Parenting hacks: 5 brilliant World Book Day activities that don’t need costumes

Tip 1. Cook using a favourite book

Cooking food from books brings stories to life in ways costumes can’t. It engages all five senses and provides memorable, real-life connections to story events. It is also a social activity, making it a great way to bond with your child.

Choose a book that features a tasty meal or snack, and then enjoy making the dish together. Many food-themed books include enticing recipes at the back, in the author’s notes, so do look out for that.

For babies and toddlers, read the rhythmic board book Bhorta Bhorta Baby! by Jumana Rahman and Maryam Huq. After reading, make aloo bhorta, the Bangladeshi mashed-potato speciality described in the story. Your toddler will enjoy watching you cook, having a go at mashing some cooled potatoes, and tasting the finished dish. 

Alternatively, read Zeki Goes to the Market by Anna McQuinn and Ruth Hearson, to prompt a visit to a multi-ethnic food market. Once back home, create an easy dish or drink inspired by the story. For example, a simple veggie pasta or egg noodles, a fruit smoothie, or even some honey buns for children aged 1 year plus.

For 3 to 7s, The Best Jollof Rice Ever by Onyinye Iwu is perfect for making Nigerian jollof rice together while talking about favourite family foods. Or, read A Taste of Home by Maryam Hassan and Anna Wilson, and then make a meal from your own culture or memory of a family birthday party or wedding.

Finally, for 5 to 9s, bake chocolate-chip cookies while reading the 2024 IBC Award-winner Meet the Maliks: The Cookie Culprit by Zanib Mian, an entertaining mystery-adventure chapter book with authentic South Asian Muslim representation.

Sensory-friendly cooking activities are perfect for children who find dressing up overwhelming or even painful. You will also be introducing children to new cuisines or deepening their knowledge of their own. 

Bonus tip: let your child bring their food-themed book and/or a photo of their homemade dish to school or nursery. Teachers love food-based World Book Day activities because they help boost children’s vocabulary, sparking brilliant conversations about the delicious-sounding stories or encouraging recounting of recipe instructions.

Tip 2. Do DIY, book mysteries

For children who love mysteries, instead of dressing up as a book-detective character, they could simply solve mysteries around the house in the lead-up to World Book Day.

To get in the mood, prepare a DIY detective kit with your child (particularly exciting for younger children). Make a cardboard magnifying glass, a small notebook, a pencil, a badge labelled ‘Book Detective’, and an optional fingerprint kit made using washable paint or pencil lead rubbings as ‘ink’ on a piece of paper (note: pencil lead consists of a safe mix of graphite and clay).

If your home library is not yet fully inclusive, a diverse range of inclusive children’s book mysteries is available to borrow or buy, inspiring other homemade, super-sleuthing activities.

For little ones, introduce simple picture book mysteries, such as Priya Mistry and the Paw Prints Puzzle by Babita Sharma and Ali Pye.

For 5 to 9s, read longer, illustrated, mystery chapter books like Lizzie & Lucky: The Mystery of the Lost Chicken by Megan Rix (5 plus) or longer, early middle grades like The Lucky House Detective Agency by Scarlett Li and (7 plus) or Kereen Getten’s Di Island Crew Investigates Mystery series (8 plus).

During or after reading one of the above titles, you could run a book scavenger hunt. Hide various mystery books around the house with clues leading to each one. Or plan a book-character quiz. List clues about two or three book characters from a mystery book you’ve just read, for your child to guess.

If you are feeling extra creative, you could devise a homemade crime scene, inspired by your child’s fave mystery book. Place police warning tape and props around a room as clues that lead to a criminal mastermind. Keep whodunnit themes light and appropriate for your child’s age, eg who stole the cookie or puppy, or who broke the money pot?, etc. For older children, include some red herrings too!

If time is tight for World Book Day activities, you could keep things simple. While reading their chosen book, pause before the ending and ask your mini-detective to try to solve the mystery. Alternatively, help your child to write some yes or no questions to challenge their classmates with on World Book Day. Can the class work out your child’s favourite book from their responses?

These mystery activities focus on engagement with books rather than children’s physical appearance. Children are generally naturally inquisitive, so they should enjoy being homegrown detectives, whatever their age, abilities or circumstances.

Bonus tip: check out our ready-made IBC booklists, Mystery Books for a Screen-Free summer and Mystery Chapter Books for reading inspiration too!

Tip 3. Host a pre-World Book Day picnic

Why not have a yummy brunch or picnic while sharing your child’s favourite inclusive book(s)?

Spread a blanket and some cushions in the garden or a nearby park, or set up an indoor reading fort with pillows and fairy lights.

