Halloween Stories for Kids: Free Ghost Stories, Folklore, Jokes & Songs
Spooky season is the perfect excuse to read. Here are free Halloween stories for kids — from giggly, friendly ghost stories for little ones to classic chillers for older readers — plus Halloween folklore, a sing-along, and a few jokes to keep it fun.
Browse the Halloween collection →
Free Halloween stories to read online
Every one of these is free to read online, no sign-up. Start gentle and work up to the classics:
- Little Ghost Says Boo — our free original early reader
- Is That a Ghost? — friendly picture book
- Mr. Spooky — not-too-scary fun
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow — a classic for older kids
- Frankenstein — for teens
Browse the whole free collection: Browse the Halloween collection.
Halloween folklore & fun facts
Halloween grew from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest and the start of winter. People lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off wandering spirits. The jack-o’-lantern comes from an Irish folk tale about “Stingy Jack,” who was said to roam with a carved turnip lantern — Irish immigrants later swapped turnips for pumpkins in America. “Trick-or-treating” echoes an old custom called “souling,” where children went door to door offering songs and prayers in exchange for little cakes.
A Halloween song to share
A circle-time favourite that’s pure public-domain fun:
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate, The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late!” The second one said, “There are witches in the air!” The third one said, “But we don’t care!” The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run!” The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!” Then “Ooooo” went the wind, and OUT went the lights, And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!
Find more in our free printable Halloween songs & rhymes.
Halloween jokes for kids
- Why didn’t the skeleton go to the party? — He had no body to go with!
- What do ghosts eat for dinner? — Spook-ghetti!
- What’s a monster’s favourite bean? — A human bean!
Grab the full set: printable Halloween jokes.
🎃 Turn Halloween into a reading season
The free Pagine app makes a reading habit easy — log each story, set a goal, and kids earn streaks, badges and certificates. A free reading tracker and e-reader in one, with 14,000+ books.
Get the free Pagine app →More free Halloween printables
- Halloween songs & rhymes
- Halloween poems for kids
- Halloween jokes for kids
- Halloween writing prompts
- Halloween reading list (by age)
FAQ
Where can I find free Halloween stories for kids? Right here on Pagine — free ghost stories, spooky picture books and classics you can read online, plus printable songs, jokes and reading lists.
What are good not-too-scary Halloween stories? Try friendly titles like Is That a Ghost?, Mr. Spooky and our original Little Ghost Says Boo — playful and warm, not frightening.