There are only a few days left until World Book Day - and there may be parents out there who haven't yet had a chance to think about a costume for their child.
Children across the country will be dressing up as their favourite book character on Thursday, March 3.
But if your young one doesn't have an outfit yet, don't fret. These ideas might just help you rustle up something quickly at home.
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Former primary school teacher Becky Cranham, of education resource platform PlanBee, has a number of hacks for parents.
And Mumsnet also has a string of ideas for quick last-minute costumes. You can see the full list here.
Below, we have rounded up some of the top tips. And, don't forget to send us your pictures on Thursday. Here's how to do it.
Ideas from PlanBee:
- Matilda (Matilda by Roald Dahl)
Pop a red ribbon in your child’s hair and bundle a stack of books together with string or a belt. Easy peasy.
- The Boy in the Dress (David Walliams)
Grab a dress and a football and your son is good to go.
- Sophie (The BFG by Roald Dahl)
Put on a nightie or a pair of pyjamas and make a quick dream jar using a jam jar, glitter or some fairy lights.
- The Cat in the Hat (Dr Seuss)
Dress your child in black and make a tall red and white hat from paper or card. If you’re feeling extra enthusiastic, a cat nose and whiskers painted on with eyeliner will complete the look.
- The Paper Dolls (Julia Donaldson)
Make a paper chain of dolls for your child to take to school.
- Mr Bump or Little Miss Whoops (Roger Hargreaves)
Dress them in blue, wrap them in bandages and stick on some plasters. Loo roll will suffice if you don’t happen to have meters of bandages in the bathroom cupboard.
- Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)
You don’t always need full-on wizard regalia to dress up as Harry Potter. He spent most of his childhood dressed as a muggle. Just find a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and draw a scar on your child’s head.
- Flying Fergus (Chris Hoy)
This is perfect for keen cyclists: pop on a helmet and any other cycling kit you can find, and you’re ready to go.
Ideas from Mumsnet:
Mumsnet is reminding us that there are a number of book characters that wear normal clothes. All you have to do is add accessories.
Examples include:
- Harry – Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs by Ian Whybrow
Normal clothes, bucket, toy dinosaurs
- Charlie Bucket – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Normal clothes, golden ticket, chocolate bar
Then there are characters that wear pyjamas, like:
- ‘Boy’ – The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Yellow PJs, blue dressing gown
- Grandmother – Little Red Riding Hood
Nightie, wolf ears/mask
- Wendy – Peter Pan by J M Barrie
Light blue nightie (in the film)
And there are also costumes with football kit, such as:
- Football Academy by Tom Palmer
Any football kit
- Girls FC by Helena Pielichaty
Football kit + tiara (optional)
