Halloween Activities for the ESL Classroom

Halloween is one of my favourite times of year to bring a bit of fun into the classroom. As a language assistant, I found that it was also a great excuse to get students speaking English without making it feel like a normal lesson.

Whether you're working with younger students or secondary students, there are loads of simple Halloween activities you can try without spending hours preparing.

Halloween Vocabulary Game

Start with some basic Halloween vocabulary that your students might already know, such as witch, ghost, pumpkin, spider, skeleton and monster.

For younger students, you can show them pictures and get them to repeat the words. With older students, you can make it a competition and see how many words they can think of in one minute.

You can even split the class into teams and give them points for every correct word.

A great game for this is BINGO. And you can play it with students of any level.

Guess the Character

This is an easy one that works with almost any age group.

Choose a Halloween character and describe it without saying its name.

"I am green. I have a big nose. I fly on a broomstick."

The students have to guess what you are.

Once they've got the hang of it, let them create their own descriptions and have the rest of the class guess.

Halloween Charades

Charades are always a safe option when you need something that gets students moving.

Write Halloween-related words or actions on pieces of paper and have students act them out without speaking. Think zombie, vampire, witch, ghost or walking like a skeleton.

It's simple, requires almost no preparation and usually gets everyone involved.

Create a Monster

This was one of my favourite Halloween activities with younger students.

Give students a piece of paper and ask them to create their own monster. Then give them some English vocabulary they can use to describe it.

"My monster has three eyes, four arms and a big mouth."

For older students, you can turn this into a longer speaking or writing activity where they create a backstory for their monster.

Halloween Would You Rather?

This one works particularly well with secondary students.

Ask questions like:

• Would you rather spend a night in a haunted house or a haunted forest?

• Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf?

• Would you rather see a ghost or a zombie?

  
  

The important part is getting students to explain why. It turns a simple game into a great speaking activity.

Make It Your Own

You don't need to completely change your lesson just because it's Halloween.

You can take activities you already use and give them a Halloween theme. A normal vocabulary game can become a Halloween vocabulary game, and a speaking activity can become a conversation about scary films, costumes or traditions.

The best Halloween activities are usually the ones that get students talking, moving and using English without even realising they're practising.

So grab some Halloween vocabulary, bring a bit of creativity into the classroom and have fun with it. Your students will probably enjoy it just as much as you do.