Why Reading Halloween Poems is Fun
- Reading or reciting poems can help children strengthen their reading fluency and pronunciation.
- Poems engage the imagination through vivid, spooky imagery.
- They connect kids with Halloween traditions across generations.
- Reciting a poem out loud builds confidence for classroom or party performance.
5 Original Halloween Poems
Written by KidsGen for 2026 — free to read aloud, print or use in the classroom with credit to KidsGen.
The Pumpkin's Wish
- by KidsGen
I sat upon the garden vine
and wished that I could glow,
so someone plucked me from the patch
and gave my face a show.
They carved two eyes, a crooked grin,
a candle set inside,
and now I light the whole front step
each Halloween with pride.
* * * *
Ghost's Lullaby
- by KidsGen
Hush now, little spider,
fold your legs and rest,
the moon has climbed the chimney
and settled in its nest.
Hush now, sleepy pumpkin,
your candle's burning low,
tomorrow night we'll shine again,
but for tonight, let go.
* * * *
Bats at Twilight
- by KidsGen
They wake when the sky turns purple,
they stretch their paper wings,
and stitch the dusk together
with the quietest of things.
No squeak, no shout, no warning,
just shadows on the fly,
the first small sign of Halloween
is a bat against the sky.
* * * *
The Witch Who Forgot Her Broom
- by KidsGen
She packed her hat, she packed her cat,
she packed her spellbook too,
but at the door she stopped and gasped -
"Now what am I to do?"
Her broom was leaning by the shed,
forgotten in the rush,
so she walked to town on Halloween
and arrived without a hush.
* * * *
Trick-or-Treat Countdown
- by KidsGen
Five more sleeps till Halloween,
four costumes left to choose,
three pumpkins waiting on the porch,
two candles we can't lose.
One bag stitched up and ready,
one porch light glowing bright,
and when the countdown reaches zero,
we step into the night.
* * * *
Classic Public-Domain Poems
Old enough that copyright has expired — free for anyone to reproduce.
Theme in Yellow
- by Carl Sandburg (1918)
I spot the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters,
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October,
When dusk is fallen,
Children join hands
And circle round me
Singing ghost songs
And love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o'-lantern
With terrible teeth
And the children know
I am fooling.
* * * *
Five Little Pumpkins
- Traditional counting rhyme
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late."
The second one said, "But we don't care."
The third one said, "I see witches in the air."
The fourth one said, "Let's run, and run, and run."
The fifth one said, "Get ready for some fun."
Then whoosh went the wind, and out went the lights,
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!
* * * *
The Spider and the Fly
- by Mary Howitt (1829)
"Will you walk into my parlor?"
said the spider to the fly;
"'Tis the prettiest little parlor that you ever did spy.
The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show when you are there."
"Oh no, no!" said the little fly,
"to ask me is in vain;
For who goes up your winding stair
can never come down again."
* * * *
Common questions about these poems
Are these Halloween poems free to use in the classroom?
Yes. The poems marked Original are written by KidsGen and are free to read aloud, print or use in classroom and personal settings with credit to KidsGen. The poems marked Public Domain are old enough that copyright has expired and they may be freely reproduced.
How do I tell if a poem is in the public domain?
In the United States, a poem published before 1929 is in the public domain regardless of when the author died. For later work, copyright generally lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, so a poem by a living author is almost always still protected.
What makes a Halloween poem good for reading aloud to kids?
Short rhyming lines with a steady rhythm are easiest for children to follow and recite. A poem that builds gently to a surprise or a funny twist at the end, rather than staying scary throughout, tends to hold a young audience's attention best.
How can kids use these poems for a Halloween writing project?
Have a child pick one poem's rhythm or rhyme pattern and write a new verse of their own following the same structure, swapping in their own Halloween images like a favourite costume or a made-up monster.