Easy costume hacks for your child on World Book Day.

It's almost World Book Day, and for some parents, panic will set in as they seek appropriate costumes for their children to wear to school.

It can be a bit of a nightmare, especially if you have several children needing character clothes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With that in mind, former primary school teacher Becky Cranham of education resource experts PlanBee has great hacks to help conjure up some of the best known characters in children’s literature.

Her ideas include the following:

Bruce Bogtrotter (Matilda by Roald Dahl)Dress in a school uniform (or as close as possible) and grab a big chocolate cake from the shops. Smear chocolate all over your child’s shirt (and face). Voila!

Matilda  (Matilda by Roald Dahl)

Pop a red ribbon in your child’s hair and bundle a stack of books together with string or a belt. Easy.

Charlie Bucket (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl)All you need is a big golden ticket to hang around your youngster’s neck. Grab a big piece of yellow paper and write out their very own invitation to visit Willy Wonka!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Boy in the Dress (David Walliams)Grab a dress and a football and your son is good to go.

What is World Book Day all about....

Sophie (The BFG by Roald Dahl)Put on a nightie or a pair of pyjamas and make a quick dream jar using a jam jar, glitter and some fairy lights.

Where’s Wally? (Martin Handford)If you have a stripy top, a bobble hat and a pair of glasses, your child can spend all day standing around with no one being able to find them. What’s not to like?

The Cat in the Hat (Dr Seuss)Dress your child in black and make a tall red and white hat from paper or card. If you’re feeling extra enthusiastic, a cat nose and whiskers painted on with eyeliner will complete the look.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Beegu (Alexis Deacon)If you happen to be the kind of person who has yellow leggings and t-shirts lying around, then Beegu might be a good option. Just dress your youngster in yellow and make some long, floppy yellow ears from card.

Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)You don’t always need full-on wizard regalia to dress up as Harry Potter. He spent most of his childhood dressed as a muggle. Just find a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and draw a scar on your child’s head.

The Pevensie Children (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)Pick one of the four Pevensies, then pop a box on a piece of string, write an evacuee ID card and you have a World Book Day costume that will be the envy of all Narnia.

Flying Fergus (Chris Hoy)This is perfect for keen cyclists: pop on a a helmet and any other cycling kit you can find, and you’re ready to go.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Saucepan Man (The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton)Stick a colander on your child’s head and attach a bunch of pots and pans to their body. They might not be able to sit down but they’ll look terrific (see main photo).

Mr Bump or Little Miss Whoops (Roger Hargreaves)This one’s for the tots: dress them in blue, wrap them in bandages and stick on some plasters. Loo roll will suffice if you don’t happen to have metres of bandages in the bathroom cupboard.

The Paper Dolls (Julia Donaldson)Borrow a school uniform (or as close to as you can get) and make a paper chain of dolls for your child to wear around their neck.