6 Classic Scary Stories for Kids

Halloween is tomorrow! It’s time to officially get into the spirit scary stories for kids. And what better way to get into the spirit than with spooky storytelling? Telling ghost stories was very common among my friends and siblings during my childhood. I grew up in a small town where there always seemed to be a tale of “that one house a couple of streets over” or a story about what the old woman that lives in the neighborhood really does for a living. Stories that seem ridiculously fictitious now really gave me a spook as a young girl! I loved the spook and I loved the suspense of a ghost story or urban legend. There was nothing like a campfire ghost stories told in a dramatic whisper that would build to a shout! Here are some ideas for scary stories for kids that will perfect on Halloween or any time you need to entertain your child.

The Best Spooky Stories For Kids

Although horror stories for kids are traditionally told around a summer campfire, I heard them most often indoors at Halloween. So I thought I’d share some of the more well-known ghost stories and spooky tales that always made me cringe.  Here are 5 spooky stories for kids to tell on Halloween that will have you all on the edge of your seats! Sit down at the table with your kids, light a candle, turn the lights out, and begin.

6 Ghost Stories For Kids On Halloween:

The Pink Jelly Bean Story

This Pink Jellybean story starts very general and gets very specific.  It begins on a dark road and moves to a dark path and then to a dark house, etc.  Eventually, the story stops at a dark box in which you wait in severe suspense to find out what is in the box. And after the built-up suspense, all that appears in the box is a pink jellybean!  Obviously the idea here is to tell the story very dramatically, building as much suspense as possible, and then yell the jellybean line.  These kind of stories are great for younger kids because they have an unexpected, silly ending instead of a scary one.
Full Story
The Wrapping Paper Story Link (this story is formatted in a similar manner)

The Hook Hand Killer Story

Two teenagers are out one night in their car and a warning comes on the radio about a murderer who just escaped from a nearby prison (or asylum) with a hook for a hand.  The teenagers are terrified, and at the end, she gets out and finds a bloody hook on her door handle (the version below has slight differences, but this is the version I know).
The Hook Full Story

Hide and Seek Story

Two young brothers were home alone playing hide and seek.  While the older brother is searching for the younger brother, he hears a sound coming from the wardrobe.  He assumes it’s his brother, so he yells for him to come out. No one comes from the wardrobe, so the older brother reaches in the wardrobe and a hand grabs his wrist, trying to pull him into the wardrobe. Then, he hears his brother’s voice behind him. They realize what is happening and the younger brother helps set him free.  Who or what was coming from the wardrobe remains a mystery!
Full Story

The Legend of the Flying Dutchman

After sailing into a fierce storm, a Dutch ship started to sink off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope.  The captain of the ship realized that he was going to die, but he wasn’t ready.  He said, “I WILL round this Cape even if I have to keep sailing until doomsday!”  Legend has it that every time it storms off the Cape of Good Hope, you can see the captain and his ship.  Whoever sees him will die a horrible death.
Full Story

Humans Can Lick Too/ Doggy Lick

A little girl would put her hand under her bed when she would get scared.  Her dog would lick her hand to comfort her.  One night, her parents left and she tried to go to sleep.  She was scared so she reached under her bed and felt a lick.  She kept trying to fall asleep, but then she heard a whimpering sound.  When she woke up in the morning, her dog was barking outside!  There are several variations to this story.  The version I am familiar with is not suitable for younger kids so keep that in mind.  The “Humans Can Lick Too” version is for an older crowd.
Full Story

Ghost Of The Bloody Finger

A version of this spooky story appeared in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark entitled as “The Ghost with the Bloody Fingers”. It is about an old man that goes to a hotel on a dark night only to find it booked up. There is only one room vacant and that is because it is haunted. It goes on from there covering a few strange things and has a sort of light hearted, silly ending. This one is all about the suspense and build up.

Full Bloody Fingers Story

Conclusion

There are several different versions of each of these short spooky stories for kids.  I provided summaries of the versions that I heard growing up.  These were some of the first scary stories to really freak me out!  Remember, it’s all in the delivery so feel free to add in some scary sound effects.

While scary campfire stories can be a lot of fun for older kids, be sensitive if there are younger children present! Many little kids will say they want to hear short scary stories however, it is often the case that creepy stories can be too much for their excellent imaginations to handle.

I hope you enjoyed these spooky stories for kids! Do you know any scary ghost stories? Feel free to share any scary stories for kids that you liked when you were young in the comments or on social media @familyfocusblog!

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