6 CAMPFIRE GHOST STORIES FOR THE YOUNGSTERS (AND THEY’LL STILL BE ABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT)
You all know I love this time of year! Yea, Falls cool and all but Halloween is the best. My grandkids have already picked out their costumes and are ready to trick-or-treat. There’s lots to do to celebrate the spooky season with your family, from parties (complete with plenty of Halloween games), to fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and haunted houses to venture to. It's also fun to stay home and watch kid-friendly Halloween movies while munching on some of that Halloween candy. Don't forget the ghost stories for kids!
I’ve gone around the web and collected six kid-friendly scary tales that are best told around the campfire or with the lights out for full effect, You can tell the short versions or click on the links for the full stories.
THE BIG TOE
Also known as The Hairy Toe, this is a classic story about an old woman who finds a toe in the woods and, depending on the version, eats it (ewwww) or puts it in a glass jar. The tale gets creepier as the toe's very large owner comes looking for it, but the fantasy/folklore feel of it helps keeps things light, as does the ending. Get the whole story here.
THE BALL PIT
Ball pits are more of a nightmare for parents than a worry for any kid. Do you think kids fret about being in a bacteria factory the way we adults do? "The Ball Pit" is really an urban legend instead of a ghost story. But while it may have kids pondering the potential hidden dangers in their favorite play space for a moment or two, the silly ending will get everyone laughing. Read more here.
THE COFFIN
If you love a good play on words, then this uncanny story about a coffin chasing a man all the way from the cemetery to his bathroom ends with the king pun of all puns. As you tell the tale, be sure to emphasize the scary BUMP BUMP BUMP sound the coffin makes as it clomps down the street following the poor guy. Grab the story here.
DEM BONES
This ghost story has everything youngsters like pirates, hidden treasure, and rowdy, glowing skeletons. On one dark night, the infamous buccaneer Captain Kidd and his crew showed up on the coast, burying their bounty on a quiet stretch of sandy beach. The treasure was never seen again, except on certain evenings, when the phantom pirates sail in to dig it up it once again, celebrating by singing, dancing, and telling tales about their days sailing the high seas. Check it out here.
THE HOOK
If you're hosting a sleepover with older kids, this is a tale for them. You can have fun stretching the story out, building the suspense the longer it goes. The story is about a couple who park in Lover's Lane, ignoring reports of an escaped killer from a local insane asylum. It ends with the kind of scare that will have kids jumping out of their sleeping bags. Read the story here if you dare.
THE THING AT THE FOOT OF THE BED
Short and sweet, this is a story for the little ones about an old man who awakes up in terror at the thing he sees lurking at the foot of his bed. He overreacts instead of investigating, much to his regret. Both spooky and amusing, this story could help kids understand that the scary things at night they think they see in their closet and under the bed are just figments of their imagination. Read more here.
