By Chelsea Harrison
Once the kids come down from their sugar rushes, it will be time for bedtime (I promise, you’ll make it there eventually!)
In case you just don’t have the energy to conjure a bedtime story tonight, we’ve got you covered. And since the best stories are those starring your own kiddos, we’ve developed a Madlib-style story so they can be the stars of this (slightly) spooky journey…
Enjoy!
Once upon a time, _______ [your kids’ names …these are the main characters]
went trick-or-treating in_____ [your neighborhood] on _____ [your street].
They were feeling very brave, but they had heard that strange things can happen on Halloween night!
First, they walked to _____ [friend’s] house and got one of their favorite candies: _____ [favorite candy]!
This night was off to a great start. They put the _____[candy] in their bucket and kept walking.
Next, they walked towards _____ [another friend’s] house, but along the way, they saw another house and decided to trick-or-treat there. As they walked up the sidewalk, they heard a strange sound. It was a slithering, hissing sound coming from the grass. [Parents: feel free to make dramatic sound effects!]
“Mommy! Mommy! [or other guardian name]– I think it’s a snake! I’m scared!” ______ [child’s name] said.
[He/she] imagined a giant snake slithering through the grass under their feet!
Mommy [or guardian] said, “Look, this neighbor is running his sprinkler in the back yard. That’s all, no fear!” and they all laughed with relief. They got some great candy at this house, made sure to say, “Thank you!” and kept walking.
Next, they were almost to _____ [friend’s] house when they saw a beautiful house with purple lights on the porch and spooky spiderwebs in the trees.
Daddy [or other guardian name] said, “Are you feeling brave to trick-or-treat here? Should we walk under the spooky spiderwebs?” _____ [child] said, “Yes, I want to trick-or-treat again!”
So they started to walk up the path when _____ [child] started screaming and jumping around.
“It’s a huge spider! Get it off! Heeeeeelp!” ______ [child] screamed. [Parent: feel free to do animated, wild impression of child. You will get a laugh.]
Daddy [guardian] laughed and reached over to _____ [child], plucking something off their back.
“It’s only a leaf that fell from the tree! That’s all, no fear!”
After they collected a few more of their favorite candies and said a few more thank yous, they finally made it to ____ [friend’s] house.
When they walked up to the house, they noticed there were no lights on and the door was slightly open. This was strange. _____ [Friend] had told them to come over tonight, so where was everyone?
Just then, the door squeaked open and they heard a “Boo!” from the dark house.
_____ [child] screamed and ran down the stairs.
_____ [Friend] took off their monster mask and said, “Hey guys, it’s just me in a monster mask,, that’s all! No fear. Sorry our house is dark, I forgot to tell you our Halloween party is in the backyard! Come on around, _____ [lots of friend names] are here! We are playing _____ [favorite game] and eating _____ [favorite food]!”
_____ [all main character kid names] had a wonderful time at _____ [friend’s] Halloween party! They ate some candy, bobbed for apples, and did the Monster Mash until they just couldn’t mash anymore. Mom and dad [or guardian names] took them home and tucked them into bed where they dreamed of candy corn, jumping in leaf piles, and what their costumes might be next year!
THE END
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