To HATE World Book Day (or rather kids dressing up for it)?

[Silverbook]

That's it really-
As a parent and a teacher I absolutely hate the yearly "dress up as your favourite character".

As a teacher it is such a visible divide of the haves/have nots.
As a parent I feel under pressure and it adds to the mental load.

I'm absolutely on board with promoting literacy and reading for enjoyment but think WBD has become very commercialised.

Our school have it as Pyjama day, and if you want to parents can buy a book for the school (totally optional and anonymous). Much better use of £5!

Lots of activities around reading as well, of course.

I had my eldest DC in the late 90s so the looooooong world book day slog kicked in in the early naughties for me Back then there was not so much of the shop bought or online costumes. A few, but not many. We heavily relied on knocking up black robes for Harry Potter 😂

My youngest is going through it now and it's all Amazon or Tesco costumes.

I mean what IS the point?

I know for a fact that half the DCs could simply do with a bit more input from their parents to help them read rather than forking our for £££ costumes.

@3littlerabbitsss

But of course the dressing up was stopped by the usual moaning, book-hating, participate-in-nothing apart from complaining people. How hard is it?

It's bloody hard, actually, if you're a FT working parent who doesn't have time to endlessly sew stuff and create new outfits.

I'm definitely not a "participate-in nothing" person. I participate in as much as possible, as does my DD and both of us are huge readers.

But WBD as it is commonly practiced has bugger all to do with reading and everything to do with stealth one-upmanship and parents being sanctimonious.

Mine has finished with this, but most of the parents would use whatever costumes they had lying around then find a book to fit. There was the occasional parent who would put something homemade together. Themes were not popular. Lots of grumbling.

I'm not struggling financially but I still can't be doing with it. DD has three different things to dress up for next week 🙄

She's got a pair of trousers with Peppa Pig on them. That'll do.

I am a FT working parent too. I don’t spend any of my time sewing things. My kids enjoyed WBD. They like dressing up, they love books. They enjoy thinking about their books, characters, and having a taste of being a character for the day. It sparks their imaginations, it’s totally different from the every day. Or - it was til it was stopped. There’s no opportunity in the school for any kind of this kind of creativity / imagination for the children who do enjoy it. They don’t do a school play etc etc. So as in so many things in school, don’t participate if you don’t want to but maybe don’t complain and have it stopped for those who do.

the dressing up was stopped by the usual moaning, book-hating, participate-in-nothing apart from complaining people.

lol. I'm a reading coordinator. Hate the dressing up.

I really think if something is this universally disliked there should come a point where the idea is ditched and noted as bad one.

There’s no opportunity in the school for any kind of this kind of creativity / imagination for the children who do enjoy it.

Well take that up with the school then. There are many, many ways to foster creativity and imagination that aren't just 'let's have a dress up day'

I do agree with those who said that disliking the dressing up has nothing to do with liking or disliking books and reading.

We live in a very mixed catchment area. Our school has thankfully set a message to say that while they will be celebrating Word Book Day, there will be no dressing up as they feel this is an unnecessary expense and effort for parents to make. So glad they have acknowledged it! The kids can enjoy reading and books just as well without dressing up.

My kids enjoyed it and got a lot out of it, and looked forward to it. Other peoples don’t. What if mine don’t like the ‘many other ways to be creative’? Should I contact the school and ask them to be stopped? Mine hate sports day. Shall I phone up and demand it’s stopped because they feel left out or always lose to the kids who do sports outside school?

My kids enjoyed it and got a lot out of it, and looked forward to it. Other peoples don’t. What if mine don’t like the ‘many other ways to be creative’? Should I contact the school and ask them to be stopped?

If they're causing unnecessary stress and cost to parents/kids and not actually achieving the stated aim (promoting reading) then yes.

But there are lots of ways to be creative that don't do that.

Nothing to stop parents doing their own 'dress as your favourite character' at home, of the kids really enjoy it.

I can tell you exactly the kids who will dress up and the ones for whom it’s not not possible.
I’m in a generally affluent area but out of a class of 26 there is
1 with a drug dependant single parent
1 in looked after care
2 just come through nasty parental separation where the parent is really struggling.
1 with a parent on end of life care.
These children won’t be dressing up.

It doesn’t align with the political agenda for equitable education.

World Book Day and other dressing up days were a pain in the arse when my three were at primary school. I never knew another parent who had a good word to say about them but the school charged on ahead regardless.

Not being the most creative or able of people at sewing etc., I found them a struggle and sometimes expensive. I was very relieved when my kids got to secondary school and that sort of thing ceased to be such an issue.

They are all in their twenties now and I don't think any of us misses this bollocks.

My main pet peeve with it is so many kids dress as characters from tv or film rather than books and it pisses me off.

yes there are books released after films but they are marketing things not really what I would call legit stories so dressing as woody or Elsa is not getting the point of the day in my opinion

Ours is pyjamas this year. Used to be dressing up now it’s wear pyjamas.

My main pet peeve with it is so many kids dress as characters from tv or film rather than books and it pisses me off.

But the school isn't getting 'the point of the day' either. They're just firing out another dress up day. So why should parents be under pressure to elevate that for them?

If they're interested in 'the point of the day' do an activity that actually encourages reading

I didn’t know this was a thing until last week. I find costumes fun so I’m quite excited about dressing my 2 year old up but I understand the points made from those who don’t like it.

Are you a parent and or teacher?

I don’t understand this being a peeve

I am very good at sewing and making costumes but what I choose to do with my spare time shouldn’t dictate what other parents do

Loathe it.

Especially the judgey pants competitive parents who bleat about their outrage when kids wear a Marvel outfit.

My pet peeve about WBD are attitudes like this.

Depending on where you are in the country it COINCIDENTALLY???? is also teacher strike day!!!!