Fun With Kids

Easy book week costume ideas for school

Book Week is coming! It’s great for kids to celebrate their love of reading, characters, and authors, but with it comes the need for dressing up at school! Well, there’s no need to panic! We’ve got some great, simple ideas which will remove the stress.

August 11, 2022

Here are some quick and easy ideas you can make with purchasing a few easily accessible bits and pieces, or things you may already have at home.  

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Cut out green cardboard circles and glue them together for the caterpillar body. Using pipe cleaners for feet, add two to the side of each circle. Make a face mask from red cardboard – (carefully make some eye holes so your child can see where they’re going!) and paint in caterpillar’s eyes. Use more pipe cleaners for antennae. Secure the face mask with elastic.  

Harry Potter (or Ron or Hermione!)

Make a black cape with a length of black fabric (no sewing required!). Print off a Gryffindor badge (you’ll find lots online). Make some glasses out of pipe cleaners or paint them on with face paint. Finish off the look with the lightening scar and find stick to use as a magic wand.

The Cat in the hat

Make a tall cardboard hat and paint it white (or cover with white adhesive vinyl) then add red gaffer tape to make the stripes. Wear a t-shirt and shorts or leggings and face paint the cat’s face. Make the cat’s shirt front with white adhesive vinyl and a red fabric bow.  

Thing 1/Thing 2 (Dr Seuss)

All you need is a red t-shirt and a printed circle with reads Thing 1 or Thing 2. If you can find a blue curly wig, great! If not, use blue hair spray.  

Fox in Socks (Dr Seuss)

Grab a red top and leggings with blue socks for the hands and feet. Finish with cardboard fox ears attached to a headband (you could also face paint a fox face).  

Captain Underpants

All you need for this one is a beige t-shirt and leggings (if you can’t find these, white would do) with underpants over the top of the leggings, plus a red cape made from a piece of material. Done!  

Where’s Wally

Grab a red t-shirt and make the stripes with white tape. Make glasses out of pipe cleaners or paint on with black face paint. If you can’t find a red and white beanie – just go with one colour. Wear jeans for the bottom.  

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This one doesn’t take much time at all – print or draw the face of the wimpy kid and stick it onto cardboard for a mask. Pair it up with a white t-shirt and black shorts.  

Dennis the Menace

All you need is a red, long-sleeved t-shirt with gaffer tape to make the black stripes. Pair with black shorts and a black curly wig, if you have one.    

Mr Men or Little Miss

For any of the Mr Men or Little Miss Characters – get a large piece of cardboard and cut out the shape of the character you want to make. Paint it the colour of the character and add the face. Then attach to your child with string around their waist. Just wear plain coloured clothes underneath.  

Room on the broom

Make a witch’s hat from black cardboard, a black cape from fabric or a bin liner - and a red T-shirt and purple skirt or leggings (if you can find them - but you could get away with black leggings if you can’t).  

The Dictionary!

Wear a black or white t-shirt and shorts or leggings and cut words out of magazines and old books – stick them on and go as the dictionary!  

Peter Pan

Grab a green polo shirt and cut the bottom in a jagged edge. If you can find green leggings – great – if not, just use black. Put a belt around the middle and make a green cap made from two triangles of green felt sewn, glued or stapled together – top it all off with a red feather.  

Queen of Hearts (Alice in Wonderland)

Find a black t-shirt and skirt and make some red cardboard hearts. Attach the hearts down the front of the shirt. Get a pack of playing cards and glue them all over the costume. Make a tiny crown for the head.

Hints

Utilise the internet for references or to print off face masks for characters to save time.  

If you’re really pressed for time, just do the top half of the character, and wear black shorts, leggings or pants.  

Generic characters for book week

Cat

Black t-shirt and shorts/leggings and paint on a nose and whiskers and add cardboard ears.  

Bird

Glue lots of feathers over and old T-shirt and shorts

Sheep

Glue lots of cotton wool balls over T-shirt (and shorts if you have the time) and a beanie. Make some cardboard ears and attach to the beanie and paint on the face of a sheep.

Ghost

The easiest one of all! Just use an old sheet and cut out some eye holes!

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