Ghost Coloring Pages – 36 Spooky Sheets for Free Usage

Every October, ghosts turn into the friendliest creatures in the coloring box: round eyes, a soft smile, and a sheet that billows instead of legs that walk. This page brings together 36 free ghost coloring pages for kids and grown-ups who want a gentle, not-scary way to mark the season. Some sheets wave hello from a pumpkin patch, some float past a haunted house, others hide among piles of autumn leaves. Every page prints on standard paper and is ready in seconds, no sign-up required.

Browse the 36 Free Ghost Coloring Pages

All 36 ghost coloring pages below are free and printable. Click any picture to open its PDF, sized for A4 paper. The collection ranges from very easy outlines young children can finish quickly to detailed scenes made for older kids and adults who enjoy taking their time.

Friendly Ghosts

Waving Ghost in a Moonlit Garden

A friendly ghost waves one arm in a garden, with a bare tree, a wooden fence, a full moon and tall grass behind it, framed by wheat stalks and oak leaves.

Surprised Ghost and Kitten on a Cobblestone Street

A wide-eyed ghost and a startled kitten stare at each other on a cobblestone street beside an old lamppost topped with a glowing lantern, under a crescent moon and near a stone wall and bushes.

Ghost Among Falling Leaves in a Birch Forest

Autumn leaves drift between birch trees as a smiling ghost holds up the edges of its sheet, with a wooden signpost, a full moon and a pile of leaves along the bottom.

Ghost with a Lantern on a Forest Path

On a winding path between tall pine trees, a smiling ghost holds a glowing lantern, with a full moon, a wooden fence and pinecones resting on a fallen branch.

Smiling Ghost with Two Pumpkins and a Full Moon

A big, friendly ghost holds out its arms between two round pumpkins, with a full moon and puffy clouds in the sky behind it.

Ghost Hanging on a Clothesline with Laundry Sheets

Hanging on a backyard clothesline between two white sheets, a smiling ghost floats above a tipped-over laundry basket, with a bird on the line and a cratered moon overhead.

The Haunted House

Friendly Ghost on a Porch by the Front Door

On stone steps in front of an arched door, a smiling ghost floats beneath a hanging lantern, with climbing ivy and leaves scattered across the steps.

Ghost in a Rocking Chair with a Sleeping Cat

A smiling ghost sits in a wooden rocking chair on a porch while a cat naps curled up underneath, and a jack-o’-lantern lamp hangs above the garden nearby.

Victorian Haunted House with Three Waving Ghosts

Three friendly ghosts wave from the windows of a Victorian house with a tall turret and shingled roofs, surrounded by bats, bare trees and a full moon.

Ghost Gliding Up a Carpeted Staircase

Past a carved banister, an empty picture frame and a cobweb in the corner, a smiling ghost floats up a staircase lined with a long carpet runner.

Ghost Peeking Out of a Round Attic Window

Leaning out of a round attic window above a pointed roof, a smiling ghost watches a crescent moon and three stars shine in the night sky.

Pumpkins and Autumn

Ghost Holding a Pumpkin in a Farm Pumpkin Patch

Carrying a small pumpkin through a pumpkin patch, a cheerful ghost passes a red barn, a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins and a fence under a full moon.

Ghost Carving a Jack-o’-Lantern in the Kitchen

At a wooden table scattered with seeds, a smiling ghost carves a face into a pumpkin, with jars on a shelf and a crescent moon showing through the window.

Ghost and Scarecrow in a Cornfield

In a cornfield with a crow perched on a fence post, a smiling ghost floats beside a patched scarecrow under a full moon over the hills.

Ghost on a Ladder Picking Apples

Climbing a wooden ladder to reach an apple on a tree, a smiling ghost works near a full basket, fallen apples, two birds and a picket fence.

Three Ghosts on a Harvest Wagon by the Barn

Three smiling ghosts ride a wooden wagon piled with pumpkins, hay bales and corn, with a red barn, a windmill and flying geese in the distance.

At the Cemetery

Two Ghosts Playing Hide-and-Seek in a Graveyard

One ghost peeks out from behind a cracked tombstone while a second floats by the iron fence, under a full moon, a bare tree and an old chapel.

Ghost and Owl by a Graveyard Fence

Perched on a fence post near a cross-shaped gravestone and a bare branch, a wide-eyed owl gets a wave from a smiling ghost under a full moon.

