Ten last-minute, low cost + minimal faff World Book Day costume ideas
Want to make World Book Day even easier this year? Why not recycle last year's costume or reach out on your parents' WhatsApp group to see if anyone is willing to lend, borrow, or swap costumes. In case you need some inspiration for a fresh new look, we’ve searched out, asked around and rounded up ten of the easiest, low cost and minimal faff ideas! Also, there is a 20% off sale right now at Tesco on kid’s fancy dress costumes.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Beautiful Butterfly: Cardboard, Tissue paper and glue/paint, elastic.
Hungry Caterpillar: Goggly eyes, black card + oversized pipe cleaners.
Mr Men + Little Miss
Little Miss: Cardboard + paint
Mr Messy: White t-shirt + fabric pens
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Masks: Cardboard + black marker pen (stick for the handheld mask)
Clothes: White long sleeve t-shirt, black shorts/trousers, black rucksack
Charlotte’s Web
Web cape: Old sheet (cut web edge + hole for head), black fabric pen to draw the web (vs. sewing), text and either draw the spider or stick one on!
Spider bun: Goggly eyes, black card + oversized pipe cleaners.
Harry Potter
Hermione costume: On offer (save 20%) at Tesco.
Harry Potter costume: Various offers on Amazon (+ eyeliner for the scar)
Matilda
DIY costume: Summer/school dress, long socks, cardigan, black shoes and red hair bow.
Harry Potter costume: Various offers on Amazon (+ eyeliner for the scar).
The Tiger Who Came To Tea
Sophie DIY costume: Summer/school dress, long socks, cardigan, black shoes and red hair bow.
Tiger costume: A tiger onesie means multiple wears beyond World Book Day (ideal for post swimming lessons, too!).
Tiger face paint: If you have some face paints lying around, this might be an easy way to do the Tiger character!
Gangsta Granny
Gangsta Granny DIY costume: Curlers, mask (dress-up or cardboard), cardigan, pearl necklaces and an old pillowcase (that you’re happy to write Swag on!).
Pyjamas: We’ve found some great World Book Day character pyjamas that you’ll get plenty of use out of post the day itself.
The Gruffalo
DIY mask: Download the free template, fix to card, add a stick and colour it in.
Gruffalo costume: Again, we’re big fans of the onesie vs. dress-up costumes as the kids get a lot more wear out of them. Asda has some great ones (that wash well!)
Witch/Wizard (Harry Potter, Room on the Broom, Worst Witch)
DIY costume: Nearly every family has a cape and witches/wizard hat sttuffed in a dress-up cupboard somewhere from Halloween. This is an easy custome that can be applied to most fairytales and classic books! Amazon also has a great selection of hats for less than £5.
