6 spooky writing prompts, ideal for Halloween!

Looking for unique writing opportunities in time for Halloween? We've got you covered!

Children are intrigued by Halloween, the frightful and fascinating goings-on activate their imaginations, making it the perfect topic to spark some super writing. Bring a touch of the spooktacular into your classroom and engage them in writing about something they love with these 6 spooky writing prompts. They're designed to help children start writing with ease and creativity. Each incredible image is accompanied by a story starter, grammar/punctuation challenges, questions and more to spark imagination and creativity.

The Forbidden Woods

"The night was still, an eerie silence filling the air. The crows' wings flapped as they returned to their nest, breaking the quiet. The ghostly silhouette of the house, with rickety stairs, made Lucy nervous. Her heart thumped, matching the crow's beat. Crows with sharp beaks and staring eyes always unsettled her. As she approached the rotten stairs, the crows watched, tilting their heads towards the house. Lucy wondered what they were up to..."

See the full story starter, questions, sentence challenges, punctuation challenge and a word bank that all accompany this image.

Eyes wide open

"They knew it was Halloween. Things were meant to be spooky. They were meant to be scary. Something didn’t seem right though and as the children stood on the edge of the path, staring blankly ahead, they wondered if they should turn and run. The pumpkin by the door glared at them with eerie eyes. With a deep breath and a thundering heart, the bravest of the children shuffled forward…"

See the full story starter, questions, sentence challenges, punctuation challenge and a word bank that all accompany this image.

The Strange Ship

"Shrouded in a veil of sea mist, the ghostly galleon swept through the black ocean waves. One minute you saw her, the next you didn’t. She was like no other ship. Blink, and you missed her…"

See the full story starter, questions, sentence challenges, a punctuation challenge and a word bank that all accompany this image.

The Tree Door

"The creaky, old door had not been opened for years. The beast had always lived inside but nobody dared to visit. Noises that echoed from the gaps in the door had haunted those who heard them. Nobody knew where the narrow, mossy steps led to. Nobody knew what was lurking within. Groaning heavily one day, the large, wooden door slowly began to open..."

See the full story starter, questions, sentence challenges, punctuation challenge and a word bank that all accompany this image.

The Ghostly Shadow

"One second you saw it, the next you didn’t. She wanted to turn around and leave this strange place, but curiosity got the better of her. The fog seemed to be alive. It danced amongst the trees: smothered, slithered, sneaked, in and out of the branches. The trees lining the road, sentinels of the night, seemed to sway in the breeze, their branches reaching up like tentacles clawing for the sky, yearning to escape the cloying fog. One second you saw it, the next you didn’t. The ghostly shadow vanished once again into the mist. She had come too far to turn back now. Goosebumps prickled on her cold, clammy skin, and she was sure she could hear her heart thumping inside her chest like a fluttering bird begging to be let out of its cage. Pulling her scarf tightly around herself, she stepped forward into the woods, towards the place where the shadow had been…"

See the full story starter, questions, sentence challenges, punctuation challenge and a word bank that all accompany this image.

Castle Midnight

"It was the dead of night. All that could be heard was the muffled beating of the creature’s enormous wings as it soared through the inky-black sky. Behind it, at the end of a frayed length of rope, sat the coachman. Coat wrapped tightly around his broad shoulders, his mission tonight was a straightforward one: to escort the two strangers to Castle Midnight. It all seemed straightforward to him. Even if it wasn’t, he always did as the Master bade. No one ever dared to disobey the Master, especially on a night such as this…"

The Pobble blog