Sleeping Ghost Draped Over a Blank Tombstone

Wrapped in ivy, a sleepy ghost naps on top of a cracked, blank tombstone, with a stone wall, a bare tree, a crescent moon and two stars behind it.

Ghost Opening an Iron Cemetery Gate

Swinging open an ornate iron gate between two brick pillars, a smiling ghost stands before scattered tombstones, a bat and a full moon.

Ghost Holding an Upside-Down Bat by a Mossy Rock

Beside a bare tree, a tombstone, a crescent moon and stars, a smiling ghost holds a little bat hanging upside down near a mossy rock and ferns.

Ghosts Having a Party

Three Trick-or-Treat Ghosts with Pumpkin Pails

On porch steps, three smiling ghosts hold jack-o’-lantern candy pails next to a bowl of wrapped candy, a leafy door wreath and a hanging lantern.

Witch Ghost Stirring a Bubbling Cauldron

Wearing a pointed witch hat, a ghost stirs a bubbling cauldron over a campfire while two friendly ghosts float nearby among stacked logs and pumpkins.

Smiling Ghost Holding a Bunting Banner

Under a round moon and two puffy clouds, a cheerful ghost holds a string of triangle party flags stretched across the night sky.

Four Ghosts Dancing in a Circle by a Pumpkin Fence

Four cheerful ghosts hold hands and dance in a ring in a backyard, with jack-o’-lanterns lining the fence, a bare tree, a full moon and a witch hat in the grass.

Three Ghosts Having an Autumn Picnic Under an Oak Tree

Three friendly ghosts share tea and apple pie on a checkered blanket beside a wicker basket, apples, lanterns and a rope swing.

Ghosts on the Go

Ghost Rowing a Boat Across a Moonlit Pond

Poling a wooden rowboat past cattails, a small dock and a bare tree, a smiling ghost carries a hanging lantern under a full moon.

Ghost and Squirrel on a Moonlit Forest Trail

Beside a running squirrel on a woodland path, a smiling ghost floats past spotted mushrooms, a mossy log, a wooden fence and a round moon.

Ghost on a Farm Fence with a Windmill and Hay Bale

Leaning over a wooden farm fence beside a dirt path, a smiling ghost looks out at a hay bale, a windmill and a big cratered moon.

Three Ghosts at an Old Wooden Windmill

Three friendly ghosts play around a wooden windmill: one rides a sail, one peeks from a window and one floats out the door, near fields and a wagon wheel.

Ghost Wrapped Around a Lighthouse by the Sea

Twisting its long tail around a striped lighthouse on a rocky shore, a smiling ghost watches seagulls, a sailboat and crashing waves under a full moon.

Ghost Peeking from a Treehouse Window

Leaning out of a wooden treehouse with a shingled roof, a small flag and a rope ladder, a smiling ghost looks down at a birdhouse on the trunk.

Ghost Flying a Kite on a Sunny Hill

Holding the string of a diamond kite with three tails, a happy ghost stands under a round sun and two puffy clouds.

Patterns and Mandalas

Halloween Mandala with a Smiling Ghost at the Center

A round mandala centers a smiling ghost inside a petal flower, ringed by little ghosts, with outer bands of jack-o’-lanterns, bats, moons and stars.

Patchwork Ghost with Pumpkins, Bats and Moons

Covered in patchwork panels, a smiling ghost displays pumpkins, bats, crescent moons, swirls, polka dots, waves, a grid and scales across its sheet.

Jack-o’-Lantern Filled with Ghosts and Autumn Leaves

A large carved jack-o’-lantern is packed with smiling little ghosts, acorns, oak leaves, stars, crescent moons and spiderwebs filling every space.

All About Ghosts

A ghost, in most stories, is what is left of a person once the body is gone: a presence without weight, a shape without a solid outline. That is why illustrators and colorists so often leave a ghost blank or nearly colorless, filling in the world around it instead. In folklore and film, ghosts are almost always described as pale, see-through, and washed of color, because the figure is imagined as not quite fully there. The scare word that so often goes with them, “boo,” actually has nothing to do with hauntings. English speakers have used it for centuries simply to startle someone, long before anyone put it in a ghost’s mouth.

Where the Word Comes From

The English word “ghost” traces back to the Old English gast, which meant spirit, soul, or breath. The same root sits inside the German word Geist. The silent h that English speakers barely notice today was not part of the original spelling at all; printers added it in the 1400s, borrowing the look of the Flemish word gheest.

Why a Bedsheet?

