Easy Harry Potter kids' costume ideas

How to dress up as a wizard character from Harry Potter

To dress your child like a real wizard of Hogwarts you may want a…

• Cloak
• Wand
• House scarf
• Broomstick

Gryffindor cloak, from £15.00

Sizes: 3-14 years

This Gryffindor cloak really looks the part and comes in a range of ages from toddler to teen. One parent who bought it says in the reviews, “Brilliant quality. My son wore it for his Harry Potter themed party and to visit Harry Potter World near London. Really official looking.”

Available from: Amazon

Wizard wand, £3.62

Few witches and wizards can get far without a wand to do magic with. If you don’t want to spend money on one, then a stick from the park or garden will prove a worthy wizarding stick.

Otherwise, this plastic wand is hollow meaning it’s light enough for even the littlest of witches and wizards to use to cast their spells.

Available from: Amazon

Harry Potter house scarf, from £4.23

Supporting your house is a big part of Hogwarts life and a team scarf is essential for cheering on your Quidditch team.

There are plenty of official merchandise scarves but just a striped one in the right colours will do the job too. This maroon and yellow scarf looks the part as a Gryffindor scarf and there’s a green and silver version for little Slytherins as well.

Available from: Amazon

Badged Gryffindor scarf, £18.00

If you want to splash out on something that looks a little more official, you can get designs featuring a Hogwarts badge from Harry Potter's house Gryffindor. There's also options for Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff fans.

Available from: Amazon

Firebolt broomstick, £18.97

To catch the golden snitch requires speed, precision and, of course, a top-of-the-range broomstick.

This Firebolt broom is a replica of the one used in the film but cheaper than some of the versions from official merchandise stores. Guaranteed to be a big hit in the playground.

Available from: Amazon

Broomstick, £5.99

A regular witch's broomstick will also do the trick if you’d rather not splash out on an exact model and there are plenty available online. A slimline broomstick like this one will pull a Harry Potter fancy dress costume together perfectly and is great for Halloween dress-ups.

Available from: Amazon

How to dress up as Harry Potter

To transform your child from a regular Hogwarts wizard into Harry Potter himself, we've found these extra items:

• Round glasses
• Face paints for lightning-shaped scar
• Owl looking suspiciously like Hedwig

Round Harry Potter glasses, £1.44

A pair of circular glasses will instantly tell people exactly which wizard your child has dressed up as.

If your child doesn’t already wear glasses, this pair could work as they look the part and have clear lenses.

Although not officially Harry Potter glasses, other parents have bought them for the same purpose saying, “My daughter loves these for dressing up as HP or playing school teachers etc. Excellent buy!”.

Available from: Amazon

Face paint for scar, £5.99

Harry Potter’s most distinctive feature is the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead from He Who Must Not Be Named. Some simple red face-paint and a brush should do the job.

This non-toxic set is washable and has good reviews from parents on Amazon. One user says, “Completely mess free. No glitter or colourful powder on my carpets! My almost 6-year-old was able to do it all by herself…Brushes were easily cleaned with makeup remover wipes…Washes perfectly in the bath (give it a good scrub) and doesn’t stain the tiles.”

There are lots of colours and brushes so you can keep hold of the set for other fancy dress costumes in the future.

Available from: Amazon

Hedwig owl toy, £9.99

One of Harry’s closest companions is his pet snowy owl Hedwig. This Waterstone's version of Hedwig is made to look just like the owl in the film and is a lovely toy to keep after dressing up is done and dusted.

Available from: Waterstones

Full Harry Potter costume, £16

Sizes: 5 to 12 years

If you want to keep things simple, you can get a complete Harry Potter fancy dress costume. This one from Asda includes a cloak, glasses and wand.

