World Book Day Ideas For Kids
On 23rd April, the UN celebrates World Book Day. Its focus is on the importance of stories and how they unite us. Whether that’s connecting the author to the reader, the past to the future or being a bridge for generations and culture.
Everyone has a story to tell and this World Book Day, we’re encouraging your children – and you – to give it a go. Try these creative writing prompts with your kids and see what stories you can create.
What is World Book Day?
World Book Day is celebrated every year by the United Nations on 23rd April. This date was chosen because it’s a significant literary marker – the date when William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all passed away.
Instead of being a sad day, it’s been redesigned as a celebration of the colourful works that they brought into the world as well as what other great works came before and after them.
World Book Day is normally celebrated in schools with children dressing up as their favourite character. Who are your favourite book characters?
Why is World Book Day so important for children?
World Book Day reminds us of the power of creativity. It brings people together, helps people to understand the world around them and can even make you feel inspired. It’s good to reassure children that creativity is just as important as other academic studies like maths and science.
Here at Not Bored Box, we are passionate about inspiring children to create with their hands and minds, away from screens. Which is why we encourage writing in every box. Each of our subscriptions comes with paper to write postcards, letters and even stories. This is because writing helps children with:
- Self-expression
- Understanding the world
- Correct grammar
- Creativity
- Confidence
How to write a short story for World Book Day
Most good stories follow a structure. For short stories, we normally use a ’story arc‘ or ‚Story Mountain‘. This is a way to visualize the story that you are telling to include lots of interesting plot points, tension and emotion. The aim of the Story Mountain is to get from one side of the mountain to the other.
The Story Mountain
- Start with an opening This is what is happening at the start of your story. Introduce places and characters plus anything that you think might be useful for the reader to know. It’s a good idea to start in the middle of some action, so that your reader is hooked right away. Imagine we are writing a story now. In our story, we have a school football team.
- Begin the climb up the mountain In this section, you are telling the reader more about what is going to happen in the story. This is an event (or series of events) that disrupts the state of calm at the beginning of your story. The team is getting ready for the most important match of the year. But then one of their star players decides that they can’t play the match.
- Tell us about a problem Next, you introduce your problem. What is the obstacle that your character needs to overcome? And what options do they have to resolve it? The other team is very hungry to win. They will do whatever it takes and they have one of the best players in the country on their side. Your team needs its star player otherwise it looks like they will lose. They have no choice but to play the match with a man down.
- Finding the solution A-ha! Your character has found the answer to their problems. Show the reader what it is and how this solves the conflict. Who is around to help them? Your team’s star player is watching from the sidelines but manages to distract the striker which allows your team on the pitch to score the winning goal.
- Climbing down the mountain
This is the final section of your story where your character’s problem is solved. What lessons have they learned along the way? How is their world or their life different when it starts out?Your team wins the tournament thanks to the cunning plan of your star player.
Creative writing prompts for kids
Now it’s your turn! Let’s see what stories you can come up with. And here are some ideas to help you get there:
- Write a story about a special invention which goes wrong
- Write a story about why your favourite animal looks like it does (for example, how the tiger got its stripes)
- Write a story that combines the past and the future
- Write a story with characters from two different generations
Once your children have written their story, why not have a reading night where you share your ideas? Or let them design a cover for their novel. Happy World Book Day!