Did you know there was a World Book Day? I only found out last year, and I was thrilled! I love reading books myself, and I will take any chance to get my students to develop a love for reading too. And what better way to celebrate reading than an actual day in honor or books? I’ve come up with some fun activities to do for World Book Day. They all have something to do with reading, authors or with characters in books. I hope you try some for yourself!
You might also like my free Novel Study Speed Dating Sheets to use as a fun activity with your students! Grab them right here.
When’s World Book Day?
World Book Day is celebrated on the 23rd of April every year.
Why we celebrate World Book Day?
As the dedicated website to the day says: “It is is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books – a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures.” Take this day as an opportunity to get students to just read for pleasure, and read something they love. This website has some cool activities too, so be sure to check that out.
What to do for World Book Day?
So what am I doing for World Book Day 2022? Here are some really great ideas for teachers I picked up and started using.
World Book Day costumes
I ask students to dress up as their favorite character from a book. Not only is it really fun to guess who is dressed up as who, but it also shows me how well students know their character and what their favorite book is. Some characters are not super recognizable, but with my younger kiddos I read The Wizard of Oz and Frankenstein, and both the Monster and the Tin Man are pretty easy to spot 🙂
Writing ideas for World Book Day
I happen to think reading pairs really well with writing! I love to get my students to process what they’ve read into a creative writing piece. This is why I have come up with a variety of tasks that help students unlock their creativity. I’m offering this list of tasks for free in my store, here, if you want to check it out now. My favorite tasks on there are:
- writing a letter to the main character to ask any questions they are left with;
- creating a brochure for the area the story takes place in;
- writing a new ending or new beginning to the story;
- coming up with a new character to add to the novel;
- and creating a Wanted poster for a character from the book.
Other activities for World Book Day
Some other ideas of mine include talking about books. In one activity, I get students to walk around the room and find similarities between the story they are reading and that of other students by talking to them. They’ll find out, for example, both books are about kids that are orphans, or both books take place in a magical world. Another of my World Book Day activities is doing research about the author of our books. We find articles about them and watch videos to learn more about why they wrote the books that we’re reading.
Related articles
Check out my other blog posts about reading lessons here! My favorite one is:
Why this is the best strategy for reading that students absolutely love
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