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.

No problem at all with WBD and some of the ideas on here are great - much prefer the idea of kids going to school in in their own clothes or their pyjamas with their favourite book.

I don’t like the dressing up element at all. Trying not to get sucked in as DS is only in pre school, but we’ve had 2 email reminders already. Going to try and squeeze him into last years ‘very hungry caterpillar’ t shirt and hope for the best!

Schools around here are doing pyjamas or pick a word and dress up as that. One example is blue and wear blue clothes. There's still the option of dressing up as a character if the children/parents wish to do so.

DD is dressing up as it's her last year at primary so we're doing ALL the shit one last time.

I agree. I remember my dd copying a character from a popular kids book series, carefully matching her tights, top, skirt and hairstyle, but on the day other kids thought she'd not properly dressed up as they were all in off-the-shelf 'character' costumes.

I hate it too, at my son's school you have only 2 choices, wear a book themed costume or wear school uniform. They don't allow kids to wear their own clothes as an alternative which I think is very unfair.

World book day has zero influence with regards to encouraging reading. You either have a natural love of reading or not. I have always enjoyed reading, my parents were the same, we all used to go to the library at the weekends, it's a shame so many have been closed.

My child has chosen a character to dress in. It will cost me nothing. Just making it out of things we have at home.

That’s really rude and unkind of the children, but the answer isn’t to force all the children into making the effort your daughter did - it’s unrealistic and unfair.

That is unfair ,stupid and possibly discriminatory.Some religions don't allow dressing up as a character for example.
What I would do out of spite, is find any link no matter how tenuous to a book related to the clothes my child wants to wear and send them as that. Plenty of kids wear normal clothes ,especially in adventure books. For football kits there's frankie's magic football series, jungle shorts, any biografies or annuals or for younger children the "When I grow up I want to play for..." series.

I am petty like that.

I love it when there is clearly minimum effort & a bit of creativity from home, like someone has raided Gran's wardrobe for Gangsta Granny, PJ's and a bandage for the Midnight Gang, scruffy clothes & a homemade Golden Ticket for Charlie Bucket or a pretty dress and red hair ribbon for Matilda. Simple and lovely.

I think this year will be the last mine will be interested so I'm going to allow him to buy the Loded Diper tshirt and black emo wig to do Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If not, he wants to be Poseidon and that does indeed sound like effort!

The World Book Day costumes in Sainsbury's do make me ick a bit BUT if you have the money and no time then it is helpful to some.

Our school have given kids the option to wear a costume or to just dress down. My dd wanted a matilda outfit so I bought her one, my son wanted to wear his spiderman costume(already has it). There was a post recently from a teacher moaning about seeing kids dressed as Elsa or superheroes and I would be sad if mine were being judged for what they wear. I'd have preferred a pj day, which they have done in the past and bought in a favourite book to talk about.

My school is doing dress up but you can go full costume or you can just have something that hints at the character so makes it easier and the ones that dont enjoy dressing up can still participate without having to be in "full costume". We also have an author coming in to do a special assembly, the year 6s go over to the infants and read to the younger ones etc. They also sell 2nd hand costumes, Xmas jumpers, school uniform etc for £1 at the school fairs so that helps on the cost front. The local library also does a costume swap (you don't have to donate in order to get a costume though can just pick one up) so we are lucky to have lots of ways to make it easier for all children to participate.
There are a lot of dress up days in my school (one my lo attends and I am a TA in) but it's always optional, there's always a handful of kids that don't participate but the other kids don't care/say anything. However, the dress up days also have activities around the dress up theme and the kids have so much fun and remember what they learnt because of it. It's annoying for me though cos I'm having to find costumes for myself, have managed to cobble together outfits from old bridesmaid dresses, clothes I have, charity shops. Think I'll be repurposing some scrubs from my old job for next week so I don't have to buy a costume though. And for my kiddo have put together costumes from stuff we already have in the past. Not decided on what we're doing for her this year but it'll either be something she has or charity shop purchases.

When my DD was in infants it was low key. No supermarket costumes. Now it's hideous

I’m a teacher and I HATE it!

It really discriminates most families who are either ‘time poor’ (working all hours) or ‘money poor’. I think it’s a ridiculous idea to dress up as of course all the kids want is either a bright all singing and dancing expensive costume that they see in the supermarket, or their parents to make something better than their friends mum!

I would happily just say a blanket rule that everyone wears pjs and brings their favourite book. EVERYONE has both of those.

With two of my own both wanting costumes this year and I have neither time nor money I real feel the pressure! 😣😣😣

I hate it..nothing to do with reading happens and I have to spend a fortune on outfits.

At our school all the children bring in a potato (we have a sack or two of spares) and we spend the morning turning them into book characters "story spuds" the pm session is for sharing the stories/why it's our favourite etc it's always a fantastic day

I hate it. Even 25 years ago I used to tell dd1 and dd2 to find a book with a 'normal' girl in it! Now my 15 year old ( I thought this would gave finished after primary school) is tormenting me about what she's going to wear for WBD - she's year 10! My dc always read books and it should be encouraged but I think it should be done differently.

Teacher here and hate it with a passion. We don’t dress up. It’s cruel to those who can’t afford it, some of our school parents have quite possibly never read their child a book in their life, some have literacy issues of their own, it divides and it’s unkind. In my opinion. My DSDs school does a dress down day where they come in pyjamas with a favourite bedtime story if they have one. Marginally better but still a bit rubbish for those with no books at home.

You don't need to pay a penny to dress up..

With my kids whatever costumes they have had and used on the day and then worn around the house to have fun in I then wash, dry, iron and take into school so that someone else can make use of it the following year. Lots of the parents do the same and the kids in the year group are offered them the next year so those who are unable to make or buy a costume have an option to get from the class teacher. Parents do the same with nativity costumes that we have bought and made so that there’s always some in stock in the school. Think this is what schools should promote if they are asking kids to dress up for several events a year.

YABU childhood should be fun and magical

Our school only started doing it last year. They didn't previously due to the issues described in the thread, but parents & children complained that they were missing out, so we now do it.

Luckily at my son's school they jave just said to wear pj's and dressing gowns and take in a copy of their favourite book instead for the past 3 years.

I was saying it was out of touch last year but it’s just tone deaf now, I’d say most can’t carry on with things like this especially for multiple children.

@Busybody2022 tell that to the kids who come in in normal clothes as a “school child” from a book, while some of their mates have £50 shop bought costumes. These things promote inequality, and, trust me, the kids in my school (v deprived area) know there is inequality already. Let’s not shove it down their throats.

@DomPom47 all good in theory, if you are being generous and handing them in, but would you want to be the parent on the other side, admitting you can’t afford a costume and asking the teacher for one? Dignity matters and in my setting there are a lot of people who would be too proud to ask. Surely just not doing it keeps everyone equal?