Character Day Ideas for Homecoming Spirit Week
Homecoming week is an exciting time for high school students as they celebrate school pride with daily festivities. Character Day is a common theme for one of the days, and students and teachers are encouraged to dress up as notable characters from movies, books or television. You might choose to wear a costume of a famous historical figure, athlete, politician or celebrity. Opt for a character that you identify with or one that makes a bold statement about your interests and passions. Like Halloween, spirit week for homecoming allows students to dress up while in school in whatever costume they want that goes with the daily theme.
Some themes are twin day, pajama day, favorite character day, hat day, throwback Thursday, beach day, book character day, crazy hair day or crazy socks day, superhero day, wacky Wednesday or tacky day, or other forms of theme days. Spirit week ideas are made for students to be able to express themselves in ways that display their school spirit, giving them costume ideas to accomplish for different days.
These dress-up days are mainly DIY activities for costumes, but they can include a wide range of options for costumes. One main spirit day for homecoming is a school color day where students can wear their favorite school colors and support their school’s sports team. Group costumes are also creative ways to get involved in the spirit week. Students normally use a range of products in their costumes, like tie-dye tees or Hawaiian shirts, but most even look to Halloween costumes as use in these days.
Historical Figures
Opt for a historical figure if you enjoy history and want to dress in retro attire. Female students might dress up like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc or the Statue of Liberty and male students might wear costumes of famous U.S. presidents, Daniel Boone or King Tut. Choose a historical character that wore identifiable clothing, so your peers don't have to guess who you are. Accessorize your costume with hats, jewelry, headpieces, belts and wigs. Be prepared to answer questions as to why you chose that particular historical figure.
Literary Characters
Dress up like a famous character in literature. Select a character from older literary works, such as Hester from "The Scarlet Letter," Lizzie from "Pride and Prejudice," Jay from "The Great Gatsby," or Willy from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." Or, opt for a more current literary character, such as Katniss from "The Hunger Games," Hermione from the "Harry Potter" series, or Edward from "Twilight." You might also dress up like a superhero such as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman or Batgirl, from comic books. To give your character personality, you might talk like that character for the day, such as using a British accent or implementing the character's vocabulary into your daily conversations.
Famous Celebrities
Choose a famous celebrity from the movies, television or music industry that has defining characteristics and a specific style of dress. For example, females might dress up like Marilyn Monroe, Scarlett O'Hara, Princess Leia, Katy Perry or Cher. Males might dress up like Don Draper, Luke Skywalker, Jack Sparrow or James Bond. Find a picture of a celebrity on the Internet and copy their look with your own clothing and accessories. You don't have to spend money buying or renting a costume; you can make your own.
Cartoon Characters
Consider a cartoon character if you want to dress up in a lively, fun-loving costume. You might select an animal, such as Scooby-Doo, Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, Garfield, Woody Woodpecker, SpongeBob SquarePants or Yogi Bear if you enjoy traditional characters. Or, you might choose a human-like character, such as Woody from "Toy Story," Popeye, Wilma Flintstone, Bart Simpson, Betty Boop, Shrek or Judy from "The Jetsons."
Cartoon characters often have exaggerated features, so make sure your costume includes those distinguishing features. Disney characters are also popular options for spirit week days. Winnie the Pooh is another favorite option for character day. These characters normally come from popular tv shows or movies that most students like or have seen, like superheroes from Marvel. Social media ideas for characters are also options.
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Writer Bio
As curriculum developer and educator, Kristine Tucker has enjoyed the plethora of English assignments she's read (and graded!) over the years. Her experiences as vice-president of an energy consulting firm have given her the opportunity to explore business writing and HR. Tucker has a BA and holds Ohio teaching credentials.