Get ready for World Book Day next week with our last-minute costume ideas for children! This is a wonderful opportunity for families to bond and create something special together. Save money by using items you already have at home or finding inexpensive alternatives. Let’s make this World Book Day memorable and fun for everyone!
All of these ideas are based off our Spring Bookshelves or Book recommendations for each year group.
Reception:
The Pet Potato
When the potato begins to rot, Albert is devastated. He buries it in his garden, and with a lot of care and a bit of patience, he discovers that his potato can do a great trick after all . . . Josh Lacey and Momoko Abe have created a delightful, offbeat picture book about finding companionship in unlikely places.
Things you will need:
- A potato (you can draw a face on it)
- Dress in own clothes
Year 1:
Tiger who comes to tea
The book concerns a girl called Sophie, her mother, and an anthropomorphised tiger who invites himself to their afternoon tea and consumes all the food and drink they have.
Things you will need:
- Orange and black clothes
- Animal ears
- Facepaint/makeup
- Tea cup
Year 2:
How to Catch a Star
How to Catch a Star by popular author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers is about a little boy who wants a star of his own and goes on a quest to find one. Star-catching is not as easy as he first thought – he tries climbing a tree, finds a lasso, jumps super high and even asks the bird to help him.
Things you will need:
- Cardboard (cut out the shape of a rocket and cut out some straps and glue/tape to the back so it can act as a backpack, also cut out the shape of a star for your child to hold)
- Paint (paint the rocket and the star to however you like and let dry fully)
- Own Clothes
Year 3:
Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure
When Bouddica Bones from the Museum of Extraordinary Objects calls for help, Mr. Penguin swings into action. Can he and Colin the spider find the museum’s missing treasure before bandits do?
Things you will need:
- Top hat
- Tinfoil and card (to make the arrow for the hat)
- Facepaint/makeup
- Black and white monochrome clothes
- Magnifying glass
- Shoulder bag
Year 4:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel by C.S. Lewis about four English siblings who discover a magical wardrobe that leads them to the land of Narnia.
Things you will need:
- neutral coloured top
- red scarf
- brown pants
- antler headband
You can make costumes for any character from the book or order cheap on amazon if the Mr Tumnus costume is not suitable.
Year 5:
The House with Chicken Legs
The House with Chicken Legs is based on the book of the same name by Sophie Anderson and tells the story of Marinka, a girl who lives in a house, and yes, you guessed it, that has chicken legs. She lives with her grandma Baba, a Yaga, who helps the dead pass on. It is folksy and full of music, joy and hope.
What you will need:
- Black clothes to wear underneath
- Cardboard – this will be used to cut out the shape of a house and chicken legs to attach to the front of the outfit, which you can draw or paint the house on cardboard.
Year 6:
Robin Hood
The story chronicles Robin Hood and his merry band of criminals as they infamously steal from the rich and give to the poor.
What you will need:
- Green outfit
- DIY green hat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pGzMU_HYTI
- Any shoes
- Bow and arrow (can be made from tinfoil and string. Just form into the desired shape, add the string and make the arrow in the same way. You can even paint it or paper mache so you can paint over it).