Easy costume: Harry Potter costume

Dressing up like Harry Potter doesn't have to mean buying expensive fancy dress costumes.  You can put together your own Harry Potter costume with just a few simple wardrobe items. It's a great Book Week idea, Halloween costume or just a fun dress up idea.

What you need:

• 1 x white school shirt
• 1 x black school pants
• 1 x red and gold tie (try Vinnies)
• 1 x grey or black v-necked jumper
• 1 x black cape, cloak or coat
• 1 x Gryffindor badge
• 1 x red and yellow striped scarf
• 1 x pair black-rimmed spectacles
• 1 x crooked stick (for a wand)
• 1 x black marker pen

Number of players:
1

Activity:

The black pants, white shirt and V-necked jumper are the base of your Harry Potter costume. 

When you add the accessories, you'll be amazed by how fast Harry Potter materialises before your very eyes.

Accessory 1: Gryffindor cloak

A lot of people are selling official looking (i.e. expensive) Gryffindor coats. But Harry's cloak is more like a cape or gown with holes for arms. So you can fashion one by getting a black cape or just a big piece of black cloth, drape it over your child's shoulders, fasten it mid-way down the front with a safety pin and then cut slits in the sides for arm holes.

Now print out a Gryffindor badge, cut it out and glue it to the cloak. Ta daa! 
 

Accessory 2: Black framed glasses

Again, you can find expensive official ones but we just got a cheap party pair with moustache and eybrows and a funny nose and cut off all the extraneous bits. Ta daa! 

Accessory 3: Burgundy and gold tie

Have a look in Dad's wardrobe or failing that, go to a secondhand shop like Vinnies. They're bound to have one that looks vaguely like Harry's.

Accessory 4: Red and yellow striped scarf

You may find one if you're lucky. We fashioned one out of a red polar fleece scarf by adding pieces of yellow felt as stripes.

Accessory 5: Stick-like wand.

Get thee to the garden. You'll find Harry's wand there.

Accessory 6: Lightning bolt mark.

Just get a black marker and draw it on.

Hints and tips:

These simple tips will all work to create the basics of a Hermoine costume as well.

• Thanks to our sister company Kidspot Australia for creating the instructional video.