Available from: Asda

How to dress up as Hermione Granger

To turn your child into the cleverest witch at Hogwarts you’ll need brush their hair out as big as it can go and then add these two items for maximum Hermione effect:

• Ginger cat
• Time-turner necklace

Ginger cat, £8.99

Crookshanks is Hermione’s grumpy ginger cat who causes mayhem by terrorising Ron’s pet rat Scabbers. If you don’t have one lying around (a toy one, that is!) a stuffed cat like this one should be all you need.

Available from: Amazon

Time-turner necklace, £14.99

For true Hermione fans, you can get a replica of the time-turner necklace she wears in The Prisoner of Azkaban to attend multiple lessons at the same time.

Not essential for a fancy dress costume but a lovely addition for Harry Potter fanatics or as a gift. This one from Argos is a much more reasonable price than a lot of the collectable versions.

Available from: Argos

Full Hermione costume, £15.00

Sizes: 3 to 12 years

To make life a little easier, Sainsbury’s TU range features a Hermione costume which comes complete with a wig, wand and full Hogwarts uniform. This might be your most time and perhaps also cost-effective way to recreate a full Hermione look.

One parent who bought this costume even says, “I got this for my daughter and she has worn it pretty much every day since! It is great, soft and comfortable and people often think that she is actually wearing a tie and school uniform. I'm really, really happy with it.”

Available from: Sainsbury’s

How to dress up as Ron Weasley

To turn any young wizard into Harry Potter’s best friend, you’re going to need:

• Ginger hair
• Rat

Ron Weasley Wig, £14.99

If you’ve chosen the Ron costume because your little one already has the famous Weasley locks, then you’re pretty much good to go.

If not, a wig will help transform their Harry Potter themed dress-up. Most wigs are for adults, but if you can get your hands on this one it should fit the bill as well as your child's head.

Available from: Amazon

Rat, £4.37

Ron never goes far without his pet rat Scabbers, who turns out to be the evil Peter Pettigrew in disguise. A spooky looking rat toy will look the part poking sneakily out your child’s cloak pocket.

Available from: Amazon

How to dress up as Luna Lovegood

Dreamy Luna Lovegood is a kind, eccentric soul and you just need a couple of props to create her costume. They are:

• Large pink glasses
• Quibbler magazine

Luna’s glasses, £2.97

Luna uses bizarre pink glasses which she believes help her see invisible creatures. Exact replicas of these can be expensive but some oversized pink glasses should still work as a recognisable stand in.

This clear lens pair mimic the quirky shape of Luna’s and are regular-sized so should look extra large on smaller faces for a wide-eyed Luna look.

Available from: Amazon

Quibbler notebook, £3.95

Luna always has a copy of her father’s magazine, The Quibbler to hand. You could try drawing your own front cover for your child to carry around or use this notebook as a clever prop.

It also comes with a version of the wizarding world newspaper's, The Daily Prophet, to keep young witches and wizards up to date with the latest news from the Ministry of Magic.

Available from: Amazon

How to dress up as Albus Dumbledore

The wisest wizard of them all is Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore played in the films by Richard Harris and then Sir Michael Gambon. To create a great Harry Potter dress-up for his character you’ll need to add:

• Beard
• Teacher robes
• Sorting hat

Beard, £2.50

Dumbledore’s long beard is his most distinguishing feature. This one fits anyone from age 5 upwards and should look suitably long on little ones without breaking the bank.

Available from: Amazon

Wizard robes, £7.98

While the Hogwarts students will be wearing their school robes for their Harry Potter uniform, the headmaster wears ornate blue or red robes and a hat of his own to set him apart.

This kids’ set is a low-cost option for the dressing up day and paired with a beard will look just the part. One reviewer says, “Great little wizard’s outfit for Halloween or just any dressing up. Nice and light weight and I would recommend this to anyone. Definitely worth the price.”

Available from: Amazon

Sorting Hat, £6.99

For a final flourish, a sorting hat is a great prop for any Dumbledore costume. This replica looks the part so your child to sort all of their classmates into the four Hogwarts houses. Fingers crossed for Gryffindor!

Available from: Amazon

Feeling inspired to read the books again? Buy them here.

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