Celebrating Literature with Creative Costumes

Many of our K-5 Archway Academies recently celebrated a day of literature where students and staff dress up as their favorite characters from beloved books and historical figures they’ve learned about in school. The day is designed to reinforce the importance of reading and literature, while also encouraging creativity and imagination that goes into the costumes.

At Archway Glendale, the celebration is part of their Read-A-Thon event that is devoted entirely to literature. “It’s a tradition that we’ve had at our school the last 14 years where students come dressed as their favorite literary or historical figure. And it’s a day filled with reading where our seniors from our sister school come and read to our students, parent volunteers read, students read, we play reading games, just read, read, read and celebrate the beauty of books through the day and have fun with the costumes, too,” shared Headmaster Suzanne DeStefano. “I love seeing children truly delight in literature and their enthusiasm leading up to the day.”

At Archway Veritas, students and faculty celebrate “Great Hearts, Great Books” Day, described as a day of storytelling for faculty, staff, and students. It is more than just a day to dress up as the academy asks that students know their chosen literary or historic character and be able to have discussions about their costume choices.

The day is really all about cultivating wonder and excitement around the immersive world of literature. While the dress-up aspect is fun for the students and creates a culture of community, it also shows them the value of reading for pleasure.

At Great Hearts, when we teach literature to young students, we want to do more than help them learn to read words on a page. We want to introduce them to the world of stories and help them discover the people, places, ideas, and experiences found within the pages of a book.

Imaginative literature invites readers to experience something. Through stories, children encounter characters who face challenges, make difficult decisions, demonstrate courage, struggle with temptation, and learn important lessons. They begin to see the world through someone else’s eyes and consider what it means to be human.

Literature also gives children an opportunity to exercise their imagination. Through poetry, fables, fairy tales, short stories, and novels, students encounter different worlds, historical settings, and memorable characters. They learn to appreciate the beauty of language, recognize the elements of a good story, and find enjoyment in reading itself.

This love of stories is rooted in something deeply human. Aristotle notes that “poetry in general seems to have sprung from causes lying deep in our nature. First, the instinct of imitation is implanted in man from childhood and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated.” This “imitation” is what makes the costumes so important for our young students.

Ultimately, we want children to become more than capable readers. We want them to become thoughtful readers who delight in good stories, recognize the virtues worth pursuing, and carry the wisdom and beauty of great literature with them long after they turn the final page.

Do you have a story or know of one that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.

 Submit a student application to a Great Hearts Academy by visiting: https://www.greatheartsamerica.org/enroll/.