School Activities To Do on World Book Day
15 Jan, 20251-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- What World Book Day is.
- 8 school activities to do on World Book Day.
- Where the latest Teaching jobs are and how to apply for them.
One of the most beloved calendar dates in the school calendar, World Book Day is a global celebration of books for children, schools and communities.
Whether you’re a hardcore bookworm or just enjoy a story every now and then, World Book Day is all about celebrating how books can transport us to different worlds, spark our imagination, and even teach us something new.
For Teachers, World Book Day opens up a wealth of opportunities for fun and learning; from scavenger hunts to dressing up as their favourite book character, there’s so much to enjoy and learn from.
What is World Book Day?
World Book Day is an annual charity event funded by publishers and booksellers in the UK and Ireland, and created by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1998.
On World Book Day, every child in full-time education in the UK and Ireland is provided with a voucher or tokens to be spent on books. World Book Day celebrates authors, illustrators and books, and aims to instil a love of reading in children and young people.
When is World Book Day?
World Book Day is held on the first Thursday in March. In 2025, World Book Day falls on Thursday 6th March 2025.
School activities to do on World Book Day
8 school activities to do on World Book Day include:
- Dressing up as beloved book characters.
- Swapping books.
- Organise a book scavenger hunt.
- Reenact a famous book scene.
- Character hot seating.
- Organise a class trip.
- Write a short story or poem.
- Write a book.
Dressing up as beloved book characters
Dressing up as famous book characters is a tradition closely associated with World Book Day. On World Book Day, children and teaching staff are encouraged to dress as their favourite literary characters.
Dressing up is an effective way for children to see their favourite book characters brought to life - and even characters they might not be familiar with. By introducing new book characters, children can explore and discuss new stories.
It’s important to remind children (and their parents) that effective costumes can still be created at a low cost. In recent years, some parents have expressed concern over other parents competing to send their child into school in the best costume. When you’re trying to keep up with the Joneses, costs can spiral.
A red and white striped shirt for Where’s Wally or an orange face for an Oompa Loompa can still be just as fun and effective.
Whether it’s Harry Potter, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz or Peter Pan, children must feel comfortable participating.
Swapping books
Another classic activity practised in the classroom on World Book Day is to host a book swap. Teachers and Teaching Assistants can encourage students to bring in their favourite book and take turns swapping with other students.
According to the National Literacy Trust, 43.4% of children enjoyed reading ‘very much’ or ‘quite a lot’ in their free time and 44.6% said that they enjoyed reading during school time.
By giving every student the opportunity to talk about the books they've brought in, pupils can improve their communication skills and build relationships based on recommendations and shared interests.
Book swaps aim to encourage students to explore new genres and authors and can create a sense of kinship in the classroom similar to running a book club.
Organise a book scavenger hunt
A book scavenger hunt is a great way to introduce students to different literary genres and test their knowledge of books. Firstly, create a scavenger hunt list so students know what they're looking for, but instead of items, students need to find something within books.
Ask pairs or groups of students to take a look on the bookshelves in the classroom or in the school library and provide them with a checklist. Give them a list of items to find e.g., ‘a book with a dragon in it,’ ‘3 books by the same author,’ and ‘a book with more than 200 pages’ etc.
Or provide more personal prompts and ask students to find ‘a book you've read more than once,’ or ‘a book with your favourite animal in it,’ and ask them to explain their choice. You can determine the difficulty and even end the hunt by asking students to find ‘a book they'd like to read.’
A book scavenger hunt can increase children's observational and organisational skills while reiterating the value of teamwork and reading books. Provide clues, hints and riddles for students throughout the scavenger hunt to encourage healthy competition.
Reenact a famous book scene
World Book Day naturally lends its hand to improving reading and writing skills, but it also provides plenty of opportunities for students to brush up on those drama skills!
Teachers can ask their students to add a bit of drama and theatricality to World Book Day by recreating a famous literary scene. Books, plays and poems, such as those from playwright William Shakespeare, provide students with perfect opportunities to act or direct a scene.
Put students into pairs or groups and challenge them to reenact a scene from their favourite book using the dialogue in the book. Allow students to choose their characters, set the scene and explore the storyline in more detail than they may have by reading.
For extremely creative students, they could even perform an interpretation of a beloved book, or create a sequel to a beloved story.
Character hot seating
Character hot seating is a technique used in drama to help students understand a character's development and motivations. A student takes on the role of a book character and is asked questions about the character's life. The student has to answer the questions and express their feelings as the character.
Hot seating makes students think on the spot, tests their knowledge of the character and the role they play in the story and encourages students to be open, communicative and independent.
Other students can write down any mannerisms, tone of voice or quotes that the character says during the hot seating session and then discuss what they saw and how it measured up to the book and the character.
Hot seating can deepen students' understanding of the characters and introduce them to new or interesting concepts they hadn't considered before.
Organise a class trip
Why not take World Book Day out of the classroom and go on a school trip? There are plenty of book-themed and reading related school trips to get students out of the classroom and exploring literature outside.
Why not visit a local library or bookshop to give students the opportunity to use their book tokens from World Book Day and get a free book to take home?
You could take a trip to the theatre or attend a drama workshop to give students the opportunity to see their favourite stories brought to life by professionals on stage. There are plenty of theatre productions, such as Matilda, The Gruffalo, or Alice in Wonderland, to get involved in.
Or why not invite an author to the school? Author visits can be very effective for inspiring young writers as it connects them with real world careers and bridges the gap between students and professional writing.
If possible, bring the event or special guests into the classroom! Even just reading outside in the playground can create a sense of wonder, improve mood and reduce stress for students.
Write short stories or poems
Why not let the students become the authors or poets by asking them to write a short story or poem? Reading is an excellent tool to improve language and writing skills, and encourages students to produce high quality writing. Even if students don’t consider themselves as writers, it can help to build confidence, improve grammatical skills and motivate students.
Students could be inspired to write something completely from scratch, based on their own imagination, or based on their favourite literary character. Their stories might be based in a historical time, in space or even in a fantasy land! This fun task encourages children and young people to be imaginative and lets their creativity flow.
Write a book
Now your students have written a short story, why not encourage them to do the next steps and write an actual book? From designing the cover, to writing the blurb and choosing a publisher, these tasks and activities give students insight into the world of authorship and publication.
Ask students to consider the writing process and everything that is required to publish a book. This includes the editing process, deciding on branding, who the desired audience is, how to fund printing the book, where the book will be sold and how it will be marketed.
This can help students learn to write for an audience and develop their voice and writing style. If students aren’t confident or excited about the writing aspect, they may discover that they love designing covers, illustrating characters, editing drafts or managing the finances.
Once the book is published, students will see that they are capable of great things and have a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Teaching jobs
If you’re searching for your next teaching job, why not take a look at the latest teaching vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Recruit teaching staff
As a specialist education recruitment agency, we support mainstream and SEND schools with their temporary, permanent and temp-perm staffing needs.
We currently work with hundreds of schools and have exclusive access to some of the best Teachers and Teaching Assistants in the North West.
If you’re struggling to fill a teaching vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?
- Primary schools - Jimmy Callagher
- Secondary schools - Liam Jones
- SEND schools - Jamie Heath
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations.
In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing
Corporate Functions & Business Support
Related Posts
What Is an Executive Headteacher?
08 Jan, 2025
