World Book Day - just take in a sodding book

[Voluptuagoodshag]

I'm probably a curmudgeonly old shite but all this dressing up nonsense. Do they actually discuss why they like the book they are the character of? Some aren't even books because the kid is determined to dress as a Disney princess or a character from a game. It doesn't exactly encourage reading does it?
And then all the stress of creating a costume, not necessarily connected to a favourite book but what can be thought of or is easiest to do.
Why can't a kid take in a favourite book and write a wee story as to why or have a wee discussion about it.

I saw a comment on Facebook yesterday from a mum having a massive meltdown because her school had said no dressing up this year - for the perfectly reasonable reason of they didn’t want parents going to any extra expense this year especially and also not having to go to the shops for a costume

Apparently the school are going to get another phone call this morning to complain - she openly said she complains about everything

As if the schools have not got enough to do without listening to people like her. Although I can guess she is known to the whole staff room

my school you can dress up or wear pyjamas... no pressure

My DD refused to wear her outfit so I just felt like a failure dropping her off (Early Years). I hate the outfit part of it, hope schools can think of something better !

I agree it's a pain to buy/make a costume I'm really glad I don't have to do it this year. The school have done masked reader, guess the character/book quiz and even a geocache type quiz instead and it's much more fun

It’s a pain but the kids enjoy it and it’s only one day a year. And I’m really not a creative costume maker in any way

I remember we did it at school when I was a kid in the 90s. But it was for the Letterland books rather than any book character you wanted, you got mainly ‘clever cats’ and ‘kicking kings’ as they were the easiest to throw together.

I think I this is a very valid point about WBD.

My partner is a primary teacher in an area of moderately-severe social deprivation. Reading is certainly not something that a lot of the kids do in their spare time, and parents don’t have a lot of extra cash. His school has banned dressing up for a few years now and asks the parents to spend the money on a book instead to bring in and discuss, which is surely the point of the day. I think all schools should do it.

Creative? I just bought costumes off Amazon 😂😂😂

Our primary school did one year of no costumes but book activities all day. I thought it was great but so many other parents complained and now dressing up is back.

I think the school were trying to be inclusive and ensure families that couldn't afford costumes didn't feel pressure. They also ran a costume swap the term after world book day to prep for the next year which very few parents took part in despite people saying it was a good idea.

Surely some kids enjoy it - don’t like it don’t do it.
I’m a working mum from the comments above and manage to make 3 every year with out spending 30.00 in Sainsbury.
It’s a bit of fun.

I was a massive reader as a child in the 1970s/80s. I would have absolutely loved dressing up as a book character. I'd probably have been George from the Famous Five so it wouldn't have taken much.
We did have Easter bonnet day, bring-in-your-decorated-egg day, and parents had to provide costumes for school plays (angel-in-a-sheet-and-tinsel) so there was a lot of parental input.
I don't really know why people make such a fuss about dressing up for WBD. You don't have to put any effort into it, or you can if you want to. DS2 is going as Percy Jackson - jeans, T-shirt, jacket, sword, which we have anyway. There are plenty of characters that are normal kids in normal clothes - Matilda can just carry some books. Charlie can just look a bit shabby and carry a golden ticket.

You're all so bloody miserable, don't want to do anything even slightly out of your wheelhouse then wonder why kids end up lazy and entitled. If you don't want to do it , don't do it - just stop whining about those of us who love it.

Bloody love World Book Day - long may it continue even if it's just to punish jobsworth parents

Absolutely all for World Book Day, I would just rather it was all about the books and not the dressing up!

Rather than dressing up as a character some schools have asked children to dress up as an adjective. Quite simple and less hassle, perhaps less fun for the kids though. DC1 really enjoys making a costume so missed that part of it. DC2 always wants me to buy a costume but I push him to be creative rather than buy a costume for one day. For younger children, costumes may get reused at home but that wouldn’t be the case with my DC so I don’t want to buy them!

My son is going to nursery in a Woody outfit T-shirt with his Toy Story book

He doesn't like costumes, but we do read the book every single night 🤷🏼‍♀️

the schools are supposed to be only opened for emergency childcare for critical workers, aren't they?

