Using Costumes in Library Storytimes

Make storytimes extra-special for children by adding a costumed character to the program. It can be a visit from a character after you've read or told a story about it or you can dress in character for the whole storytime. Gradually I built up a good selection of costumes that the library used for summer reading programs, storytimes, city parades and other events.

You can assemble your own, sew one if you are handy or buy a ready-made costume. Sometimes the Friends of the Library will fund such frills for use in storytime.

(photo of me as Little Bo-Peep with two library friends dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz)

You can get an apron and cap to go with an ordinary shirt and long flowing skirt with a mob cap or buy a whole Mother Goose costume. Team this up with a good-sized basket to tuck the storytime books into.

Dressing as Mother Goose is perfect for story time and easily identified by children. It's a good idea to get the costume a little loose if different people will wear it on various occasions.

After each wearing, the costume should be checked for needed repairs and cleaned. Sometimes this is as simple as throwing it into a wash machine, but the furry costumes may require dry cleaning. You can try some of those home dry cleaning kits to spot clean as needed.

Arrange for adequate storage to hang the costumes so they won't be crushed and crumpled. Check them before each planned use to see if they need pressing.

Have the staff member or volunteer try on the costume before the event to be sure they fit in it. If the costume is too big for the person who is to wear it, they can add padding or use safety pins in spots to make it fit better. If it is too small, you are out of luck, and need to find someone else to dress in the costume.

Usually a full costume like the dinosaur or dragon shown here can be a trip hazard. The ideal thing is to have someone walk with the costumed character to watch for things he/she could trip over and steer them away from those. The eye-holes can be hard to see out of at times.

Sometimes children run up and grab the character around the legs making it difficult to walk. Once in awhile, a child may be aggressive towards the costumed storybook character and start punching it or pulling on it. Having a sidekick lets them deal with this behavior.

Consider working out costume swaps with other libraries in your region. It helps if someone sets up an online database listing what is available, who to contact, and setting some guidelines on who is responsible for cleaning and transporting the costume.

For our summer reading fun fair at the end of summer, we would have a photo shoot with Snow White. The kids left the bounce tent, the games with prizes and refreshments to line up for a photo with Snow White. You can schedule this early, then go print out the photos for the children to pick up later at the event.

Click on the photo to see various sizes and prices of costumes. This one is top-of-the-line, but there are some budget versions available.

Sports teams (high school, college, professional sports) have mascots in costumes. These will visit for free.

Keep in mind when trying to book a sports figure or the mascot for a visit, that you need to work around their game schedule and travel times.

You can hire a character for a special event, but we found many free ones who would come visit the library. Usually they were promoting a local fast food chain or a supermarket and would give out keychains, bookmarks and other advertising gear. This might be an issue with your city, but to the children and parents, Ronald McDonald or the H.E.B. supermarket character that they see on TV ads are celebrities.

Zazzle graphic: I Love Storytime T-Shirts & Gifts by konceptskids