Once your location is set, all you need is your child’s chosen book(s) and a bit of food and drink. Bring a flask, water bottle and some savoury or sweet treats, eg toast, sandwiches, fruit, cheese or pastries, whatever you have to hand and like to eat, and of course, don't forget the books!

The aim is for minimal preparation or stress by using food and books you already have at home. It’s a chance for quality reading and family time without commercial pressure, and it works at any time, indoors or outdoors, before or after school. A World Book Day picnic is also sibling-friendly, as everyone can bring different books to enjoy.

For little ones, try the 2024 IBC Award-winner Too Green! by Sumana Seeboruth and Maribel Castells, a short, funny, rhyming story featuring an ethnically diverse family and LGBTQIA+ representation.

For older children, books about the act of reading might be fun. Check out our diverse collection A Love Letter to Libraries, for great, engaging reads that suit children from 3 to 8 years old.

Bonus tip: take a photo of your child reading at breakfast, brunch or lunch and send it to their school or nursery teacher. A group picnic is also the perfect opportunity to try out some of the World Book Day £1 short books. The 2026 list includes one or two diverse titles if you want to keep things inclusive, including The Big Bang by Rose Ayling-Ellis and Pia’s Pet Club: Iguana Escape by Serena Patel.

4. Build a book scene through play

Help your child create a favourite scene from a book using whatever materials you have available. There’s no right way to do this. It’s all about imaginative thinking, flexibility, creativity and play.

Gather and use suitable child-safe items that represent your child’s chosen book scene. Small toys (animals or human figures, cars, doll’s-house furniture, constuction blocks); natural items (play sand, sticks, leaves, stones, shells); fabric scraps, playdough, coloured paper, cardboard boxes or containers; or anything else you have that suits what they want to make.

For pre-schoolers, let them explore building a colourful riverside landscape with small toy boats and natural materials/fabrics to represent the sandy banks, river and greenery, inspired by the award-winning board book Democratic Republic of the Congo by Mel Nyoko and Joelle Avelino. If available, they could build the scene in a sand or water tray.

For 3 to 7s, your child could create an exciting adventure playground or a football pitch for Joe from You’re So Amazing!, perhaps using playdough, collage or LEGO bricks.

For 5 to 9s, they could use small boxes and fabric scraps to build a sleepover bedroom scene from Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise by Adeola Sokunbi (2025 IBC Award-winner).

Bonus tip: older children might enjoy using more complicated construction kits, eg LEGO or Mecano, to build more intricate book scenes. If allowed, they could bring their models to school for show and tell. This activity can work perfectly for children with SEND, anxiety, or those who find all the changes on World Book Day overwhelming. The focus shifts from what they are wearing to enjoying playing with ideas from their favourite story.

5. Run a pop-up World Book Day library

On the morning of the big day itself, you could set up a makeshift ‘World Book Day children’s community library’ for the day.

Fill a large, see-through and waterproof container (ensure it has an accesible lid or door) with a fabulous range of diverse books your child no longer reads (make sure you have their agreement to use the books).

Add a sign explaining how your lending library works, then place it by the front door of your block of flats (with other residents’ permission) or on your front lawn. The important thing is that the library is clearly accesible and visible to passersby, and you’re all set!

Locals and neighbours can then browse and borrow books for free as they wish. Be prepared, though, that some of the books might not be returned.

This is a fantastic sustainable activity that keeps good books in circulation, and teaches children about the importance of sharing, generosity and the joy of introducing new readers to beloved stories.

Bonus tip: your child might want to use their £1 World Book Day token to buy a diverse book from the World Book Day selection. Once they have read it, add it to your community library. This way, they are directly supporting inclusive representation.

World Book Day should celebrate reading, not stress you out. Costumes can sometimes create barriers for many families due to cost, sensory sensitivities, time pressures or cultural differences. These five fun activities put the focus back where it belongs: on books and the joy of reading them together.

That said, if your little one or their school insists they have a World Book Day costume, check out our tried and tested, budget and eco-friendly costume ideas that are truly inclusiveand easy to put together.

Don’t forget! Make sure you have a range of inclusive titles available for your child to read during World Book Day and beyond. 

You can check out our expertly reviewed inclusive books for babies right through to children aged 9 by visiting the IBC website and clicking ‘Search books’ and ‘Search booklists’.

All titles are good quality reads, and are richly diverse in format, topics and representation. 

Explore the IBC website to find memorable inclusive books that both you and your child will enjoy this World Book Day.

Fabia Turner is Head of Content at IBC and the Founder of the Jericho Prize for Children’s Writing. She is also a former primary teacher and educational book editor with a love of children’s literature.