Informative Celebrate World Book Day 2025

Taking place on the 6th of March this year, many in the UK are preparing to celebrate World Book Day. The purpose of this day is to encourage reading for enjoyment, especially in children. A 2024 survey by the National Literacy Trust found that only 34.6% of children (ages 8 to 18) enjoyed reading, which was a decrease from the previous year. As World Book Day rolls around again, it is important to not only encourage reading for children but find ways to make it more enjoyable for them and their families as well.

In this blog, we will share:

• What World Book Day is
• The importance of literacy in children
• World Book Day activities

What is World Book Day?

First celebrated in 1998, World Book Day is an event celebrated annually on the first Thursday of March in the UK and Ireland. The charity event aims to encourage children to not only read but to enjoy reading. To achieve this, children are provided with tokens that can be used to get free books. You can read our blog on how to get World Book Day tokens to find out more about these tokens.

In addition to providing these tokens to help children get their hands on a variety of books, the charity organisation partners with local libraries and charities to provide access to books, provides free reading resources to assist families that cannot afford books and provides free costumes.

Literacy in Children

Literacy refers to the ability to read and write and is a crucial aspect of speaking, listening and communicating. In children, literacy lays the foundation for their entire lives. It is what their education journeys will be built on and as they get older, plays a role in learning new skills and comprehending the world around them.

In a 2024 article, The Independent reported that about 30% of 5-year-olds in England were not meeting their expected reading levels based on data from 2022 and 2023. Factors such as the cost of living crisis, poverty, lack of access to early education resources and a lack of encouragement to read contribute to children falling behind in literacy.

The results of low or poor literacy levels include:

• Poorer mental health and overall health.
• Reduced future earnings.
• Low self-esteem.
• Behavioural issues.

On the other hand, the results of higher literacy levels include:

• Improved mental well-being and overall health.
• Higher confidence.
• Improved life outcomes.
• The ability to understand and comprehend health information, voting information and other forms of critical information.

Celebrate World Book Day With These 3 Activities

Each year, there are plenty of activities that children can take part in to celebrate World Book Day and grow their love for reading. Here are 3 activities for children and the entire family:

1. Dress up!

Dressing up as a book character is one of the most popular World Book Day activities. “Whether you are buying a costume or making one, this provides the perfect opportunity for your child to invest more time and interest in reading through dressing up as a character from a book,” says Marylyn Ncube. World Book Day has partnered with Rubies and Parentkind to donate 100,000 costumes to schools with over 25% free school meal provision. This will give many more children the chance to dress up and have fun!

If you need inspiration for costumes, read our blog on unique World Book Day costumes to get the creative juices flowing. Retailers such as Tu Clothing have a World Book Day section filled with cute costumes based on popular book characters. Using Children's fashion discount codes can also come in handy to save on any items you need for a costume.

2. Try alternatives to traditional reading

Sometimes reading is not possible because of time constraints or because children just don’t want to at that time. If that is the case, alternatives such as audiobooks or video storybooks are the way to go. World Book Day has a Share A Story Corner page that features video stories with beloved book characters and activities for children and parents. They also have a World of Stories page with free audiobooks for all reading levels. For more audiobooks, you can check out audible and use an audible discount code to save on a subscription.

This year, the BBC will be hosting a live lesson aimed towards 7 to 11-year-olds at 11:00 on the 6th of March. The lesson will feature book recommendations and educational activities.

3. Head to the library

Go to your local library and sign your child up for a library card. Libraries are the best places for free books and other reading materials. Not only will your child have access to a wide variety of books, they will also have access to any resources the library may offer. The library is also a great place for children to socialise (albeit quietly) and learn how to interact in such environments.

If you would like to grow your child’s personal library at home and prefer purchasing books, you can use our Book discount codes to save. You can also read our blog on World Book Day retailers for suggestions on where to go book shopping.

Encourage The Love of Reading This World Book Day!

Celebrate World Book Day to introduce reading for fun to children. Don’t stop there though and keep the fun going every day! For more information on the importance of reading and fun activities, read our International Children’s Book Day blog, which discusses another fun-filled annual reading event for children.