Alternative World Book Day might save hard-up families heartache

I had a bit of a rant on Twitter about World Book Day.

And from the reaction, I’m guessing other parents felt the same when they got the email from the school, inviting kids to dress up as their favourite character and take in their favourite book.

It’s become an annual event: a charitable day that’s held on the first Thursday in March.

As well as dressing up, children get a voucher for a book which they can take into their school. It’s a nice touch. A bit of fun. Anything that encourages them to read more and get their heads out of a tablet is a good thing, right?

Well, no. Not always.

The writer Lynne Hoggan next to a quote: "There's enough pressure on us as parents without having to worry about our little ones being the odd ones out because they haven't got a cool costume for World Book Day."

In normal circumstances it’s great to put on something different for the kids – a day away from school uniform with a little bit of role play and dressing up.

But we’re not in normal times, are we?

Last time I looked we were living through a cost-of-living crisis.

Some families can’t even afford to feed their kids. So why are they being asked to dress them up for World Book Day this year?

Costumes don’t come cheap, even if you’re just buying one from the supermarket.

There’s a cost of living crisis yet schools still sending the emails about world book day. Some folk are struggling to feed their kids without having to worry about dressing them up in a stupid costume

— Lynne (@Lynneontheradio) February 27, 2023

And I feel really sorry for anyone who struggled to get their children kitted out this year, or the ones who had nothing to dress them in at all.

Alternative World Book Day: all the fun without the pressure

I will say though, not ALL schools did the dress-up thing this year.

The replies to my tweet suggested a lot had realised that the current situation might make this World Book Day difficult, so they’d suggested alternative ideas instead.

Some suggested children could go in normal clothes, or pyjamas, or even just turn up in their school uniform as usual.

Nicola Sturgeon reads a book to young girls in pyjamas — Pyjamas were the order of the day – for the children at least – when Nicola Sturgeon joined a World Book Day session at Wester Hailes Library, Edinburgh. Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire.

Vicky Black tweeted me to say her school was inviting kids to take in books in so they could swap them for ones they hadn’t read.

Another tweeter said his children’s school was having a ‘cosy day’ as an alternative to the usual World Book Day. Youngsters were being encouraged to take a teddy and a favourite book, so they could enjoy a different kind of day with a little less pressure on their parents.

As someone who isn’t that artistic and never seems to have the time for making costumes, it feels like a kinder way of doing things.

children dressed up as characters from Harry Potter — Harry Potter: the schoolboy wizard who launched a million World Book Day sleepless nights, but what if parents had an alternative? Image: Shutterstock.

There’s enough pressure on us as parents without having to worry about our little ones being the odd ones out because they haven’t got a cool costume for World Book Day.

So I’m pleased some schools saw sense this year.

And I hope that in the future, they’ll be a bit more relaxed about their plans.

There’s a lot to like about World Book Day. But kids shouldn’t have to dress up if they don’t want to, or their parents can’t afford it.