The Paloma PostHalloween Words in Spanish for Kids (+ Free Games and Coloring Pages)
By Elisabet Roc, M.Ed.
Halloween might be the easiest time of year to bring a little Spanish into your home. Kids already love the words: spiders, ghosts, pumpkins and candy. All you have to do is give them a Spanish name.
You don't need to speak Spanish to do this together. Here are 8 Halloween words to read with your child, 4 words you already know, a few easy ways to use them at home and free printables to make it hands-on.
Is Halloween celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries?
More and more, yes. Costumes and Halloween parties are popular in Mexico, Spain and across Latin America, especially with kids. In Mexico, Halloween comes right before Día de Muertos on November 1 and 2, a very different celebration that's all about remembering loved ones. You can read more in our simple guide to Día de Muertos for kids.
8 Halloween words to read together
Each of these words has its own free coloring page. Spanish vowels always make the same sound, so once your child knows them, these words are easy to sound out. Use the guide below to say them, and if you're ever unsure, every syllable has free audio on our site, just in case.
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| la araña | lah ah-rah-nyah | the spider |
| el fantasma | el fahn-tahs-mah | the ghost |
| el gato | el gah-toh | the cat |
| la luna | lah loo-nah | the moon |
| el esqueleto | el ehs-keh-leh-toh | the skeleton |
| los dulces | lohs dool-sehs | the candy |
| la calabaza | lah kah-lah-bah-sah | the pumpkin |
| la lechuza | lah leh-choo-sah | the owl |
Three quick tips:
- Ñ sounds like the ny in canyon, so araña sounds like "ah-rah-nyah."
- Z sounds like s in Latin America, or th in most of Spain. Both are correct.
- In QUE, the U is silent, so esqueleto sounds like "ehs-keh-leh-toh."
Fun fact: fantasma ends in A, but it's el fantasma, not la fantasma. A few Spanish words break the pattern, and this spooky one is one of them.
4 Halloween words you already know
Some Spanish words look almost the same as English. Show your child these and see if they can guess what they mean:
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| la momia | lah moh-mee-ah | the mummy |
| el vampiro | el bahm-pee-roh | the vampire |
| el monstruo | el mohns-troo-oh | the monster |
| el pirata | el pee-rah-tah | the pirate |
In Spanish, V sounds like B, so vampiro starts with a soft "b" sound.
Bonus word: el murciélago (el moor-see-eh-lah-goh) means the bat. It's a favorite with kids because it has all five Spanish vowels: A, E, I, O and U.
How to use Halloween words at home
- Label your decorations. Put a sticky note on the pumpkin that says la calabaza and one on the window that says la luna. Read them every time you walk by.
- Play I Spy on a Halloween walk. Look for a gato, a calabaza or a fantasma in your neighbors' yards, and say the Spanish word when you spot one.
- Talk about costumes. Is your child going to be a vampiro, a pirata or a monstruo? Let them say it in Spanish.
- Count the candy. Sort los dulces into piles and count them together: uno, dos, tres.
- Play and read. Turn the new words into a game with the printables below.
Free Halloween printables
All free, made for kids ages 4 to 8 and for parents who don't speak Spanish:
- Coloring pages: 8 pages to read, trace and color
- Memory game: match each picture to its word
- Lotería: picture-and-word boards for the whole family
- Word puzzles: a word search and mixed-up syllables
Find them all together on our free printables page.
Want to keep reading in Spanish?
These printables use the same sounds as ¡A LEER!, a four-book Spanish phonics series written for families who don't speak Spanish. Libro 1 starts with the vowels and simple syllables like ma, me and mi, so your child is reading real Spanish words early on. Every sound has free audio, just in case.
¡Feliz Halloween!
