For adults, St. Patrick's Day is a time for great food and green spirits. For kids, this holiday brings the need for a few fun and entertaining activities. Parents and teachers - don't get your kilt in a bunch! We have some awesome St. Patrick's Day activities for kids that will put a jig in their step.
St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt
Rainbows, leprechauns, fairy rings, pots of gold, river dancing, shamrocks, Irish flags, the color green, and bagpipes are all associated with this fun holiday. For those headed out to a local festival or parade, make a checklist of all the things your kids need to search for throughout the event. Whoever finds them all first wins a prize! If you want to do this at home, all you need is printouts of these various items. Hide them around your home and see how many your kids can spot.
St. Patrick's Day Photo Shoot
Kids love playing dress up - and who doesn't love a good photoshoot? First, grab a roll of butcher paper and some markers. Next, let the kids decorate their custom backdrop with all things Irish! Once done, tape their masterpiece to the wall with masking tape. Then, get some St. Patrick's Day photo props-green feather boas, green hats, fake mustaches, printouts of rainbows and pots of gold, and any other St. Patrick Day swag you may have lying around. Finally, get snapping!
Play Rainbow Games
For the little tykes in your family, rainbow games can be a great option to keep their hands and minds busy while building their fine and gross motors skills at the same time!
- Rainbow Limbo: For this game, you will need string, two-foot sections of tulle in each color of the rainbow, and masking tape. To make your limbo pole, all you have to do is tie the tulle to the string and tape each end to the sides of a doorway. Turn on some Irish music and see how low everyone can go!
- Color Sorting: Grab some colorful pom-poms and gift bags and see if your little one can match the correct color to the correct bag.
- Paint-Chip Color Matching: Run to your local hardware store and grab some paint samples. Then, purchase some clothespins and color them to match the various paint sample shades you selected. Finally, let your toddlers try to match and attach the clothespins to the corresponding color.
Make Leprechaun Traps
These elusive trickster fairies can be hard to spot, but if you manage to catch a leprechaun, legend has it, you will get his pot of gold and even a few wishes granted! For the kids hoping to snag this sneaky elf, a leprechaun trap is your best bet. Best of all, stores like Hobby Lobby, Office Depot, and Party City have convenient kits that give kids all the supplies they need to craft these leprechaun catchers for under $15.
Pot of Gold Bean Toss
This is like traditional cornhole, but with a St. Patrick's Day twist. Gather eight bean bags and six "pots" for the gold to land in. Line up the pots in any design you want - the closest pots are one point, the middle pots are two points, and the farthest pots are three points. Just like in cornhole, each player gets four chances to rack up as many points, or in this case, as much gold, as they can get. Once everyone has had a turn, tally up the points to see who won!
Leprechaun-Themed Story Hour
Another fun thing to do for kids on St. Patrick's day is to have a holiday-themed story hour! Head to your local bookstore or library and pick up How to Catch a Leprechaun, The Berenstain Bears St. Patrick's Day, Peppa Loves St. Patrick's Day, and any other books surrounding this holiday. This can be a great activity to do before nap and bedtimes.
St. Patrick's Day Would You Rather
Would you rather eat corned beef and cabbage or black and white pudding? Would you rather catch a leprechaun or find a fairy ring? Would you rather go to a parade or to an Irish rock concert? This is a fun game that makes kids think and helps them learn a bit about Irish and St. Patrick's Day trivia along the way! Best of all, it is really easy to come up with questions by looking up fun facts about Irish traditions and St. Patrick's Day traditions from around the world.
Leprechaun Bowling
This can be a fun craft and activity at the same time. Grab your empty liter-sized soda bottles and print out some of our free St. Patrick's Day coloring sheets. Let your kids brighten the designs and then cut them out and adhere them to the bottles. Next, grab a ball and get bowling!
Hot Irish Potato
This classic party game is always a great option for big groups. Grab a potato, form a circle, and turn on some Irish music. The premise is simple - toss the potato from person to person. If you drop the potato, you're out. The next person will pick it up and start again. If the music stops and you're holding the potato, you are also out. The last person standing wins!
Capture the Gold
Instead of capture the flag, try your hand at capturing the gold with the family this St. Patrick's Day. All you'll need to play are some gold coins, pots to store the gold in, and colored clothespins for the "flags." In this version of the game:
- There are two leprechauns. The other player's jobs are to find and steal their gold.
- Depending on the number of people at play, your leprechauns can hide one, two, or even three pots of gold.
- It's important to remember that the clock is ticking. Players only have twenty minutes to get their hands on these shiny medallions.
- Steal the whole pot or just a handful, but if the leprechaun pinches your flag, you're out of the game!
Laced Clover Cards
This is an easy activity that can help to build your toddler's fine motor skills. You'll need green cardstock paper, green shoelace string, a hole punch, and scissors. To create this craft, parents can either draw or print the image of a three or four-leaf clover. Cut it out and punch evenly spaced holes around the perimeter of the shape. The rest is up to your toddler! They need to lace their shoe string through the holes of the clover until the ends meet.
To get a little extra out of this activity, consider using white paper instead of green and let your toddler color the sheet before lacing it up!
Pin the Hat on the Leprechaun
Similar to pin the tail on the donkey, for this game you'll need a blindfold, a large image of a leprechaun, and then cutouts of the leprechaun's hat. We also recommend grabbing a pack of command strips to attach to the back of the hats. This can make it safer for the kids and your walls. Each child takes a turn trying to put the hat atop the leprechaun's head while blindfolded. The person who is the closest wins!
Get Creative With Things to do With Kids on St. Patrick's Day
If you're looking for more ideas, think about activities that your kids already like to do! For instance, parents can easily create a St. Patrick's Day themed charades game, and there are tons of St. Patrick's Day bingo cards available online. You can also have a comedy hour to see who has the funniest St. Patrick's Day jokes! Pastimes that your kids already love can serve as a great source of inspiration and it ensures that they'll like what you have planned for the day.
