20 World Book Ideas for Everyone Who Completely Forgot

 Here's a list of ways to celebrate World Book Day without breaking the bank!

Photo by Paige Cody on Unsplash

IT'S WORLD BOOK Day today and I could hardly let it pass without taking a little time to celebrate the one day in the year where school children around the United Kingdom are encouraged to dress up as their favourite book characters.

School playgrounds across the country have been flooded with many well-loved favourites such as Spiderman, Elsa and in one case...er...Christian Grey? But as the cost of living has gone up, what if you couldn't afford to buy another costume the little ankle biters will soon grow out of?

Perhaps your child’s school has banned fancy dress entirely. Or maybe you're just tired of competing with that Mum who sent little Algernon to school in a sustainable bamboo Iron-Man costume painstakingly handcrafted by Norwegian trappist monks.

What if you simply want to make World Book Day just about reading books again? And totally NOT because of Instagram envy.

Money’s Too Tight to Mention?

Well if money’s tighter than a duck’s proverbial and you don’t want to shell out cash for a Wonka costume with a price tag that implies it was lovingly handsewn by Roald Dahl himself.

Or if you have a child who would not be seen DEAD going to school in anything but their uniform, then what can you do to celebrate a day designed as a literal open goal to get you and your loved ones reading?

Well here is my quick and easy list on alternative things to do on World Book Day for everyone—especially for those who are sick of stuffing their sproglet into the same dino onesie. Again.

Or just plain well forgot.

Kate Harriet’s 20 Alternative Ideas for World Book Day

1. Read a Book

Yes I know it’s groundbreaking, but why not celebrate World Book Day by reading a book. You can make this even more festive by reading an old favourite. There is nothing like re-reading a book and finding out if the magic still stands the test of time.

2. The One That Got Away

Was there a book you discovered as a child but never got around to reading it? Head down to your local library or bookshop and start it today. I remember reading a preview of The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster at eight and it haunting me till I finished it twenty years later.

3. Read a Story Together

Knock up a DIY blanket fort out of bed sheets, string up a few Christmas lights then put on your favourite pyjamas and cosy up to read a story together. My family’s favourite is Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with the music from the film score softly playing in the background.

4. Give a Book Token

If you wish to treat your favourite bookworm on World Book Day, then nothing is better than giving National Book Tokens or gift cards. Then pop on your coats, head to your nearest bookshop so they can pick out a book they would love to read and join in the fun.

5. Visit Your Local Indie Book Store

What's more enjoyable than wandering around an old or independent bookstore, breathing in the rich scent of ageing book leather and discovering treasures you never could have imagined? So why not give yourself a treat and visit your local independent bookstore today.

6. Get Crafty and Make a Bookmark

If you or your nearest and dearest are avid book lovers, nothing makes a nicer present (aside from a book of course) than a DIY bookmark. A bookmark made from felt, card or even handknitted (if you're an expert knitter) is ideal for a reader who likes to keep track.

7. Write Your Own Magnum Opus

If you love stories then get everyone to write their own short book, print it off and read them to each other. Or use World Book Day as a launching pad to start writing a novel. You never know, you might end up being the next Suzanne Collins.

8. Put on an Audio Book

If you are or have a reluctant reader, then play the audio book of a favourite movie. But if you are pushed for time, just listen to the story while you're exercising, on the bus or just before bed.

9. Whip up a Literary Feast

Try a literary recipe you’ve read in a fiction book. Cook up honey baked apples from Brian Jacques’s Redwall Cookbook, make marmalade sandwiches to munch along with Thomas Michael Bond’s Paddington bear. Or cut yourself a slice of Kendal Mint Cake to enjoy with Phillip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass.

10. Dress a Spoon as a Book Character

If you like the fun of fancy dress but want to keep costs low, then dress up a wooden spoon, a suitable stone or even a potato as your favourite book character. You could even make your own Spuddo Baggins. Sorry, there is no excuse for that pun...

11. Arrange a Book Swap

If you’ve got a book that you have read countless times or your children have grown out of, then arrange a book swap with friends, neighbours or classmates. And if you are able, take a few spare for those who don’t have a book to bring.

12. Make a Figure from Scratch

If you have craft materials at home, Fimo or other odds and ends lying about the house, you can build a Alex Rider figure out of Lego or salt dough for example. Or make plasticine rabbits from Richard Adam’s Watership Down.

13. Plan Some Quiet Reading Time

Find a quiet spot on the carpet, beanbag or sink into some comfy cushions and just sit and read in silence for half an hour. And the great thing is that this tip can be done either with everyone together or solo.

14. Read to a Child

Read a book to a baby, a child, a pet, a potted plant or even out loud to yourself for half an hour. And make sure you do ALL the silly voices.

15. Start a Hot Choc and Book Club

Gather all your adult friends together with your books and have a hot chocolate or wine session where you all sit together while you read and sip----which in my humble opinion is just as fun as dressing up.

16. Read a Chapter before Bed

Before bedtime, put on your favourite PJs and snuggle up under the covers and enjoy the peace and joy of night time reading as you dive into your book. This is a great way to carve out time to read in a jam-packed schedule.

17. Donate Old Books to Charity

If you've finished your book stack and just want to pass books on, why not pile all your old books in a bag and donate them to charity. Not only will you be helping a good cause you will also be helping a good book find a new home.

18. Visit Your Local Library

Just pop down to your local library and borrow whatever book that takes your fancy. And if you like audio and ebooks you can borrow more than one audio book and ebook at a time via the Libby app. All you need is your library card!

19. Play Which Book Character am I?

All you need is some sticky notes and a pen to turn your book reading into a fun game. Each person has a sticky note with the name of a character stuck to their forehead and without peeking they have twenty questions to guess who they are.     

Image Courtesy of Bing AI

20. Draw Your Favourite Book Scene

Got a favourite scene in a book? Mine is from Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards! where a teeny male dragon orbits a huge lady dragon as they fall in love and fly off together into space.  So why not paint, draw or even make a favourite scene from a book today.

So that is my list of twenty alternative things to do on World Book Day. I certainly hope you find at least one useful idea to do that won't cost the earth, from reading books together, visiting your local library or drawing your favourite book scene. And most importantly gets you and your loved ones reading!

In the meantime...

Happy World Book Day!

Kate