider
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Ghost = shadow-sleeper, wall-walker
👉 For a step-by-step teaching guide, see Kennings Poems for KS2.
4. Haunted Soundscapes 🔊
Learning focus: Collaborative performance and atmosphere.
Divide the class into groups. Give each group a short spooky poem or themed word bank. One group performs the text while the others add sound effects such as creaking doors, wolf howls, or ghostly whispers. Rotate so every child has the chance to lead and perform.
5. Monster Mix-Up Class Poem 🧟
Learning focus: Collaborative writing and composition.
Provide each child with a slip of paper to create a spooky character and action (e.g. “a zombie juggling apples,” “a ghost riding a scooter”). Gather the slips to create a collective “Monster Mix-Up” poem. Read aloud for a lively and imaginative class performance.
6. Spooky Shape Poems 🎨
Learning focus: Explore poetry presentation and visual imagery.
Encourage children to write Halloween poems within the outline of a pumpkin, bat, witch’s hat or tombstone. This combines poetry writing with art and creates eye-catching displays for the classroom.
7. Building Spooky Vocabulary 🕷️
Learning focus: Broaden vocabulary and word choice.
Create a Halloween word wall with rich vocabulary such as phantom, eerie, cackle, cobweb, cauldron, chilling. Challenge pupils to include a set number of these words in their own poems.
8. Reading & Performing Spooky Poems 📖
Learning focus: Develop comprehension, performance and confidence.
Read a short spooky poem together and explore how rhythm, rhyme and tone create atmosphere. Then, rehearse it as a class with variations: whispering lines, echo effects, or adding actions.
👉 See more in Poems to Learn and Perform.
9. Exquisite Corpse Halloween Game ✍️
Learning focus: Collaborative creativity and unpredictability.
Play the “Exquisite Corpse” game: each child writes a spooky line, folds the paper to hide it, then passes it on. Unfold the paper at the end to reveal a collaborative and surprising class poem.
10. Figurative Language Fun 🌕
Learning focus: Apply metaphors, similes and personification.
Prompt children with examples such as:
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“The full moon is a grinning pumpkin in the sky.”
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“The wind howled like a hungry wolf.”
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“The shadows tiptoed across the floor.”
Pupils can generate their own spooky figurative lines to share in pairs or groups.
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!”
How These Games Support the Curriculum
All of the above activities address the aims of the KS2 English curriculum, including:
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Developing spoken language through performance and recitation
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Using vocabulary imaginatively and effectively
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Experimenting with form, structure and presentation
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Writing for different purposes and audiences
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Working collaboratively and building confidence in self-expression
Book a Halloween Poetry Workshop 🎃
Looking to make Halloween unforgettable? My Poetry Workshops combine performance, writing and creativity, bringing literacy to life in a fun and memorable way. Workshops are available in-person and online for KS2 classes.
👉 Find out more: Poets in Schools
