Halloween is about to be unleashed and this is one of those celebrations that has its own vocabulary. This is therefore the perfect time to think about Halloween EFL lesson plans and inject some fun Halloween vocabulary games into your EFL class.
The Origins of Halloween
Halloween falls on 31st October and is said to be originally a pagan celebration, though others believe it is Christian in origin. The word Halloween (or Hallowe’en) is a shortening of All Hallows Eve, the evening before All Hallows Day. This was the day when people traditionally remembered the dead.
In modern times, shops are filled with fun costumes and spooky-themed sweets and chocolates. People go to parties and dress up in scary costumes to look like witches, werewolves and ghosts.
Although the current Coronavirus pandemic will affect the opportunities for these types of Halloween activities, we can still enjoy the vocabulary and atmosphere associated with this spooky time!
There are also fun Halloween songs to add to the entertainment – these are perfect for using in your Halloween EFL lesson plan.
Trick or Treat?
In the UK, a traditional activity for children on Halloween night is Trick or Treat. To go ‘trick or treating’ means to knock on people’s doors and ask ‘Trick or Treat?’ The lucky (or unlucky) person then gets to decide if they want to give their naughty visitors a treat – or have a trick played on them.
Although most tricks or pranks are harmless, there have been occasions where car tires have been deflated and eggs and flour pelted at windows!
Although harmful pranks tend to happen more when older teenagers are involved rather than young children accompanied by their parents, it’s worth being vigilant!
Due to all these ‘tricks’, the night before Halloween is sometimes called ‘mischief night’.
Halloween Vocabulary
In any case, this spooky night is certain to have a few tricks up its sleeve. The EFL classroom is a great place to join in with the fun and games. Any celebration is a good excuse to bring in new vocabulary and all seasonal events can act as great motivation for learning.
One fun idea for a Halloween EFL lesson is to use flashcards and learn some spooky English vocabulary. Students can place the words into sentences in gap-fill exercises to put them into context.
Halloween vocabulary can be especially interesting to new learners and useful for this time of year, as shops become festooned with decorations. From witches’ hats to bats, EFL students can match items in the shops to the relevant Halloween vocabulary.
Words associated with ‘mischief night’ – Halloween vocabulary:
Ghost, ghoul, zombie, vampire, monster, werewolf
Witch, broomstick, black cat, cauldron, bat
Spooky, scary, frightening, ghoulish, horrifying, terrifying
Nightmare, horror film, horror movie, horror flick
Trick or treat, sweets, chocolates, money, pranks, jokes, tricks
Halloween parties, apple bobbing, pumpkin, jack-o-lantern
Create a ‘jack-o-lantern’ by cutting a face out of a pumpkin and placing a small candle (a ‘tea light’) inside – image source
Halloween Idioms of Fear:
I’m ‘shaking like a leaf’
I’m ‘scared stiff’ of ghosts
Halloween night ‘sends shivers up (and down) my spine’
Thinking about zombies ‘makes my blood run cold’!
Just the thought of Halloween ‘gives me the heebie jeebies’
Horror films make me ‘break out in a cold sweat’
‘I am a bundle of nerves’ today
My ‘heart was in my mouth’ watching that horror film!
I was ‘on the edge of my seat’ the whole time!
Check out more idioms and slang here.
Halloween Gap Fill Exercise
Here is an example of a gap fill exercise (with the gaps here filled in with bracketed words in bold) using useful Halloween vocabulary, ideal for use in an EFL Halloween lesson:
“Halloween is an exciting celebration, where people dress up in (costumes) of scary creatures such as (ghosts, ghouls, zombies, werewolves etc.). Lanterns are often made out of (pumpkins) and displayed in gardens and on door steps; these displays are called (jack-o-lanterns).
“There are many parties and sometimes children play a game called (Trick or Treat) where they knock on doors and are given a (treat) such as (sweets, chocolates, money). If they are not given a treat, they might play a (trick/prank) on the person!
“Traditional activities at Halloween include (apple bobbing), telling (scary) stories and watching (horror) movies. Halloween is supposed to be a (frightening/haunted) night when all kinds of creatures come out to play.
“One domestic animal associated with Halloween is the (black cat) and these creatures are said to ride on a witch’s (broomstick).“
Halloween EFL Lesson Plans
There are loads of great games and EFL lesson plans that are perfect for learning and using Halloween vocabulary, such as Halloween Bingo, word scrambles, crosswords and comprehension exercises.
Students can even write their own creative stories using the Halloween vocabulary learned in class. Another task for more advanced students would be to discuss Halloween by telling their own ghost stories.
October is the perfect time of year to practise this highly specific vocabulary and youngsters especially will find the scary theme fun and exciting.
Check out our blog post on the famous Monster Mash song for a classic scary tune that is perfect for this time of year – and filled with useful Halloween vocabulary perfect for your Halloween EFL lesson!
Share your Halloween EFL lesson ideas
How do you celebrate Halloween? What are your plans for the spookiest night of the year?
Do you know any more idioms of fear? What idioms do you have in your language that mean ‘to be scared’?
Do you have any fun EFL lesson ideas for Halloween?
Can you think of some more Halloween vocabulary to add to our list?
Let us know your ideas in the comments!
