5 Unique Ways to Celebrate World Book Day with your Family

World Book Day 2021 is here on Thursday 4th March, how will you be celebrating it? If you’ve got children, they probably love getting dressed up and going to school as their favourite book character. Schools haven’t re-opened yet, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still celebrate World Book Day in style this year. 

Here are 5 of our best ideas of how you can celebrate World Book Day 2021 with your family - inspired by some of our favourite stories and characters.

“I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” – Piglet, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh

Winnie the Pooh has been a beloved children’s character for almost a century, and his whimsical adventures with his friends in the hundred-acre wood still bring joy to families today. Celebrate World Book Day by getting outdoors and going on an adventure in your local hundred-acre wood. 

A great opportunity to get some fresh air, exploring your local woodland will be extra fun if you take inspiration from Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and the rest of their friends. Try to find a bridge over some flowing water and play a game of Pooh Sticks – all you need for this fun game is a stick and yourselves! See any animal tracks on the ground? Could a Heffalump have left them behind? Go on a Heffalump hunt and see what you can find.

Make it a lasting memory: Take photos of your exploration and create a Memory Book telling a new story: The Many Adventures of World Book Day 2021!

“On Saturday, he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice-cream cone, one pickle…” – The Very Hungry Caterpillar

A classic children’s story and beautifully illustrated, The Very Hungry Caterpillar tells the tale of an overindulgent bug’s transformation into an elegant butterfly. The message behind the story is one of hope, of growing up, unfolding your wings and flying, says author Eric Carle. A lovely message, but we were always more interested in all the delicious food the caterpillar got to enjoy!

In honour of The Very Hungry Caterpillar why not do some baking and cooking with your kids? There are heaps of child-friendly recipes online that you can make, and spending the day baking with your loved ones is a lovely way to make some family memories – especially if the weather doesn’t allow for any outdoor adventures! Your children will feel really accomplished and proud of themselves at the end of the day when they sit down to eat their creations – they might even help with the washing up!

Make it a lasting memory: Create your own “Very Hungry” recipe/story book – take photos of your creations, and of your children creating them, and make a special Memory Book featuring your day’s work. Add the recipe details alongside the photos and you’ll have your own bespoke family recipe book.

"Excuse me, but I'm very hungry. Do you think I could have tea with you?" – Tiger, The Tiger Who Came To Tea

Recently made into a Christmas TV special, The Tiger Who Came to Tea is a funny and delightful story about, well, a tiger coming for tea! You may not have any tigers to invite, but a family tea party is a great (and tasty) way to spend an afternoon. If you wanted to, your child could take on the role of the tiger and then you can have extra fun getting them dressed up too. 

You can find a wonderful resource here which has everything you might need for extra entertainment at your own tiger tea party, from crafting your own bunting and party hats, to activities and games that can be played together. 

Make it a lasting memory: Just like you would with any other party, take as many photos as you can. Then you can create a fun Memory Book to commemorate all the fun and games you had together as a family.

“I’m sticking right here in the family tree…” – Stick Man

That’s how Stick Man’s last tale ended – after a big adventure including run in’s with dogs, swans and even Father Christmas. But what do you think he did next?

Get your children’s imagination going by setting this fun creative writing exercise – write a sequel to Stick Man. Sit down and read the heart-warming original tale first, then let your kids take the wheel and create Stick Man’s next big adventure. Who will he meet? Where will he end up? Maybe his family will join him, or the book could focus on Stick Lady or Stick Children having an adventure this time? There are so many possibilities, and once the tale has been created you can have fun either illustrating the story or finding some sticks and recreating the adventure in real life. 

Make it a lasting memory: Don’t forget to take your camera with you if you do a “real life” Stick Man story. Whether hand drawn or created with real sticks, take photos of the story being told and use them to create a personalised Memory Book. Stick Man: The Sequel, written by - our family!

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

These are just some of our ideas inspired by our favourite stories, but the possibilities really are endless. Whatever story or character your children love there’s a fun way to make them extra engaging this World Book Day. You can have a crafty day creating costumes, props and scenery or spend a quieter day simply writing and drawing. You can take part in fun activities inspired by the characters, indoors and outdoors and let your imaginations run wild. Celebrate World Book Day in style, and celebrate it with your family for lasting memories.