Scary Stories for Kids

A dark, windy, moonlit night. Howling winds creating an atmosphere of pure evil. You are lounging in front of the television bored out of your mind, thanks to being all alone at home. Suddenly, you chance upon your favorite horror film.

You are engrossed by the movie, completely caught up in the scene where the psychopathic killer is sneaking up behind the protagonist, when the lights go off. You curse your luck and start searching the house for candles. Suddenly, you hear the sound of a creaking door. You are slightly scared but attribute it to the horror film and your imagination.

After many minutes of dedicated searching, you finally find the candles you were looking for. You light them and go back to your bedroom. A few feet away from the door, you see a slight light glimmering through, lighting the doorway. Now your fears are confirmed. You are sure there is someone else in the house.

You run in fear and are almost out of the front door when the lights come back on and you see your parents at the landing and your sibling walking out of your room.

You may not admit to the fear you felt, especially to your sibling but the best of us have been scared by such situations where even the shadow of a tree may lead you to believe that a ghost is haunting you. It probably stems from the many scary stories that most of us have heard, and well an overactive imagination.

Most kids (and adults) are suckers for scary stories. You would have probably never attended a single camping session or sleepover without everyone gathering around to narrate different horror tales. It is almost a tradition, and it is pretty much unheard off to have a bunch of kids spending a stay-over without narrating these stories.

The same is true for camps. A scary ghost story can cause a spike in excitement and fear without any real danger. Some of the best tales to narrate are those that originate from urban myths. There are also many classic tales that have been retold and reinvented like Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. These have become mainstays at most gatherings.

Here are some rules which need to be followed while narrating ghost stories and horror stories. First remember that the best time to narrate a ghost story is at night and preferably outdoors. If you have to tell a story in the morning, make sure you do so indoors where you can draw the curtains and switch off bright lighting.

Make sure there are no distractions in the room that will take away from your story telling. While narrating the story, don't make it fast paced. Instead, give as many details as possible and always look at the listeners while narrating the story.

Speak in a soft tones and be as serious as possible. Regardless of whether you are narrating stories that are funny, those which have a twist at the end or ones that are truly bloodcurdling, these are tips you should definitely follow.

Given here is a list of short scary stories.

• Axe Murder Hollow by S.E. Schlosser
• Big Liz by S.E. Schlosser
• Burg Hill's on Fire by Elizabeth W. Grierson
• Goosebumps Series by R.L.Stine
• Hansel and Gretel by The Brothers Grimm
• Shippeitaro by Mary F. Nixon-Roulet
• The Benevolent Goblin by Gesta Romanorum

• The King of the Cats by Ernest Rhys
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
• The Old Witch by The Brothers Grimm
• The Phantom Knight of the Vandal Camp by Gesta Romanorum
• The Strange Visitor by Joseph Jacobs
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman
• Doll Bones by Holly Black
• A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

• Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac Bruchac
• Crooked Hills by Cullen Bunn
• The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
• The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand

Do not use scary stories to create a fear in kids for things. Instead, use these stories to help them get over their fears, and well, to just have a lot of fun during sleepovers.