scary short stories kids

A popular kids' scary short story is 'The Ghostly Footsteps'. In an old, abandoned house, people would often hear the sound of slow, heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, but when they looked, there was no one there. There's also 'The Mysterious Shadow'. A girl always saw a strange shadow on her bedroom wall at midnight that seemed to have a life of its own.

The story of the 'Scary Shadow'. A little boy was in his room at night. He saw a huge, menacing shadow on the wall. He was so scared that he hid under the covers. But then his mother came in with a flashlight. It was just his teddy bear's shadow made huge by the angle of the lamp. The boy laughed and hugged his teddy.

In a small village, there was a well. Legend said that at midnight, a ghostly hand would reach out of it. One night, a curious child went near the well at night. He saw a shadowy shape but then realized it was just a branch swaying in the wind. The moral of the story is not to believe everything you hear.

Here's another one. In an old, empty school, there was a rumor of a ghostly teacher. A group of kids dared each other to stay after school. As it got dark, they heard the sound of chalk on a blackboard. They slowly walked to the classroom where the noise was coming from. Through the window, they saw a shadowy figure writing on the board. When they opened the door, the figure vanished, but they could still feel a cold breeze. Turns out it was the spirit of a teacher who loved the school so much she couldn't leave.

There's the story of 'The Haunted Doll'. A boy got a very old doll from his grandmother's attic. At night, he could hear the doll whispering his name. When he looked at it, the doll's eyes seemed to follow him around the room. He was so scared that he threw the doll away, but he could still hear its faint whispers from outside the house.

Another theme is the loss of innocence. Stories often have children or young characters facing very adult and terrifying situations. This can be like in stories where kids have to deal with death or evil forces at a young age, which takes away their sense of safety and naivete.

Often, kids' scary short stories include elements like creepy settings. Old houses, dark forests, or deserted places are common. These places are associated with danger and the unknown. Monsters or strange creatures are also a big part. Even if they are not fully shown, just the idea of them is enough to scare. For instance, in the story of the 'Hook Man', we don't really see the man clearly but the thought of a hook - handed maniac is terrifying. And there is usually a character who is either brave but soon realizes they are in over their head, or a character who is already scared and has to face their fears.

There is the story of 'The Babysitter'. A babysitter is alone in a big house with a sleeping child. She starts getting strange phone calls where there is only heavy breathing on the other end. She gets more and more scared as the calls keep coming. When she finally calls the police, they tell her to get out of the house immediately. As she runs out, she looks back and sees a figure in the window of the child's room. It turns out that the calls were coming from inside the house all along.

Strange noises are often present in these stories. Whether it's creaking floors, whispering voices, or howling winds, they add to the scariness. For example, in a story, a child might hear scratching on the window at night, which is very frightening. Another element is the appearance of something unknown or mysterious, such as a shadowy figure or a pair of glowing eyes. This gives the reader or listener a sense of the unknown and danger. It makes them wonder what that thing could be and what it might do to the main character in the story.

Scary stories can help kids face their fears. By experiencing fictional scary situations, they learn to cope with their own real - life fears. For example, if a child is afraid of the dark, a story about a character overcoming a fear of the dark can be inspiring.