However you like to celebrate World Book Day, it is a great way to share the love of books and reading, and even though most of us are still at home, there are some great ways to still celebrate.
We’re used to seeing hundreds of photos of amazing outfits, from home-made masterpieces and shop-bought wonders, to quick-fix accessories, and those dug out from the bottom of the cupboard (for those of us who usually remember a last-minute costume)!
But, if you don’t feel like dressing up, that’s OK – there are plenty ways to still get involved without the pressure, cost and worry that sometimes comes with costumes.
What’s more, In The Book recently highlighted a whole host of benefits for reading to children, something that is close to our heart, so check out their website here if you’d like to know more.
Whether you like to dress up or not, here are some great ways to celebrate World Book Day and the joys of reading all week at home, both on the day itself and beyond!
When is World Book Day 2021?
World Book Day takes place on Thursday March 4th 2021, while most children aren’t back in school. However, even though we’re at home, I hope this post helps with ideas and inspiration to celebrate World Book Day, from live events through to screen-free crafts.
Live World Book Day events
Live events from World Book Day
From the 3rd to 5th March, join the World Book Day team for their Share A Story Live at 10.30am with some top authors here, or catch up with them on YouTube afterwards too. Each event will last approximately 30 minutes. You can find out more about each event here.
Wednesday 3rd March, 10.30am – Books that Make you LOL!
Starring: Humza Arshad, Alex Bellos & Ben Lyttleton (Football School), Jonny Duddle and Zanib Mian
Hosted by Kenny Baraka, motivational speaker
Thursday 4th March, 10.30am – World Book Day special – Bringing Reading to Life
Starring: Joseph Coelho & Fiona Lumbers, Tom Fletcher and Lydia Monks and special guest Rob Biddulph
Hosted by Nigel Clarke, TV presenter
Friday 5th March, 10.30am – Books and the Real World
Starring: Sita Brahmachari, Jess French and Katherine Rundell
Hosted by Jessie Cave, actor and podcaster
Bookworm Festival
The amazing team over at Gloworm Festival have set up the virtual Bookworm Festival, not just for World Book Day, but for the entire week too!
You will be able to enjoy readings from some of the UK’s favourite children’s authors, along with some of the best up and coming authors, for FREE! Tune in to their Facebook Page to enjoy stories from the comfort of your own home or classroom! Each story will also have questions for you to answer together, to help your children engage with the story.
With colouring competitions to win signed books, and writing competitions to win books and more, the Gloworm Festival are all set ready to help you enjoy the magic of story time together.
Online World Book Day resources
CBeebies World Book Day fun
Lily has always been a huge fan of CBeebies, so we will definitely be making use of the resources available over on their website.
From simple costume ideas and plenty of crafts, through to books with your CBeebies friends, there is plenty of fun to be had over on the CBeebies website.
You can also find a KS2 live lesson over on CBBC here.
Learning Resources UK activities
Where do we start with the amazing resources from Learning Resources UK? From free online downloadable resources to games and activities for all ages, Learning Resources are always our go-to hub for everything to do with phonics, maths, STEM and outdoor learning too.
For World Book Day, we really recommend their blog on Tips for Reading at Home as well as their free activity sheets for kids.
We also love the games and activities for literacy, in particular, Lily’s favourite phonics game is the Space Mission: Nonsense Words – it even came to the caravan with us for rainy days!
For story telling and story writing, you can also check out their Plot Blocks (Lily’s were gifted) or Story Starter Word Cubes to inspire writing and creativity in your little ones.
Let’s Go See… Stories Inspired from Life at 40,000 ft!
While we can’t go on real adventures, Let’s Go See can still help us visit some of the most incredible locations around the world with Pilot Polly and Pilot Ollie, helping kids learn about other cultures and cities around the world.
There’s also the Let’s Go See app with a collection of activities for children with games, activities, puzzles and intuitive AR to help kids continue their journey around the world.
Check out their YouTube channel here or find the App on the Apple Store here or the Google Play Store here
Twinkl World Book Day Resources
Twinkl have been a great source of resources for us through lockdown to help with home learning and you can set up free accounts too. They also have a whole range of World Book Day Resources for classrooms and home learning.
Shop small businesses this World Book Day
Kindness and positivity booklet – My Busy Bots
We are huge fans of My Busy Bots and have used their learning activities for all our weekends away as well as home learning fun too. We especially love their Fun Folder, and for World Book Day we recommend their Kindness and Positivity Booklet.
Mental health of children has been at the forefront of our minds through lockdown, and this booklet is a lovely way to open up conversation about mental health and feelings. What’s more, the My Busy Bots booklets contain hours of fun, that will last well beyond World Book Day.
Mindfulness for Kids – Timeout Bags
We’ve used Timeout Bags a few times and love the range of activities in each bag, from books to crafts, all age-appropriate. We’ve recently come across their Mindfulness For Kids Gift bags, containing a ‘happy’ book , Worry Monster, positivity jar and more.
Button and Squirt
We are huge fans of Button and Squirt, especially their Amazing Animals fact cards. Why not use these to inspire a little one to read about animals or even the dinosaurs they love – school-age children could even try and write their own little books on their chosen animal!
The Reading Shelf Box
We’ve recently discovered the Reading Shelf Box, which offers book subscriptions for children. Each month, your child will receive an age-appropriate book, alongside educational activities and crafts inspired by that book. Find out more here.
Challenge yourself – Pawprint Family
We’ve also recently come across the lovely Pawprint Family, a small business with a whole world of activities and resources at their fingertips. They have a whole host of free resources for World Book Day, including a free downloadable challenge pack, and for £2 you can get yourself (well, the kids) a special badge for completing the challenge, with 50p going towards World Book Day.
World Book Day crafts and screen-free activities
Not all of these need some explanations, so I hope they help for inspiration!
World Book Day Treasure Hunt
A bit like an Easter Egg Hunt, but with books instead! Why not hide some clues around the house and seek out a prize of a new book? Or if you can’t get a new book right now, we love digging out old books that Lily hasn’t read for a while. A fun adventure at home, ending with a story!
Build a reading den
Whether it’s a full-on living room campsite or a cosy reading corner, a new and comfy reading space can invite little ones to get into their stories!
Nature story
Why not head on a nature hunt on your daily exercise, collect some of nature’s treasure and see if these can inspire a story? We also love Spotty Dawdler’s nature cards – see what you can spot and maybe this can inspire a story!
Teddy Bear’s Picnic or Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
We may not be able to celebrate with our friends and family, but why not set up a tea party with your favourite toys and maybe a few cakes too! Lily loves to read recipes too – it all counts as learning, right?!
Research a job your child would like to do when they grow up
Draw your favourite character
Write about your favourite character
Make up an alternative ending to your book
Do a superhero-themed workout!
Record a short book review video to share with friends or family
Make a picture book
Set up a Zoom call with their friends to share their favourite stories
Write a short story on your favourite hobby
Bake – we all love an excuse to bake!
Go on a bear hunt – a great way to get outdoors too!
Use story stones or Plot Blocks to start a story
Craft bookmarks – why not make them as gifts?
Make your own beanstalk – what might you find at the top?
Mask making – make a paper mask of your favourite character!
Call a family member to tell them about a story
Make sock puppets to roleplay your favourite stories
Extreme reading: where’s the most fun place to read at home?
Make a cardboard box stage to roleplay a story!
Recycling crafts – check out her Very Hungry Caterpillar, ladybird and butterfly below!
