What’s not to love about spooky season? Through the lens of a child, this time of year is so much fun, but can also be a bit … well, spooky! Reading fun and age appropriate spooky stories for kids like Boo! Baa, La, La, La! by Sandra Boynton can really help them adapt to the season in a way that makes them feel comfortable and safe. Reading these stories together is a wonderful opportunity to bring you closer, open up conversations about things they might feel are intimidating or scary, and get you both excited for a fun Halloween, all pillars of My Book Bud.
In this post, you’ll find four activities to help gear your child up for the Halloween season in one of the sweetest spooky stories for kids, Boo! Baa, La, La, La! by Sandra Boynton. These activities will be rooted in literacy, but ultimately they are there to help you and your child bond further. You’ll infer, make silly animal noises, make connections, and go for a fun Halloween scavenger hunt. So, go on, and get your spooky season on.
Table of Contents
Boo! Baa, La, La, La!
Author and Illustrator: Sandra Boynton
Published by Boynton Bookworks, 2021
Summary: These silly barnyard animals are up to their usual nonsense as they “baa,” “la-la,” and shout “BOO!” in this giggle-worthy board book. With bouncy rhymes and surprising sounds, little readers will love chiming in as the animals make noises that are anything but ordinary.
Skills to Tackle with Spooky Stories for Kids: Boo! Baa, La, La, La
Inference: Best for ages 3.5-6
An inference is an educated guess made by the reader when something is not directly stated in the text. The reader must use the evidence from the text and their own background knowledge to “read between the lines” and make an inference. Inferences are constantly being made throughout our daily lives too, making it such an important skill to practice while reading.
For Example:
- If your normally picky child asks for seconds and thirds of a new meal you made for them, you can make the inference that they really like that meal. They don’t have to come right out and tell you they like it, you just used the evidence of the multiple servings and your previous knowledge of your child’s eating habits to make the inference!
In this story, the cow keeps saying “boo!” You and your child can make inferences about why that is. Spooky stories for kids are a fun way to introduce and explore spooky season in a laid back and lighthearted way.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: The silly cow in this book keeps saying “boo!” Is that what cows say?
- Child: No, cows say “moo!”
- Parent: Ohh, right. So why do you think the cow was saying “boo” in this book then?
- Child: Well, I think it’s because it was Halloween!
- Your child has just made a great inference here. Now see if you can dive deeper and uncover how they got to the inference.
- Parent: Interesting! Why would Halloween make a cow say “boo?”
- Child: Well, sometimes spooky things come out on Halloween like ghosts and ghosts say “boo!” Maybe the cow in this book was pretending to be a ghost.
- See if your child can draw on their background knowledge of Halloween and use the evidence of the cow calling out “boo” as if pretending to be a ghost.
This conversation is very simple, but you and your child have just worked on a very complex reading skill. See if you can extend the conversation here by getting creative! Think about what the cow might say on different holidays throughout the year!
Example Conversation:
- Parent: So, if the cow says “boo” on Halloween, what do you think she might say on Thanksgiving?
- Your child can say absolutely anything they want here. It can make sense or be totally silly! If they want to be silly, follow their lead. It’ll give you guys an opportunity to laugh together!
- Child: Yum, turkey!
- If you want to try and keep the rhyme of the book, try suggesting “Chew!”
- Parent: What might the cow say on Christmas?
- Child: Santa came!
- Try suggesting “WHO is in the chimney” to keep the rhyme!
- Parent: What about the Fourth of July?
- Child: I love fireworks!
- Add “KABOOm” for the sound effect of a firework to keep with the rhyme!
Whether you want to keep with the rhyme scheme or just be silly, having fun with your child here is the key! This activity might seem meaningless, but it is actually doing so many things at once. It is asking your child to think deeply about the text they’ve just read and to then add to it using their own imagination and background knowledge. This takes deep concentration and critical thinking skills.
Support this activity as much as needed by providing examples for them, but allow space for goofiness! This activity isn’t a test, so letting your child have fun will make the activity that much more memorable and enjoyable for the both of you.
If your child really enjoyed this activity, try doing the same thing with some of the other animals in the book. For example, what would the sheep, horse, or pig say on Thanksgiving? Spooky stories for kids can open the door to so much fun and laughter, whether you’re talking directly about Halloween or another beloved holiday.
Animal Noises: Best for ages 1-3
Animal noises are some of the very first meaningful sounds a child will make in their language development. Many kids will mimic what an animal says before they can say the animal name itself.
For Example:
- Cow – “moo”
- Pig – “oink”
- Lion – “roar”
- Dog – “woof”
All three of my kids would pant “huh huh huh” whenever I asked what a doggy said when they were just learning to talk. We have a lazy English Bulldog who walks around panting all day, so instead of saying “woof woof,” they would pant along with him!
The animals in this story make all kinds of noises, some expected and some unexpected. You and your child can talk about the different animal noises in the book and if they make sense or not. Many spooky stories for kids will explore everyday topics, such as animal noises, within the context of Halloween season, making the content fun and not scary for little ones.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: There are all kinds of animal noises in this book! When the cow says “boo,” somebody keeps responding to her with “baa!” Who says “baa?”
- Child: Sheep!
- Parent: Right! A few pages later, she is surrounded by animal sounds: bow wow wow, meow, cluck cluck, quack quack! Who is making those noises?
- Child: A doggy, a cat, a chicken, and a duck!
- Parent: Oh, right! And at the end of the book, they ALL say “boo!” Why do you think they all say boo at the end?
- Child: Maybe they all love Halloween and they were trying to scare the cow!
