Easy Matilda costume ideas for kids

All three were brought to life in the film version of Matilda, which helped cement the characters as some of Roald Dahl’s most recognisable.

For this reason, the characters are great options to dress up as for fancy-dress parties or for World Book Day at school and nursery.

We’ve put together an easy guide to some Matilda costume ideas which won’t cost the earth. Whether you prefer to order the outfit ready to wear or pull the parts together yourself, we’ve done the digging for you.

We’ve got complete costumes and individual pieces to inspire your child’s perfect Matilda dress-up outfit with limited fuss.

What does Matilda wear?

The great thing about Matilda is that she wears a simple everyday clothing. This could be an easier character to convince your little one to dress up as if they aren’t a fan of fancy dress.

The key elements of a Matilda dress up outfit are:

• Red hair ribbon
• Blue dress
• White tights
• Black pumps
• Props: toy newt, books

How to dress up as Matilda

Amscan - Officially Licenses Roald Dahl Matilda Sustainable Kids Costume, £20.98

Sizes: 3-4 years to 10-12 years

For an easy all-in-one, this official Roald Dahl Matilda outfit is a good option. The dress comes with a matching headband, a newt accessory, a library card and a bookmark. All you need to finish the look is some white socks and school shoes, the ones they wear to school daily will do just fine.

If the event seems to have sneaked up on you out of nowhere (again), you can order this to arrive in a hurry with Amazon Prime.

Available from: Amazon

2. CVL Girls BIB Pinafore Pleated School Uniform Dress, £8.49

Sizes: 2-3 years to 17-18 years

If you’d rather put the outfit together yourself but don’t already have a blue dress at home, something like this from Amazon could work well.

Choosing a regular dress will be more long-lasting than fancy dress clothing as you’ll get more wears out of it by using it for day-to-day, too.

Available from: Amazon

Red ribbon, £2.99

Sizes: 6mm, 10mm, 15mm

Perhaps more familiar from the film character than the book illustrations, a red ribbon helps complete a recognisable Matilda outfit. Red ribbon is an easy enough item to come by and has lots of other uses too.

If you don't already have some, this pack is good value as it contains three rolls of ribbon in various sizes. You can choose which one best fits your child’s head and save the leftovers for wrapping presents and crafting.

Available from: Amazon

John Lewis Anyday Kids' Cotton Rich Tights Pack of 3 White, £9

Sizes: 2-3 years to 13-15 years

A pair of white tights will help bring the final costume together. If you need to add some to the all-in-one costume above or to your own pulled together look, these ones from John Lewis are an easy choice.

They come in a pack of three so you have backup pairs (white tights aren’t going to stay white for long!) and they're a high cotton mix so they should comfortable.

Hopefully that means they’ll at least survive the excitement of the day.

Available from: John Lewis

Black Patent Ballet School Shoes, £5

Sizes: 8 Jnr - 2

Most kids will have a pair of black pumps somewhere or some school shoes which will do for the day. If not, there’s no need to break the bank for a costume.

Asda do a low-priced pair of ballet shoes which get positive reviews.

They can always double up as back up school uniform, too.

Available from: Asda

Toy newt, £2.50

Any old book would work well as an additional prop but a toy newt would really put the cherry on top. This pack are inexpensive and also tactile as they're squishy, which could be an added bonus if your child likes something to fiddle with to keep entertained.

Available from: Amazon

What does Miss Honey wear?

Everyone’s favourite teacher, Miss Honey is another simple character whose costume shouldn’t be too tricky to pull together with just a few pieces of clothing.

From the illustrations, her outfit is made up of:

• Red or pink long-sleeved top
• Grey skirt
• Purple neck-scarf
• Round glasses

How to dress up as Miss Honey from Matilda

Pink Boxy Cropped Crew Neck Jumper, £8

Sizes: 4-5 years to 11-12 years

This cosy pink knitted jumper should keep your child warm whilst also mimicking the sweet pink jumpers Miss Honey used to wear.

Available from: M&Co

Grey Pleated School Skirt, £4.49

Sizes: 4-5 years to 12-13 years

A simple school skirt should be good enough for the other half of this costume. If your child doesn’t already wear one for lessons, something like this simple Amazon pleated option would work just fine for a Miss Honey outfit.

Available from: Amazon

Tortoiseshell round frames, £6.00

A pair of round glasses are an easy addition, especially if your little one already wears a pair! Otherwise, this tortoise-shell design help offer a more grown-up, teacher look which in a pair which still fits little faces.

Available from: Claire's

What does Miss Trunchbull wear?

If your child likes to have fun and do something a bit different when dressing up, Miss Trunchbull could be a brilliant choice of character for confident kids. In the book she wears a simple but distinctive outfit of:

• Long brown trench-coat
• Green tights or socks
• Hair tied in a tight bun

How to dress up as Miss Trunchbull from Matilda

Smiffy’s official Roald Dahl Matilda costume, from £12.73

Sizes: 4-6 years to 12 + years

An easy way to turn your child into Miss Trunchbull is with a complete costume. This official Roald Dahl outfit is also available for speedy delivery with Amazon Prime if you need it.

Everything comes included with the all-in-one dress, green leg-warmers and even hilarious stick-on eyebrows.

Available from: Amazon and Smiffy's

Cotton Belted Trench Coat, £26.40

Sizes: 3 years to 12 years

While a complete costume is probably the easiest and cheapest choice for fancy dress, if you’re considering buying a trench coat for your child anyway then adding a tight hair bun to a coat like this should do the trick.

This coat is Trunchbull-like but still quite stylish and has a removable hood (take it off for the costume for maximum Miss Trunchbull effect). It's also machine-washable so it's easy to keep clean.

Available from: La Redoute

John Lewis Anyday Kids' Cotton Rich Tight Pack of 3 Green, £9

Sizes: 2-3 years to 13-15 years

John Lewis also do the kids’ tights we recommended for Matilda's costume in bottle green, which is exactly what any little Miss Trunchbull needs to complete their costume.

Available from: John Lewis

Feeling inspired by the Matilda costume ideas? You can watch Matilda on Now TV with a free trial or read the Roald Dahl original buying snapping it up on Amazon.

Pics: Product site

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