5 Simple Activities for World Book Day
Posted by EYR Team on 10th Feb 2025
read moreWorld Book Day is just around the corner and it’s the biggest celebration of its kind.
We celebrate World Book Day to salute authors, books, and illustrators and to give all young children the opportunity to read and explore books of all kinds.
From dressing up, face paint and - of course – reading, you can embrace World Book Day in your own creative way. In this blog, we share 5 simple activities for you to explore and make the most of World Book Day!
1. Create a new character from a favourite book
Ask your little one to think of a character name, a role and a back story!
Start by asking children to list all of the characters in their favourite book. Then ask them to think about somebody new to fit into the story. This not only encourages children to use their imagination but it also enables them to develop their emotional and social development.
2. Craft a new book cover
Let's get crafty! By asking a few simple questions you can inspire children to draw a book cover for their very own book.
Using a simple craft set, ask the children to think about what the main characters may look like and let their imaginations run wild.
3. Act out their favourite story
For part of World Book Day children often dress up as their favourite character – so let’s make the most of it!
Inspire them to read their favourite book aloud and act out their character's part, thinking about expressing body language and their emotion behind the story. Story sets and prompts can help with this too by acting as a safe reference point for children and helping them to expand their thought processes.
Take the stress out of buying new World Book Day costumes by creating characters with items you may already have at hand. Cut out large ears and attach them to a headband to create the Roald Dahl's The BFG or create a headband from scratch using paper and card for characters like The Very Hungry Caterpillar or The Gruffalo.
4. Create a mural or poster of characters
For a great way to incorporate arts & crafts into your World Book Day activities, why not ask the children to think of their favourite characters, and draw them on a poster or mural for the world to see! For this, you’ll need some bright & vibrant colours, along with a canvas to draw on.
5. Write a sequel story
The great thing about World Book Day is that it encourages children to let their imaginations run wild and with World Book Day tokens, children can pick out their own book at participating stores for free.
With this in mind, why not turn your children into authors themselves and ask them to write a follow up to their favourite book? This can range from a few pages on the day, to a longer, continuous task that they can return to.
Let us know how you get on with your World Book Day activities and share your experience with us on social media by using the hashtag #ExploreWithEYR.
Looking for more World Book Day ideas and inspiration? Read our blog which covers the top 28 World Book Day ideas for schools.
You can also access our free World Book Day colouring sheets and downloads here, including The Little Red Hen and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.