The image of a ghost draped in a sheet with two eye holes did not come from folk belief. It came from the stage. Theater productions needed a costume audiences would recognize instantly as a dead person, so actors were dressed as corpses wrapped in a burial shroud. Over time, in everyday costume making, that shroud turned into whatever a household actually had lying around: a bedsheet with two holes cut for the eyes, the cheapest costume any family could put together.

Ghosts, Skeletons, and Mummies

Ghosts share the Halloween season with skeletons and mummies, but the three are different ideas. A skeleton shows bones. A mummy is wrapped in bandages. A ghost has no fixed body at all, which is why it is almost always drawn as a sheet, a veil, or a simple floating outline rather than a figure with a defined shape underneath.

Getting the Best Prints

These pages print well on ordinary printer paper, though a slightly heavier sheet, around 24 lb or 90 gsm, holds up better to markers and colored pencils without the color bleeding through the back. Choose “fit to page” or “actual size” in the print settings rather than “shrink to fit,” so the lines stay full size and sharp. For a group with mixed ages, hand the simple waving and smiling ghosts to toddlers and preschoolers, save the pumpkin, autumn, and haunted house scenes for early elementary kids who enjoy a bit more detail, and set the pattern and mandala pages aside for older kids and adults who like a slower, more careful page.

After Coloring: Craft Ideas

• Ghost bunting: punch a hole in each finished page and string them along a ribbon for a banner across a doorway or mantel.
• Window ghosts: cut around a colored ghost and tape it to a window so it seems to float when the light comes through it.
• A class keepsake book: staple everyone’s colored sheet together behind a paper cover for a simple classroom project.
• Personalized treat bags: glue a small colored ghost onto a plain paper bag for a quick, one-of-a-kind trick-or-treat bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these ghost coloring pages free?

Yes. All 36 sheets are free to download and print, with no sign-up and no hidden cost.

What ages are these pages suitable for?

The set is built for a wide range, from very easy pages with big, simple shapes that suit toddlers and preschoolers, to detailed scenes and pattern pages that older kids and adults will enjoy more.

What is the correct color for a ghost?

Traditionally a ghost is colored white to light gray, which is exactly why so much of the page is meant to stay blank; the color goes into the scene around the ghost rather than into the ghost itself. Pumpkins are colored orange with stems in green to brown, autumn leaves in red, orange, yellow, and brown, a night sky in deep blue, and candlelight in warm yellow. That said, nothing stops a child from coloring a ghost pale blue, mint green, or lilac. These are friendly ghosts, and there is no wrong answer for a color that, by definition, is not entirely of this world.

Can teachers use these pages in the classroom?

Yes. Every sheet can be printed as many times as a classroom, after-school program, or library activity needs, at no cost.

Where does Halloween actually come from?

Halloween grew out of the ancient Celtic harvest festival of Samhain and out of the evening before All Hallows’ Day, which is where its name comes from: All Hallows’ Eve. Halloween falls on October 31, with All Hallows’ Day, or All Saints’ Day, the following morning on November 1.

Why is a jack-o’-lantern a pumpkin instead of a turnip?

The hollowed-out lantern tradition began in Ireland and Scotland, where people carved turnips, and only turned into a pumpkin once the tradition crossed over to North America, where the larger, softer pumpkin was easier to carve. The name jack-o’-lantern itself comes from an old tale about a stingy man named Jack.

Matthew Matthysen( Drawing and Painting Artist )

Matthew Matthysen is an educated multidisciplinary artist and illustrator. He successfully completed his art degree at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, majoring in art history and contemporary drawing. The focus of his thesis was to explore the philosophical implications of the macro and micro-universe on the human experience. Matthew uses diverse media, such as written and hands-on components, to explore various approaches that are on the border between philosophy and science.

Matthew organized various exhibitions before and during his years as a student and is still passionate about doing so today. He currently works as a freelance artist and writer in various fields. He also has a permanent position at a renowned online gallery (ArtGazette) where he produces various works on commission. As a freelance artist, he creates several series and successfully sells them to galleries and collectors. He loves to use his work and skills in various fields of interest.

Matthew has been creating drawing and painting tutorials since the relaunch in 2020. Through his involvement with artincontext.org, he has been able to deepen his knowledge of various painting mediums. For example, watercolor techniques, calligraphy and lately digital drawing, which is becoming more and more popular.

Learn more about Matthew Matthysen and the Art in Context Team.