Getting into the Halloween spirit goes beyond just sharing spooky urban legends and handing out candy to costumed children—it presents a bewitching chance to bring a playful yet educational twist to your adult ESL classroom. Educational? Absolutely! Now, decorating your classroom and teaching in costume certainly add to the festive atmosphere; I’ve embraced this many times myself. However, when teaching adults, we need to ensure that every activity has a clear purpose and that the students are aware of that purpose. Many adult learners prefer not to engage in games that feel pointless, but that doesn’t mean they lack interest in the cultural aspects or the fun of the holiday.
Always, always, ALWAYS make sure your Halloween face paint hasn’t expired and IS, in fact, face paint because even though your students might be amused to see just how long it takes for the color to wear off despite lots of daily scrubbing, you don’t really want a colorful face for eight days. Trust me.
Plus, Halloween activities don’t have to be confined to a single day. With the right resources, you can maintain an engaging, spooky vibe throughout your lessons for days leading up to it. Here are some Halloween-themed educational resources that will immerse your adult ESL learners in the Halloween spirit and also help them practice essential language skills
Unmasking Halloween: Distinguishing Fact from Frightful Fiction
Halloween brings with it all sorts of myths, legends, and ghost stories. Why not use this as an opportunity to teach students how to distinguish fact from opinion? An ESL Halloween activity for adults could involve analyzing Halloween-themed statements or folklore, like the legend of the Headless Horseman or modern urban legends, and having students determine which aspects are factual and which are rooted in opinion or superstition. This teaches critical thinking and allows for a discussion about cultural traditions and beliefs.
If you are looking for something ready-made and low-prep, take a look at my Halloween fact & opinion task cards. Each of the 12 cards has three statements for students to read and identify as facts or opinions.
Grammar with a Ghoulish Twist: an unexpectedly fun ESL Halloween activity for adults
Inject some Halloween flavor into your adult ESL grammar lessons with themed sentence corrections or grammar review activities. Consider task cards that present sentences involving classic Halloween creatures, haunted houses, or ghostly encounters. For example, “The werewolf have been howling all night,” can be used to practice subject-verb agreement. Making grammar mistakes a bit spooky can help lighten the mood and keep students engaged in the learning process.
Fixing grammar errors is just one type of question. Rest assured that I go way beyond that. With my set of 160 Halloween-themed grammar review task cards, you’ll also be able to pick and choose which grammar concepts to review. It even comes in a digital format (created with Easel by TpT) that is clickable and self-checking!
Transitional Signals for Halloweenish Storytelling
Halloween is a great time for storytelling, so why not try an ESL Halloween activity for adults that incorporates transitional words and phrases? A fun exercise might involve using a ghost story framework, where students must use proper transition signals (like “first,” “meanwhile,” or “suddenly”) to continue the tale. This can help them better understand how to use transitions to maintain the flow of a narrative, which is a valuable skill for both writing and speaking.
My set of 40 Halloween transition word task cards gives students Halloween-flavored sentences with a gap for the transition word(s) that they fill in by choosing from the given possible answers. Go for the full-color version, the printer-friendly black & white version, or the self-checking digital version–they’re all included! Fair warning: I’ve been told the image on the color sets is creepy!
Halloween Idioms to Die For
Halloween-themed idioms can be a fun addition to your lessons, introducing phrases like “over my dead body,” “witch hunt,” or “digging your own grave.” Discussing the meaning of these idioms enhances vocabulary and gives students insight into cultural nuances. Activities could include matching idioms to their meanings or using the idioms in context by creating spooky scenarios.
If Halloween idioms sound like fun, you’ll LOVE my Halloween idioms bundle! It comes with a digital presentation to introduce the idioms, an idiom activity pack, and a bingo game! Each of those is also available individually.
Making Halloween Memorable and Educational
Ultimately, these resources can provide a well-rounded learning experience while embracing the festive spirit. Whether focusing on discerning fact from opinion, brushing up on grammar, practicing transition signals, or exploring idiomatic expressions, Halloween-themed lessons can captivate your adult ESL students and enrich their language skills. By incorporating a bit of the macabre into your classroom, you can help your adult ESL learners enjoy the holiday while still meeting their educational goals.
For a variety of materials to get started, click below to check out my Halloween bundle for resources that blend holiday fun with meaningful practice.
More for the (fall) season!
If Halloween isn’t your thing but fall is, you’ll want to read Fall ESL Activities: 5 Simple Ways to Invoke the Spirit of Autumn. And if you’re looking for something decidedly NOT spooky, pop over to my store to see Woolly Bears and American Folklore – Reading Comprehension for Adult ESL.
Rosie Latto says
“The werewolf have been howling all night,” can be used to practice subject-verb agreement. Incorrect! It should read
The werewolves have been …” OR “the werewolf HAS been ,,,” If you’re teaching subject-verb agreement, make sure you’re correct.
Rike Neville says
Thank you for your comment! Just to clarify, “The werewolf have been howling all night” was indeed intended as an EXAMPLE of an incorrect sentence, meant to be used for practice in correcting subject-verb agreement errors. This type of example helps learners identify and correct common mistakes.