10 Ready Made & DIY Book Week Costume Ideas For Teachers

Book Week is approaching fast, and it's time to get your costume sorted… especially if you're a teacher! As a teacher, leading by example is probably something you do every day, and having a quality Book Week costume is a fantastic way to inspire your own students to get in on the action. If you're looking for easy Book Week costumes for teachers or ideas you can flex your DIY skills with, you've come to the right place!

At Spotlight our collection of adult costumes contains heaps of great options for Book Week, and are perfect if you are looking for a ready-made costume. And for those who love to make your own costumes, our craft and sewing supplies have everything you need to make your own DIY Book Week costume as well! We have curated some of our favourite Book Week costume ideas for teachers in this blog, with a mix of ready-made outfits that are ideal last-minute Book Week costumes for teachers and DIY options to inspire you, as well as some group options if teachers want to coordinate. Here are our top 10 Book Week costumes for teachers for Book Week 2023!

1. The Mad Hatter

Kooky, colourful and instantly recognisable, The Mad Hatter is one of the most memorable characters from Lewis Carrol's Alice In Wonderland. At Spotlight, you can find several Mad Hatter-themed costumes and accessories, from wigs and hats to full-blown detailed outfits.

Bring in a tea set from home for your desk to complete the look, and be sure to prepare some fun riddles to test your class with in character!

2. Wally From Where's Wally

With his simple but iconic look, Wally from Martin Handford's Where's Wally? (known as Where's Waldo? in some countries) is an easy Book Week costume idea for any teacher. Featuring round glasses, a stripy red and white shirt and matching beanie, and sometimes a walking cane, Wally's eye-catching look was designed to be easy to spot in Handford's sprawling picture books.

Get your students in on the fun by hiding Where's Wally? themed iconography around your classroom and testing your students to find them.

3. Albus Dumbledore

Want a costume that doesn't stray too far from your profession? Try dressing up as Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter for book week! Our ready-made Dumbledore costumes feature his regal robe, hat and iconic beard - all you need to add is a grey wig to complete the costume, plus a wand for casting all your favourite spells!

Be sure to create a matching magical classroom with all sorts of Harry Potter-themed decor, or organise a game of real-life Quidditch (also known as Quadball) on your school's field!

4. Cat In The Hat

Beloved by teachers for its excellence as a primer for young readers, Dr Seuss' The Cat In The Hat and its cheeky titular character are a staple costume at Book Week every year. Featuring a tall, red and white striped hat, white gloves and a red bow tie, a Cat In The Hat costume can be bought or easily made at home - be sure to wear black and white clothing for the rest of your look!

You can decorate your classroom with images of your favourite Dr Seuss phrases and characters, and go over some of his famous rhymes and poems with your students for a fun in-character lesson.

5. Dorothy Gale

With her blue and white gingham dress, pigtails and ruby-red (silver in the original book!) slippers, Dorothy from L Frank Baum's The Wizard Of Oz is a fun and colourful Book Week costume that is comfortable to wear all day. Accessorise with a wicker basket and faux Toto pup to complete the look.

Create a magical Oz-themed classroom for Book Week to encourage your students to delve into the wonderful Oz book series - or at least watch the movies!

6. DIY The Hungry Caterpillar

Our first fully DIY Book Week costume for teachers is the Very Hungry Caterpillar from Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This popular picture book showcases various educational themes such as days of the week, counting, healthy eating and the life stages of a butterfly, all in easy ways children can absorb. Make your own hungry caterpillar costume by using craft paper to make a red headband with eyes for the head, and make circles in various shades of green to hang on your body using twine, like a tabard. You can also just wear green clothing and accessorise with a red hat or headband if you want to use your existing garments.

Decorate your classroom with the various foods eaten by the caterpillar, as well as both its baby caterpillar and beautiful butterfly forms!

7. DIY The Rainbow Fish

Known for its beautiful images featuring shiny foil scales, Marcus Pfister's The Rainbow Fish is a beautiful story about sharing and how it can lead to happiness. There are a few ways you can make a rainbow fish costume with Spotlight - use cardboard, cord and acrylic paint to create a triangular 'fish' costume you can wear over your shoulders, or if you are a talented sewer, create a shirt or dress made of multi-coloured 'scales' (fabric) with a few shiny scales made out of sequin or glitter material to represent the Rainbow Fish's special scales. Decorate your classroom with an underwater theme to immerse your students in the story of the Rainbow Fish!

8. DIY Three Little Pigs + Wolf

This is a great costume for teachers in a single year level to coordinate, with the year-level head dressing as the wolf and other teachers as the pigs. The characters from this classic fairy tale are easy to dress up as - dress in pink and create a simple pig-nose mask if you are a pig, and dress in grey and black with a grey-ear headband if you are the wolf.

This story is a good example of the 'rule of three' in literature, where three characters as a trio are more memorable and entertaining than any other number. Test your students on what other stories they know of that make use of this rule!

9. DIY Thing 1 & Thing 2

One of the most memorable parts of Dr Seuss' The Cat In The Hat is the unleashing of the two chaotic characters, Thing 1 and Thing 2. They're perfect for a duo costume, like for a teacher and their classroom assistant, or for a principal and vice principal. Make your own by buying a blue wig and messing it up with some hairspray, wear a red, long-sleeved shirt and pants (or find a red jumpsuit), and create the Thing 1 and Thing 2 labels with a paper circle and black marker before adhering it to your clothes, either by sewing, with staples or using craft glue.

10. DIY Tin Man

Shiny and silver, the Tin Man from The Wizard Of Oz is an effective Book Week costume you can make in a few different ways. Start by making a cardboard body for yourself (check out this project for ideas on working with cardboard) that you can wear around your torso. You might also like to make arm and leg guards for your limbs, as well as a simple triangular hat.

To decorate them, you can paint them with silver acrylic paint (use grey or black to make smaller mechanical details) or cover them with silver tin foil for a really shiny finish. Avoid using any acrylic paint on your face - if you want, use special face paint or even stage makeup to create a silver face instead!

Get Your Teachers Book Week Costume Ready With Spotlight!

Whether you need easy Book Week costumes for teachers or want to make your own incredibly detailed outfit for Book Week 2023, Spotlight has what you need to bring your Book Week character to life in the classroom. Get your Book Week costumes for teachers at Spotlight for a great price, with home delivery available for online orders and plenty of stock to choose from at any of our stores.

For all you DIYers, check out our sewing and fabric and art and craft categories to find all the supplies you'll need to make your costume for Book Week 2023!