By Steve John, Director of All Fancy Dress
Once upon a time there was a parent who struggled to involve her child in reading. The little girl simply did not have any interest in books and just wanted to play with her dolls. The mother didn’t know what to do; she tried everything from creating different voices and facial expressions to helping her daughter read the book aloud. Then came World Book Day.
Organised by the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Book Day aims to encourage children to read, fight against illiteracy and have schools across the country excited about the stories and characters they’re about to discover. The event has become increasingly successful, with children excited to purchase a book using their free token. The token can be used to purchase an array of World Book Day stories or put towards a different book that isn’t in the collection.
Dressing up for World Book Day
Not only is this a day on which children, teachers, and parents can enjoy discovering new adventures, it is a day that children can come to school dressed as their favorite fictional character after raiding their dress-up boxes.
Last year saw a rise in Harry Potter costumes, with many girls choosing to dress as Hermione Granger and boys choosing to become Harry Potter.
However, fancy dress firm All Fancy Dress (AFD) is recognising another trend for World Book Day costumes. Classic children’s books and stories such as Where’s Wally? and The Wizard of Oz have become the costume choice for many children. This trend highlights the importance and significance of such writings. The likes of C.S. Lewis, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Roald Dahl have captured the imaginations of millions with their stories being told by one generation to the next.
Involving Kids in Books
Dressing up as characters can encourage children to be involved in books and reading. By injecting fun and humour into reading, children are sure to choose the bookcase over the toy box. They don’t have to be long books; actually, it could be better to introduce short stories to children so they feel a sense of achievement after reading a book cover to cover.
Storyboxes enable children to re-tell the story that they’ve just read, introduce new adventures, or create an entirely different tale. Interactive books that pop up, make noises, and invite children to build upon the narrative using their imaginations also help their cognitive development and reading and writing skills.