So a moot point this year surely.

I forgot about WBD until we were halfway to school. 🤦🏻‍♀️ DS was in his PE kit so I googled kids characters with white T-shirts. And told him to say he was the Wimpy Kid

I am hopeless at costumes but try and get in the spirit if I can. YR he wore a blue T-shirt and joggers and I wrapped some bandages round his head and stomach for a bit of a pathetic Mr Bump. Y1 was Charlie with last years trousers and an old T-shirt and a golden ticket. Y2 had to be Michael Rosen which was bloody difficult. Found a red hoody in a charity shop and he was some monkey character. Y3 they weren’t in as it was lockdown IIRC. Or maybe he went in a Spider-Man costume we were given 🙈

My kids love reading but they hate dressing up so they don't x

I used absolutely bloody hate wbd when mine were young, so did every other parent i knew! Just another stress to add to parents lives!

I'm of the it's just a bit of fun mindset.

I've never really felt pressured to create an amazing costume, mine have always gone as superheroes or in pyjamas or just a costume we had in like a doctor or police officer.

Even a football kit or regular clothes.

This year is brilliant, we get a break from stressful lessons and get to read, paint, write book reviews.

@therealteamdebbie

the schools are supposed to be only opened for emergency childcare for critical workers, aren't they?

So a moot point this year surely.

Scottish school have up to P3 back.

My kids never dressed up. Book swaps, live links with authors such as Michael Rosen, Vivian French. Sharing your favourite book.

We're doing a guess who is behind the book. Children and parents decide which staff is behind the book.

Love wbd, my dc have had fun dressing up and got into character. I can understand it’s a hassle for some parents but it’s just some one off fun

Fine, get rid of it. Then wonder why kids don't get the love of books.

TV was fairly poor as a kid of the 80's and books really did take me places.

Kids now have content on tap all the time. Eldest is a bookworm but youngest? Due to the local library going then lockdown, we haven't taken him. He gets stories but it's not quite the same as diving into the racks and picking out new books.

@BLToutanowhere

Fine, get rid of it. Then wonder why kids don't get the love of books.

TV was fairly poor as a kid of the 80's and books really did take me places.

Kids now have content on tap all the time. Eldest is a bookworm but youngest? Due to the local library going then lockdown, we haven't taken him. He gets stories but it's not quite the same as diving into the racks and picking out new books.

I disagree, kids get the love of books from home not school.

I have no creativity whatsoever when it comes to costumes - I just can’t do them. So I buy them as cheaply as I can from somewhere. Other parents seem to be able to rustle up a costume from bits of material etc they have at home, I just can’t do that. For 2-3 years in a row my dd just wanted to wear her Spider-Man costume. Then it looks like we don’t actually read anything when actually our family loves books, but costumes are something else entirely. (Although of course there are Spider-Man comics and books). I can see how it’s fun for the kids and I am happy to dress them up if somebody creative helps me with the costume or if Argos helps out but yeah it can be a stress and often nothing to do with books at all.

Do they actually discuss why they like the book they are the character of? Some aren't even books because the kid is determined to dress as a Disney princess or a character from a game. It doesn't exactly encourage reading does it?

I don't know about all schools but when we've had dress up - not this year though parents have been posting dress up pictures on remote learning all morning anyway - we always have a class chat about who they are dressed up as and why. Mostly they bring a book in with the, which depicts the character.

On a normal year we deliberately don't say that dress up is compulsory, it's always optional - and driven by our parents and children. It's often about 60/40 of those dressed up/normal clothes. We also suggest bringing in a book of their choice to share a page from or to read in some quite reading time in the day, though children can also use the book corner books too.

My school and DD's primary have never just done dress up in wBD and that been it - they've all involved actually reading books, talking about books, sharing stories together as a class, talking about book characters, etc.

And yes - even Disney princesses and superheroes all pretty much have a book linked to them these days. And surely it's better for some that they wear a costume they already have (if they want to dress up) than buy one specially or have to have mum (and it's almost always mum in my experience) make one.