To ask what IS the point of dressing up on world book day?

[malificent7]

Stressful and expensive for parents. Do they actually learn more by dressing up?
Do it make them think about books more or something?
Id much rather they did some book related activities on the day and perhaos a tiny bit of non expensive homework.

After all that stress and expense many schools were shut anyway. At 9 dd just wants to go in jeans and t shirt anyway.pah!

So children have fun.

I also wonder if some parents even know what other things their school does on World Book Day? I'd hope that dressing up is only part of it. It certainly is in the schools I know. For instance, in our school the children will be doing paired reading with children who are much older or younger - using their reading to solve a science investigation

Other things schools do on WBD:

Having local authors, illustrators and poets in to to do workshops with the children
Book signings
Storytelling
Art projects
etc etc

No Phelan , I'm about as far from your tired, clichéd, lazy stereotype of 'a competitive mum' as anyone could imagine.

😂 So what made you think I was talking about you? You read my post properly didn’t you?

Did someone hurt your feelings by not liking your clever status on Facebook?

😂😂😂 what? What status? Do you think I’m someone you know IRL?

You’re not a competitive Mum, you didn’t put your DC on Facebook and you don’t want any praise. Yet you’ve decided that my post mentioning all those things is about you.

Why do people feel the need to spend money on costumes then moan about how much it cost them?

There are so many books with child characters who wear 'normal clothes'. Last year DD dressed up as a girl on the front cover of one of her favourite books, costume consisted of jeans and a checked shirt.

DS always picks something out the fancy dress box (he only has a handful of hand me down costumes so didn't cost anything)

I'm with you. I used to find it really stressful. & expensive & for what? I'm just not imaginative enough to 'rustle something up'.

I really do give up. This has got fucking stupid

You don't need to be imaginative, you just need to know how to use google

No, you just need to have read a kids book. Ever in your life.

It's the same as SATS, parents could have pushed back and refused, they didn't.

You don't HAVE to send your child in dressed in a pre-bought 'uniform' but parents will to 'keep up'.

It isn't World Book Day, it's another dress up/competition day. Children have fun? They don't need to dress up in an Asda outfit to have fun.

Thanks fuck our school doesn’t do the dressing up - just have to take their favourite book in and then the juniors read to the infants, very sweet really

As usual, it sounds like the ones complaining about the competitive dressing-up are the ones involved in it. The rest of us are quite happy with WBD.

I'm just not imaginative enough to 'rustle something up'.

You don't need to be imaginative, you just need to read a kids book and adapt what you have. So many modern fictional characters wear "normal" clothes that you just need to find one that your child likes and they're "in costume".

I'm a huge Harry Potter and Disney fan and so I have fancy dress outfits and props for almost every Harry Potter character and most Disney characters so we're usually set pretty easily for most fancy dress day and any other characters we Can generally modify props to the necessary character.

This year my DD decided she wanted to be Matilda. So, despite having a wardrobe full of fancy dress kit all I needed was a red ribbon - DD already has a blue dress, school shoes/socks and she just took her Matilda book with her and her costume was complete.

It took zero time, zero money, zero imagination and zero effort to make her "costume" but she loved it just as much as the hundreds of pounds worth of fancy dress stuff we have too.

We had a whole variety today, from carefully-crafted costumes through to versions of normal clothes - but the great thing was that almost every child came clutching the book they were 'from', wanting to tell their friends about it. From the child in completely normal trousers and a jumper (Famous Five) to elaborately Victorian to Gangsta Granny, they were all keen on the book first and foremost and the character second.

I would say a good 50% were 'carefully chosen normal clothes with maybe 1 accessory', a further 25-30% at least 'adapted normal clothes, or normal clothes with e.g. a mask or hat', most of the rest 'clearly well-loved dressing up clothes' and only a few seemed to involve a 'specially bought item' at all.

We do it in our secondary school..kids that are brave enough do. We have a range from t shirt ands jeans to full on cosplay. Some depts dress up. Some years I make a costume; some years I buy one cos I can't be arsed. Makes a stressful, often miserable job fun for the day.

I like it! DS is at a nursery attached to a school and it was lovely seeing everyone get involved today. Lots of chatting on the walk in about which characters everyone was dressed as. The fact it was snowing and everyone had got a bit creative with staying warm made for a great atmosphere! The teachers dressed up too and there was a special assembly which nursery also attended. They read stories and DS was over the moon that he'd got to join in with 'the big children'. We had a chat on the way home about all of the costumes and stories and it's inspired a to-read list.
I made him a costume, cost me £2.97 using bits from a charity shop and stuff we already had.
I know everyone is different but I feel like making costumes, baking birthday cakes, etc etc are some of the perks of parenting

It’s been neither expensive or stressful. And that was with one custom handmade costume that was quite complex. My son usually hates books and dressing up but really embraced both for the first time. It’s one of those things that you can do or not no but doesn’t have to be a life changing drama.

I don't mind World book Day and my DD would love storytelling, show and tell, activities and games, but because she was behind with her reading it was always a struggle to find a character. She wanted to take part and needed to choose from the book she has read. And she needed a simple sensible costume, to be able to go to the toilet / change for PE , etc . people are saying "oh, no need to buy , I used this and that" ... but I never had a variety of things at home and always ended up with buying something . So for me it was a big headache!

My DS is only in nursery but it’s already doing my head in. There was actually 2&3 year olds turning up as Harry Potter and Ronald Dahl characters today. Now I may be underestimating these kids, but I highly doubt any of them at that age have had Harry Potter and Ronald Dahl books read to them and they were able to follow the stories, let alone enjoy them.
It truly feels like it’s more for a bunch of parents who try to outdo everyone and want pictures to show off on Facebook, then the rest of the parents feel a bit shit if they don’t make as much effort, so everyone ends up stressing themselves out over the dress up and the point of the day gets lost in it all; encouragement of reading for children.

It’s fun for the kids. Got a Halloween costume ? Send them in as worst witch. Got a super hero costume? That will don- comics are books. Usual clothes? - Matilda. Or charlie from the choc factory. Any animal onesie, or fluffy ears or animal print? = any animal from any book. It’s not that hard.

I do wish people would stop banging on about how you don't need an imagination, just the ability to read. I am a prolific reader, still including children's books & I have a very active imagination but this does not translate into the ability to 'rustle up a costume'. I am well educated but I don't have the fancy dress gene. Why is this so difficult to understand? Frustrates the life out of me.

But you don't need an imagination, just the ability to Google. There are loads of sites like this one

I give up!