To dislike the waste of ££ on World Book Day

[Mimmi78]

Straight up, I love reading! I've always had a book on the go and feel a bit naked if I go out without having one handy. It's World Book Day this week, I love this idea too, creating a lifelong love of reading is a fundamental cornerstone of education. However, in my kids school there are 400 pupils, many of whom have parents who will spend anything from a few pounds to many pounds on a costume this week. Retailers are the big winners here I think. I've estimated that the money could represent around £2,000 at our school, it took the PTA 3 months to raise that to buy essentials for the school. AIBU to wish it was more about books and less about commercial dressing up! Prepared to be slated but interested in anyone else feeling conflicted whilst wondering how to dress a six yo as Tom Gates

It doesn't have to cost you anything. There are loads of books about football so they could wear football kit to school. Quote the 'Frankies Magic Football' series of books.
Or a pretty dress and be any one of a number of Princess characters.
The Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle has written a few books on gymnastics so they could go in gym costume.

COMPLETELY AGREE! Walking around TU clothing in Sainsbury's, I felt like the only one with the opinion that it's more like Halloween than reading!?!

Side note alert.

BingLiveisRubbish, is Bing Live Really, really rubbish? DS wants to go, but I hate and fear puppets, so I've been on the fence. I don't see how it could be like the TV show?

llangennith don't have any of that for DD. What that is is looking at what they have in their wardrobe and then attaching it to any book character you can think of regardless of whether or not your child has read or likes the book in question. That's just shoehorning.

It also assumes that every favourite book character has a 'look'. DD likes books about ordinary children set in modern times. So she would go as... herself! Which doesn't quite fit the remit of 'come dressed up as your favourite book character!'. She's at a non-uniform school anyway so it really would be dressing exactly as she dresses every other day.

a friend just sent me that, couldn't agree more.

You just select a character that doesn't require much thought. I managed Burglar Betty and Grandma Swagg for years by combining my own clothes with bits from the dressing up box (teacher).
I liked some aspects of World Book Day (reading sessions, book stall for the week, story themes, children bringing their favourite books etc) but I could live without the dressing up.

If I bought my DD's school at Book Token (gift card you can buy at supermarkets), do you know if they'll be able to order online? I want to donate something to enable them to get some books for the school rather than just cash. However i don't want to put them in a situation where a staff member has to visit shop! That would be ridiculous

@BingLiveisRubbish

Yep, book tokens can be spent online by the looks of it:

Book tokens website

I'm not keen. I have no idea what to send my 3 and a half year old to nursery in. There isn't a great deal of choice for his age.
He got a book from nursery for Christmas called 'Mo's Smelly Jumper'. The main character wears a stripy rainbow coloured jumper. I was considering getting him a stripy jumper and sending him in that and Jeans. It's the book he likes at the minute so surely that would count? And a jumper he can wear plenty of times again, whereas a costume he wouldn't (he never wore his one from last year again).

I didn't mind so much with their first primary - despite having three children to dress because they picked a large cannon with many options and it was part of an entire week of school events - involving reading and plays and films culminating in a big entire school event in keeping with the book/author/cannon of work on last day.

The children were always enthused to at least try reading some of the works. We did mixture of homemade – which sometimes upset the DC and sometime was great – stuff we had in and bought items.

Then we moved and it's literally a dress up day. Then one year it was worse it had to be a particular character – it worked out cheaper to buy. Worse it was from a series of books with no words. Thankfully that was just the one year.

i can't see it has anything to do with reading.

It’s also the second dress up day this week – as St David’s day is always a dress up day as well. It's causing arguments as I don't want to spend money on it.

Yeah it’s a lot of pressure and financially hard for many families. One of my DCs is in nursery and they’ve said no dressing up and costumes are expensive and impractical for an active day. They’re giving the children a book token each instead which I think is great.

My other DCs school isn’t too bad, children can dress as a character or come in wearing their PJs with their favourite book which is a good alternative to a potentially expensive costume.

@snarfblatt Fab. Hope they can get some books then with free delivery from somewhere! Thanks a lot x

Bing that's a lovely idea but can I ask if you are able to buy your Book Token at a bookshop? For anyone who cares about books, buying them in supermarkets or an Amazon is about the worst thing you can do, so if there's a different option available, please use it!

I have spent about £10 on this years costumes. I bought my DD a Fantastic Mr Fox costume on eBay so only set me back £5. DS already had nearly everything for his costume in his wardrobe as did my other DD, I just bought her some ribbon and him some fingerless gloves to make the outfits work. You don’t have to spend a fortune and it’s fun for the children so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Couldn't agree more. I love the idea of a day where children do lots of story/book related activities and learn to associate books with exciting, fun things. But why does this mean dressing up? School always say that costumes can be home made/wear what you have at home etc but for a lot of parents who work but don't have high incomes surely time to create a low cost costume is just as difficult as money to buy one. Not to mention the inevitable pestering from the child who wants the shop bought costume all his/her friends have.

I'm sure schools could have a really enjoyable day without dressing up.

Mind you, I'm clearly a bit of a grumpy git as I am also currently inwardly fuming at the amount of Red Nose Day merchandise being advertised and sold, which will inevitably end up in land-fill a week after the event.

@RiverTam Very good point!! I'll get it from the Independent Bookshop in town, thanks x

Perfect! Can't beat a good indie.

I love books and adore reading but I hate the dressing up rubbish WBD brings. I would much rather each child took a favourite book from home into school and have a chat about each book.

I would actually love to know if there is any research on dressing up for WBD encouraging reluctant readers or encouraging parents to invest more in reading and books.

I dislike the racks of cheap polyester costumes in the supermarket, it seems so random.

But my DC love dressing up for world book day.

I think parents are maybe overthinking it a bit. I always ask my DC what their favourite book is at the moment, and what they could use to dress up as a character from it.

They usually have much more creative ideas than I do, and it's usually just with using the contents of the dressing up box and their wardrobes and maybe the odd prop made out of card. Sometimes a bit random, but they are usually quite proud of it and keen to show off the book that inspired them.

It's supposed to be children getting enthusiastic about a book they like - I wish more schools (and parents) would try and let things/ guide things to be more self-directed. If you have to micro-manage the dressing up it takes the fun away.

My DCs (now older) went to a school that asked kids to come in PJs with their favourite bed time story. I felt so smug talking to friends whose DCs went to other schools

My DC school are doing this Seaview. Having seen the costumes in supermarkets I'm glad. More environmentally friendly too.

I would actually love to know if there is any research on dressing up for WBD encouraging reluctant readers or encouraging parents to invest more in reading and books.

I don't know, but it would be very dreary school system where schools don't put various activities, celebrate special occasions and do a few different things over the school year.

Next parents moan about sports day, about non-uniform days, there's always someone whining about something.

For one, I would hate having to buy PJs for world book day because the kids need them to go to school in pjs once. Whats the point of that.

My kids school are doing come to school in your pjs as there theme is bedtime stories. Much better as it means we don't have to buy costumes

I would hate having to buy PJs for world book day because the kids need them to go to school in pjs once. Whats the point of that.

Does your child not have PJs? I am missing something?