Halloween ESL lesson thumbnail
Book 0B · Unit 17Starter · Ages 4–6

Halloween

This Halloween costumes ESL lesson uses shark characters to introduce festive dress-up vocabulary. Children sing and dance to Baby Shark Halloween, order costumes and match characters to shadows. They design a Halloween shark and play costume charades by acting out and guessing picture cards.

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Lesson format

2 × 45 minutes

Level

Starter

Age group

Ages 4–6

Main focus

Speaking first

What students will learn

• Recognise and name Halloween costumes
• Match characters to their shadows and order
• Move to music and follow costume themes
• Practise vocabulary: clown, pirate, princess, mummy
• Use creativity to design a Halloween costume
• Build confidence describing a costume

Lesson flow

Children discuss costumes shown on shark flashcards, sing and dance to a Baby Shark Halloween song acting out costumes, then number costumes in order and match sharks to their shadows. The second lesson reviews costume vocabulary through a flashcard game, has children draw and decorate their own Halloween shark, watches a classic Baby Shark video, and plays a roleplay guessing game with costume cards.

Target language

  • • Costume vocabulary
  • • 'Is it a pirate?'
  • • 'It's a ghost!' / 'It's a princess!'
  • • Simple descriptions

Key vocabulary

  • ghost
  • witch
  • pumpkin
  • costume
  • scary
  • bat
  • spider
  • trick
  • treat
  • Halloween

Speaking questions students answer

  • • What costume is this?
  • • Is it a pirate?
  • • What is your shark wearing?
  • • Can you guess the costume?
  • • Touch the ghost!

Recommended teaching contexts

• Starter ESL and EFL classes• Ages 4–6• Primary school classrooms• Language schools• Private and small-group lessons• Teaching holidays vocabulary• Pair and whole-class speaking• Interactive whiteboards and online teaching

Why this lesson works

The lesson follows a clear progression: Sing along and act out Halloween costumes, match shark costumes to their shadows, design a Halloween shark and play costume charades. Teachers can open the materials and start immediately, while students move from supported vocabulary practice to purposeful spoken English.

This lesson includes

• Interactive lesson slides
• Teacher guide
• Printable worksheets
• Speaking practice: "What costume is this?"
• Classroom games
• Videos
• Vocabulary practice
• Pair work
• Extension activities

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