This activity doesn’t seem very complex, but you are working on more things than you realize when you practice identifying and making animal sounds. You and your child are actually practicing imitation sounds, vocabulary development, and phonological awareness (the ability to hear and play with the sounds in spoken words, such as rhymes, syllables, and individual sounds).
Extend this activity by encouraging your child to think about other animals and their animal sounds that are not mentioned in the book.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: Let’s think about some other animals that are not in the book. What would a lion say if it was going to answer the cow?
- Child: Roar!
- Encourage your child to act like a lion while they roar.
- Parent: What about a monkey?
- Child: Oo-oo-ah-ah!
- See if your child can think of their own animals and animal noises without you prompting them.
- Parent: Can you think of another animal?
- Child: Oh, maybe an alligator!
- Parent: Ahh! What would an alligator say to the cow?
- Child: Snap! Snap!
Try adding a silly one in to throw your child off by saying something like, “Oh, I know the snake says blub blub!” They will absolutely love correcting you and give them a feeling of confidence when they know the correct answer.
This fun extension challenges your child to use their own background knowledge to think of other animals and the sounds they make without the help of the text in front of them. Adding the additional physical action makes the activity more playful and fun. You and your child can really get into character and play up the actions. Don’t forget to have fun with your child! Spooky stories for kids like this one can help your child explore simple ideas in a safe way.
Making Connections: Best for ages 3-6
As a reader, you are constantly making connections to the text. There are several ways to make connections to what you are reading. You can make a text-to-self connection, a text-to-text connection, or a text-to-world connection.
- Text-to-self: A connection between the story and something that has happened in your own life.
- Example: That character moved to a new house. I moved to a new house two years ago.
- Text-to-text: A connection between the story and another book or story you have read.
- Example: That character gets a new puppy just like the other character did in the book we read last week.
- Text-to-world: A connection between the story and something that happens in the real world.
- Example: The story talks about a big snowstorm. Sometimes big snowstorms happen in our communities and around the world too.
Using Boo! Baa, La, La, La! your child can make connections to Halloween, specifically things that they say on Halloween. Using spooky stories for kids can help your child get excited for one of the best holidays.
Example Conversation:
- Parent: These animals sure love Halloween! What did all of these animals like saying on Halloween night?
- Child: Boo!
- Parent: Oh, right! Why do you think people might say “boo” on Halloween?
- Child: Sometimes people dress up as spooky things like ghosts on Halloween and ghosts say “boo!”
- Parent: True! What are some other things you might say on Halloween besides “boo?”
- Child: Trick-or-treat! Happy Halloween! Trick-or-treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! Guess what I am! Candy please!
- Parent: Yes! Halloween is so much fun. What are your favorite parts of Halloween?
- Child: I like dressing up in a costume, going trick-or-treating, and getting candy!
- Parent: Oh, yeah, I like those parts too. What do you want to be for Halloween this year?
- Child: A kitty!
- Parent: Fun! What does a kitty say?
- Child: Meow!
Not only did you help your child make some connections to the book, but you also helped build some excitement around the holiday itself. Kids love holidays and showing them that you’re just as excited makes those moments even more special. Spooky stories for kids like this really add to the overall fun and anticipation of the holiday.
You can extend the conversation by asking about things people say on other holidays.
For Example:
- What kinds of things do we say on Christmas?
- What do we say on Thanksgiving?
- What do we say on New Years?
If your kids are anything like mine, they will totally be game to talk about the different holidays. My kids are still young and we still talk about Halloween costumes on a weekly basis…even in March. When holidays are happy occasions, they make the best core memories for kids. So show up, be present, and have a ball with your kiddos! And don’t forget to say “boo!”
Expansion Activity: Best for ages 2-6
Boo! What do you see?? As people start putting up their Halloween decorations, take a walk through your neighborhood and go on a “Halloween scavenger hunt!” Use spooky stories for kids like this one or you can use your own background knowledge to build a list.
Common Halloween decorations you might spot:
- Ghost
- Skeleton
- Witch
- Vampire
- Cauldron
- Pumpkins
- Scarecrow
- Clown
- Frankenstein
- Candy Corn
- Bats
- Spiders
- Black cats
- Tombstones
- Brooms
As you walk around, you can check off the Halloween decorations you spotted on your scavenger hunt card! You can make it a competition and see who can find the most decorations first or just make a fun game you play together. To add to the silliness, you can make up a sound or crazy hand motion for each of the things listed on the scavenger hunt.
For Example:
- Witch = “He, he, he, heee!”
- Cauldron = “Bubble, bubble!”
- Bats = “Flutter, flutter!” – flap your hands
- Spider = “Creeep… creep… creep!” (wiggle fingers)
To make the game more fun and engaging, make the rule that each time you see one of the items on the scavenger hunt, you have to either say the sound or make the hand motion before checking it off of your card!
This game is highly adaptable and can be as low or high-key as you want. You can also play this game on the other holidays as well. Create a new scavenger hunt card for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter! Using holiday books like these spooky stories for kids can really help your kids get pumped up for the holidays.
If your child finds Halloween decorations to be a bit spooky, try just going for a fall nature walk instead. You can still apply the same principles of creating a fun sound and hand motion each time you see something on your nature walk.
What’s really great about this activity overall is that it helps you and your child connect in a new and fun way. Instead of just simply going for a walk together, you now have a “mission” to complete. This takes spending time together to a whole new level and can make things much more memorable for your child in general. Have fun, be silly, and extra bonus points if you find a cow saying “boo!”
To Wrap Things Up:
Spooky season is always a treat. Using spooky stories for kids like Boo! Baa, La, La, La! by Sandra Boynton helps kids enjoy the season even more. So, whether you boo, baa, or you’re just here for the candy, you’re in for a whole lot of holiday fun with this one!
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