Today is World Book Day, and I wanted to see if you feel the same way as I do about it. My children are older, and I only had one World Book Day (WBD) to find an outfit for. I did, however, teach dance as an after-school activity in a primary school for many years and have experienced WBD many times there. My other half is a nursery teacher, and they celebrate WBD but differently, which I will come to later in the post.
What Is World Book Day?
World Book Day is a charity event held annually in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the first Thursday in March. On World Book Day, every child in full-time education in the UK and Ireland is provided with a voucher to be spent on books; the event was first celebrated in the United Kingdom in 1998.
Schools can register for free vouchers for each child to be given on World Book Day. The value of the voucher is £1.00, and there are some books priced at £1.00 for children to purchase, or they can put their voucher towards a book of their choice. The aim is for every child to have a book to read and to encourage reading as some children do not own a book of their own for varying reasons.
World Book Day is meant to celebrate reading and encourage children to engage with books. In theory, it’s a fantastic initiative. However, in practice, it has become yet another financial burden for parents, particularly those already struggling with the cost of living.
The Cost of Costumes:
Many schools encourage children to dress up as their favorite book characters, and while this may seem like harmless fun, the reality is that it often places undue pressure on parents. Not everyone has the time, resources, or skills to create a DIY costume, and shop bought outfits can be very expensive. Parents may then feel guilty if they can’t afford to buy their child a costume, leading to unnecessary stress.
I looked into the cost of the WBD costumes in two supermarkets and Sainsburys had quite a few to choose from but most were around £15.00 each, some £17.00 and some £20.00 which is a lot of money, and Asda had a range that started at £8.00 and went up to £17.00, again expensive, and especially if you have more than one child who's celebrating WBD.
Missing the Point:
World Book Day should be about fostering a love of reading, not about who has the best or most creative outfit. The focus should be on books and reading stories, sharing favourite books and celebrating reading in ways that don’t require spending money. Unfortunately, for many children, the emphasis has shifted from books to costumes, taking away from the day's true purpose.
Whether we like it or not, most pre-school/nurseries and primary schools have children who always have the most elaborate costumes that cost the earth, this can make other children and their parents feel awful. Sadly, many children's parents simply cannot afford to buy or make outfits, and their child attends school/nursery in their usual school uniform. This causes stress for the parents and children, and some children will be mean to the children who aren't dressed up because, let's face it, kids can be cruel.
None of that is what WBD is about, but it has become a competition for some. Some people use outfits they already have which fit the narrative, which is completely fine, and I'd do the same rather than buy an outfit that won't be worn again. That isn't really what WBD is about either, but it is very understandable why this is done.
Alternatives That Make More Sense:
Instead of children dressing up, schools could encourage children to bring in their favorite book, take part in reading challenges, talk or write about their favourite book or story and why they love it, or maybe have a book swap. These activities would still engage children in the spirit of World Book Day without causing financial strain and lots of stress on families.
Some schools and nurseries where I live have the children going in PJs and taking their favourite bedtime story into school to talk about and similar activities but not involving costumes. Quite a few did this last year. I haven't seen what they did today, but I would imagine it's a similar thing.
My partner is a preschool/nursery teacher, and last year, children could go in PJs if they wanted to but didn't have to, and the staff made a cosy corner, and the children showed the class their favourite book or story and spoke about it. In previous years, the class have chosen a book they read and have read to them in class that they all love and they could if they liked go in in clothing that matched the colours in the theme of the book.
One year, the book they chose was "Barry the Fish with Fingers" This book has a blue cover with orange, and Barry is blue and orange, so the children could wear blue and or orange, but it wasn't compulsory and the children loved speaking about the book and doing activities based on the book too.
This year, they haven't done anything. The children will get their vouchers, and they will do activities surrounding reading and books, but there isn't a theme or dress code. The children will be told about WBD in a way that's relevant to their age, which is 3 and 4, and the day will focus on reading, books and stories, but there isn't any pressure at all on the parents.
Final Thoughts:
While I appreciate the idea behind World Book Day, I believe it has strayed from its original purpose. The pressure to buy or create costumes creates an unnecessary stress on parents, and it’s time for schools/nurseries to rethink how they celebrate this day. Instead of dressing up, bring the focus back to books and ensure that all children can participate without their families feeling the strain, like some schools and nurseries do already do. It's just a shame it isn't a national thing.
We don't need expensive costumes to celebrate WBD, and I'm not a grump and I understand some children love to dress up and show their friends their outfits, and that's lovely, but I do feel schools/nurseries need to read the room and be mindful of the fact, some parents dread WBD because they can't afford to eat, never mind find a costume their child may only wear once. If the pressure was removed completely and parents were told that next year, normal uniform/clothing was to be worn, but they were still celebrating WBD, I wonder how many parents would be relieved?
What do you think? Do you feel pressure on WBD?
Thank you for reading
Zoë x
