Halloween Writing Activities: A Fun, Low-Prep Roll a Story Activity
Inside: Halloween Writing Activities that are fun, low-prep, and perfect for reluctant writers! Use Roll a Story for creative writing centers, bell ringers, and more.
Halloween is one of those times of year when kids are already bursting with ideas. They’re thinking about costumes, creepy creatures, haunted houses, candy, pumpkins, and all sorts of wonderfully silly things. So why not use that excitement to get them writing with these Halloween writing activities?
This post contains affiliate links, see my disclosure policy for more information.
The problem is that coming up with a story idea can be surprisingly difficult for young writers. Some students can sit down and immediately start writing, while others stare at a blank page and have no idea where to begin.
That’s where a little randomness can make writing much more fun.
A Halloween Roll a Story activity gives students three simple things to get their story started: a character, a problem, and a setting. From there, they get to decide what happens next.
And the best part? It’s incredibly low prep.
A Fun Halloween Writing Activity Without the Stress
Sometimes the hardest part of a writing activity isn’t the writing itself. It’s getting students from:
“I don’t know what to write about.”
to:
“Wait… what if a vampire gets lost in a pumpkin patch?!”
Once students have an idea, the writing often becomes much easier.
A Roll a Story activity takes away that intimidating blank page. Instead of asking students to invent everything from scratch, you give them a few story ingredients and let them put those ingredients together.
They might roll:
- A witch
- A haunted house
- A problem involving a missing pumpkin
Another student might get:
- A skeleton
- A graveyard
- A very unexpected problem
And suddenly, everyone has a different story to tell. The combinations can be silly, spooky, surprising, or completely ridiculous—and that’s part of the fun!
No Dice? No Problem!
One of my favorite things about Roll a Story activities is that you don’t actually have to use the dice templates that are included. They just add extra hands-on fun for students rolling their stories.
If you’re looking for a completely no-prep Halloween writing activity, simply print the prompt pages and let students choose their own character, setting, and problem.
That’s it.
No cutting.
No assembling.
No complicated directions.
No special materials.
Students can simply choose one item from each category and start planning their story.
If you do want to add an element of chance, the printable dice templates allow students to roll for their story elements instead.
The choice is yours depending on how much time you have and what works best for your students.
Why Random Story Prompts Work So Well for Reluctant Writers
For students who struggle with writing, an open-ended prompt can sometimes create more problems than possibilities.
“Write a Halloween story.”
Sounds simple, right? But a student might immediately have questions:
- What should my story be about?
- Who should be in it?
- Where should it happen?
- What should happen?
- How do I start?
That’s a lot of decisions before they’ve written a single sentence.
A Roll a Story activity reduces those decisions. Once students know their character, setting, and problem, they have something concrete to work with. They can focus their energy on developing the story instead of trying to invent an idea from nothing.
And because the combinations are random, students often end up with ideas they wouldn’t have chosen themselves. That’s where the really fun stories can happen.
Encourage Students to Make Their Stories Silly
Halloween writing doesn’t have to be serious or perfectly spooky.
In fact, some of the best stories may be completely ridiculous.
A ghost who is afraid of the dark?
A witch whose broomstick won’t stop singing?
A monster who desperately wants to win a pumpkin-carving contest?
A skeleton who loses his funny bone?
Give students permission to be silly.
When students know that their story doesn’t have to be “perfect,” they may be more willing to take creative risks and actually enjoy the writing process.
You can even challenge students to make their classmates laugh with their stories.
Try asking:
- Can you make your story surprising?
- Can you add something completely unexpected?
- Can you make your problem funny?
- Can you give your character a silly personality?
- Can you create an ending nobody would expect?
The goal isn’t just to practice writing. The goal is to have fun with writing.
Use Halloween Roll a Story as a Literacy Center
Roll a Story activities make great Halloween literacy centers because students can work through the activity independently or with a partner.
A center can be as simple as:
- Choose or roll a character.
- Choose or roll a setting.
- Choose or roll a problem.
- Use the graphic organizer to plan.
- Write the story.
- Draw an illustration.
Students can also work together to roll the story elements and then write their own individual stories using the same prompts.
This can be especially fun because everyone starts with the same three ingredients but ends up with completely different stories.
Use It as a Halloween Bell Ringer
Don’t have time for a full writing lesson?
Use the activity as a Halloween bell ringer.
Instead of expecting students to complete an entire story, give them a few minutes to generate their story idea.
They can roll or choose their three elements and then write:
- a story opening
- a few sentences
- a quick beginning-middle-end outline
- or even just a description of what happens in their story
You can continue the story later or use the short writing activity as a quick daily writing practice.
This makes it easy to bring a little Halloween fun into your literacy block without having to plan an entirely new lesson.
Turn It Into a Partner Writing Activity
Roll a Story doesn’t have to be an individual activity.
Have partners roll the dice together and then work as a team to create their story.
One student could be the idea generator, while the other acts as the writer. Then they can switch roles.
Or have both students plan the same story but write their own versions.
This is a great way to show students that there isn’t just one “right” story hiding behind a writing prompt.
Two students can start with exactly the same character, setting, and problem and create completely different stories.
What’s Included in the Halloween Roll a Story Activity?
The Halloween Roll a Story activity includes everything students need to take those three random story elements and turn them into a complete story.
Students get:
- 2 pages of character, problem, and setting prompts
- 2 pages of Halloween-themed word bank words
- 3 graphic organizers for planning their stories
- 1 writing and drawing page
- Printable dice templates featuring the story prompts
The graphic organizers are particularly helpful for students who need a little more structure before they begin writing. They can brainstorm their story elements and then organize their ideas into a beginning, middle, and end.
Halloween Roll A Story | Halloween and Monster Story Elements Graphic Organizer
Inspire your students’ creativity this autumn with our engaging “Halloween Roll a Story” activity pack! Perfect for young writers, this pack provides all the tools they need to craft imaginative stories while having fun with a Halloween spooky theme.
A Simple Way to Make Halloween Writing More Fun
The beauty of a Roll a Story activity is that it doesn’t require a complicated lesson.
Print it.
Roll the dice.
Choose the story elements.
Start writing.
That’s it.
And because every student can end up with a different combination of story elements, the activity can be used again and again without every student writing the exact same story.
Whether you use it as a Halloween writing center, bell ringer, early-finisher activity, creative writing lesson, or just a fun way to get reluctant writers putting words on paper, Roll a Story gives students a starting point without taking away their creativity.
Want More?
How to Help Reluctant Writers: 7 Fun Strategies to Get Kids Writing
Using Roll a Story Activities for Reluctant Writers
6 Fun Ways to Use Autumn Roll a Story in Your Grade 2 Classroom
