Budget-friendly costume ideas for World Book Day
World Book Day is on 6th March 2025 - the time of year that can send all parents into a last-minute panic!
If you’re in a no-costume nightmare and you don’t want to spend a fortune, here are some budget-friendly costume ideas for World Book Day that you can easily create for the kids with items you might already have at home:
Where’s Wally (or Waldo)
What you need: A red-and-white striped top, blue jeans, and a beanie or red hat.
How to make it: Draw a pair of round glasses on some paper or find some old glasses at home. For an extra touch, you can create a homemade sign saying "Where’s Wally?" and pin it to the back.
Harry Potter
What you need: A black robe (could be a black sweater or an old black t-shirt), a scarf (either red and gold or green and silver depending on the house), and a wand (a stick or chopstick).
How to make it: Use face paint or eyeliner to create the lightning bolt scar on the forehead. You can also create glasses using wire or even cut out some from cardboard.
The Cat in the Hat
What you need: A red and white striped hat (or a DIY version using paper or fabric), black clothes, and a red bow tie.
How to make it: Use face paint or black eyeliner to draw whiskers and a nose. You can even make the hat from an old cereal box and some red and white paper!
Little Red Riding Hood
What you need: A red hoodie or a red scarf, black leggings, and a basket.
How to make it: You can even make a DIY cape by cutting a piece of red fabric or an old sheet. Add a small stuffed toy in the basket to represent "grandma."
The Gruffalo
What you need: Brown clothes, a headband, and some cardboard to make the Gruffalo's horns and ears.
How to make it: Cut out two circles for ears and glue them to a headband. Create horns using cardboard or paper tubes. For the face, use face paint to add the signature yellow eyes and whiskers.
Winnie-the-Pooh
What you need: Yellow t-shirt, red top (for his famous shirt), and black pants or shorts.
How to make it: Draw Pooh’s nose and simple bear ears with a headband using brown paper or fabric. You can also make a jar of "honey" by wrapping a jar in brown paper and labeling it “Honey”.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
What you need: Green and red clothing.
How to make it: Cut out circles from colored paper or fabric to represent the segments of the caterpillar and attach them to a t-shirt or dress. Make antennae by using a headband and attaching pipe cleaners or straws.
Peter Rabbit
What you need: Blue jacket or vest, brown pants or leggings, and a pair of bunny ears.
How to make it: Create a little tail from cotton wool or a pom-pom. If you don't have bunny ears, make your own from a piece of cardboard or fabric.
Goldilocks
What you need: Yellow or blonde wig (or you can braid real hair), blue dress, and brown shoes.
How to make it: You can add a touch of creativity by making a small "bowl of porridge" out of a paper cup or a small plate with fake food on it.
The Wind in the Willows (Mole)
What you need: Brown clothes, a brown cap, and some face paint.
How to make it: Use face paint to create a cute mole nose and whiskers. Create little paws using brown gloves or mittens.
Mary Poppins
What you need: A white shirt, a black skirt, and a black hat.
How to make it: Attach flowers or a ribbon to the hat, and use a black umbrella as an accessory. A red bow tie or a large button on the shirt will complete the look.
The Twits (Mr. Twit or Mrs. Twit)
What you need: Scruffy clothes, a fake beard (or draw one with face paint).
How to make it: Make the beard from cotton wool, and create an unruly look with your hair (or use a wig). For Mrs. Twit, you could wear a dress and use a scarf or headband to create a "wild" hairstyle.
These ideas can easily be put together without spending too much. The key is to be thrifty, creative and use what you have around the house!
If you’re looking for books for World Book Day, Amazon have a range for just £1!
