World Book Day

[TooBigForMyBoots]

I've been doing WBD for years, my eldest is 17 and my youngest is 6. In that time I have sent them in as everything. Superheroes, computer characters, random animals, nothing at all because I totally forgot that year and Oliver Twist.

What I have learnt is it's fun for children, teachers and some parents and it's a great conversation starter. Fun sponging adults should stop using it to judge people and throw shade on it.

Fun for SOME children. My kids always enjoyed it but as an ex teacher I can assure you that it isn’t fun for all children.

Nice of you to share your wisdom.

It’s fine for those who can afford it and fit into supermarket sized costumes. 1/12 kids in the UK don’t one book of their own. I’m not sure if dressing up is helpful to them.

1 out of 12? That's so sad.

It would be good if parents who could afford to buy a new costume each year instead spent half as much on a book and donated it somehow

Dd has worn the same outfit several times in a row, she loves dressing up. Her school are thoughtful and call it a dress up or non uniform day so there's no pressure to spend any money. Lots of children choose bit to dress up as they aren't keen so no one stands out either way. I think most children get a free book on world book day don't they, which is a good thing for those who aren't able to buy them easily.

No dressing up here. Children brought in books for a book swap and spent time in class reading. So book day was about books and not stressing parents out.

Mine enjoyed it but I'm not convinced it helps the children least likely to have access to their own books.

Affordability wise it's not good. My child went in his Halloween outfit yesterday but without the mask . Other times they go non uniform. My other son did not want to do it at all and went in his uniform.

Dressing up does nothing to actually encourage a love of reading, or improve access to books. Many children come into school as something that isn’t a book character anyway.

for many children it is nothing but an extra stress. A stressful change for a lot of neurodiverse young people, a day to highlight those who have parents who for a multitude of reasons can’t or won’t take part in these things. It is very divisive.

My child does not go as a book character. They either go in what ever costume we have at home or non uniform. My other ds gos in his school uniform he has autism and dies not want to do it.

Forgot to say I don't think it encourages reading either
Most kids see it as dress up day I think

They used to get a token for a free book. I wonder how many children who didn't have books used them. It could have been daunting for some families to go in a book shop

You still get the voucher. We got our books from Tesco last night.

For the first time in 10 years the DC's primary asked children to come in 'comfy reading clothes' which means it has basically turned out to be an own clothes day.

Whilst I do understand the reasoning behind this and am not a total arse, it has also made me incredibly sad - I used to love choosing a favourite book, working out with the DC what they would go as and then seeing all the children dressed up and working out whether we knew the book or not

I realised on the walk into school today (we do WBD on a Friday) that we hadn't even spoken about a book in preparation, nor picked one to bring in and share. What sort of celebration of reading is that?

I disagree. It gives a boost to reading. Not for all, but for the majority.

I am one of the parents who doesn't get WBD right every year. I am a ND mother of a ND child and another who refused to dress up because he was uncomfortable wearing a costume all day at school.

Surely learning is about pushing children and parents out of their comfort zone while giving them reading as a way to explore themselves and the world, outside of their everyday experience.

For me, I loved doing costumes for my kids, I enjoy that kind of thing. As a teacher, I loved a chance for me to get dressed up and be silly.

My youngest kid hates dressing up and always dug out some football annual and went as a footballer.

Where I teach, some children struggle to have actual proper clothes to wear. Some don't have any books at home. Some children have very difficult home lives where dressing up would be fairly low priority.

Our school knocked dressing up for wbd a few years ago. I'm so glad. I've seen kids cry because they didn't get a costume. Kids saying their parent forgot. Children pretending they didn't want to dress up but admitting later they wanted to but didn't have anything to wear.

We still celebrate reading and the children have a lovely day, they read, get ready to and generally do fun things to encourage a lifelong love of reading.

It's absolute nonsense.

Half the children in my kid's school were dressed as computer game characters or superheroes.

It doesn't celebrate reading at all and is just a stress tbh.

Wow the fun sponges got in quick.

There were plenty of fun simple homemade cardboard costumes on show at our school this year. You can get cardboard packaging free from a local shop.

I can think of 3 free commubity library / free to take book shelves near me.

My kids are advanced readers but I encouraged theum to read awful books about their fave computer game characters when young because it followed their interests. There's nothing wrong with wearing a costume you own and love, frankly even if you haven't read a book about it.

I like World Book Day, it's a bit of fun and excitement at a time of year that is otherwise rather dull.
Our school is fairly relaxed about it. Everyone's effort is commended and the prizes for best costumes usually go to the children who are from lesser privileged backgrounds, regardless of how original or expensive the costumes are. Those children get a lift and everyone has fun.
I would love to believe it encourages an interest in reading but realistically, I dont think it does.