It’s fantastic to see World Book Day grow year on year, teaching children about the joys of reading in a fun and playful way and getting them to engage with characters and literature is an amazing idea and it’s fantastic it has become so successful here in the UK.
Truly highlighting the joys of reading to a younger audience, it’s a shame such a day comes around but once a year. This time, why not take it as a fantastic opportunity to extend the Book based fun beyond the School day by taking part in some extra activities at home?
To help you host your own after school World Book Day event, we’ve put together a list of fun and enjoyable games and activities that can be done at home and with minimal effort and fuss. After all, World Book Day only comes around once a year, so we may as well make the most of it.
Read a book
It seems obvious, but with all the activities and other fun taking place throughout the day, it can be all too easy to forget to take the time to actually sit down and read! What better way to spend an evening after an action packed day then cosying up with a nice book. So sit your little one on the sofa and listen to them read through their favourite book – it could even be the one they have got using their £1 Book Token.
Act out a favourite book scene with friends
Every book has an iconic scene that everyone knows and loves, so why not get your child to act out their favourite book scene with friends? Acting is a great way to really get your child immersed in a character, allowing them to understand the differing emotions and body language and developing their self-confidence and people skills as they work together to wow you and whoever else is in the audience.
Dress up
We’ve all had those 10 pm costume conundrums trying to piece together an outfit from egg boxes whilst resurrecting sewing skills that haven’t been used since we were in School, some of us might have got a bit smarter and bought a World Day Costume this year. Whatever the origin of your child’s outfit, why waste all that effort to have them take it off before tea? Let them stay in their outfit all night and really get to enjoy their character. Take it a bit further and quiz them about their character, asking them to answer in 1st person as a brilliant way of bringing their outfit to life.
Write their own book
Obviously not a full book! You could, however, challenge them to write an opening chapter as a fantastic way to get your child’s imagination going. Teaching them how to introduce characters, start developing a storyline and improve their descriptive writing which are all skills that are essential to their future literary development. If they enjoy it, you can always turn it into a daily activity, adding a few pages each day to create their own novel.
Book based word search and quizzes
Why not download some fun quizzes, word searches or other games for an easy form of entertainment that can be done around the dinner table with minimal fuss. There are hundreds of fantastic World Book Day word searches and quizzes available all over the web. However, the best resource is the World Book Day website where they have an amazing array of quizzes and games suitable for all ages.
Whatever way you decide to spend the evening of World Book Day, as long as your child is feeling excited and invigorated about reading by the time they go to bed, you know you’ll have done your job successfully!
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Some great ideas, I’ll have to check out the website for some printable puzzles etc