What are some St. Patrick’s Day kids activities to do? St. Patrick’s Day is a festive occasion celebrated in many parts of the world, often with a focus on Irish culture, folklore, and symbols. Here are some fun and engaging activities for kids to enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day:
Green Dress-Up Day
Encourage kids to dress up in green attire for the day. They can accessorize with hats, socks, and jewelry in various shades of green to embrace the festive spirit of St. Patrick’s Day.
Leprechaun Trap Building
Encourage kids to use their creativity to design and build their own leprechaun traps using materials like shoeboxes, craft supplies, and green-colored items. They can set them up the night before St. Patrick’s Day and see if they catch any leprechauns (or at least find some chocolate coins)!
Shamrock Crafts
Provide materials like green construction paper, scissors, glue, and glitter to make shamrock crafts. Kids can cut out shamrock shapes and decorate them with glitter, sequins, or markers to create festive decorations.
Rainbow Art
Provide kids with a variety of art supplies like colored paper, markers, crayons, and paints. Encourage them to create rainbow-themed artwork by drawing, painting, or collaging colorful arcs across the paper. They can also add cotton ball clouds at each end of the rainbow for a whimsical touch.
Lucky Charms Sorting
Give kids a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal (aff link) and have them sort the marshmallow shapes by color or shape. They can practice their sorting and fine motor skills while enjoying a tasty St. Patrick’s Day treat.
Irish Dance Party
Put on some lively Irish music and teach kids some simple Irish dance steps like the jig or reel. This can be a fun way to get them moving and engaged in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day.
Pot of Gold Scavenger Hunt
Hide gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins or small treats around the house or yard for kids to find. Provide them with clues or a treasure map to guide them to the hidden “pot of gold” at the end of the hunt.
Irish Storytime
Read books about St. Patrick’s Day, Irish folklore, or tales of leprechauns to children. Encourage them to dress up as characters from the stories and act out scenes or create their own stories inspired by the themes.
Green Treat Baking
Bake St. Patrick’s Day-themed treats together, such as green cookies, cupcakes with green frosting, or shamrock-shaped snacks. Kids can help with mixing ingredients, shaping dough, and decorating the finished treats. Try these fun treats on our site here:
- St. Patrick’s Day Mickey Oreos
- St Patrick’s Day Clover Cookies with Royal Icing
- St. Patrick’s DIY Hot Chocolate Bombs
- St. Patrick’s Day Crinkle Cookies
Leprechaun Arts and Crafts
Provide various art supplies like green paint, markers, crayons, and stickers for kids to create their own leprechaun-themed artwork. They can draw leprechauns, pots of gold, rainbows, or other symbols of St. Patrick’s Day.
Irish-themed Puzzles and Games
Set up puzzles, board games, or card games with an Irish or St. Patrick’s Day theme. Look for games featuring leprechauns, shamrocks, or pots of gold to add to the holiday spirit.
Green Playdough Creations
Make homemade green playdough with kids using a simple recipe of flour, water, salt, and green food coloring. Let them mold and shape the playdough into shamrocks, leprechauns, or other St. Patrick’s Day symbols using cookie cutters and plastic molds. Check out our St. Patrick’s Day Play-Dough Mats.
Irish Language and Culture Lesson
Teach kids some basic Irish language phrases or words related to St. Patrick’s Day. You can also share interesting facts about Irish culture, traditions, and history.
Clover Leaf Rubbings
Go on a nature walk to find clover leaves or other greenery. Place leaves under a piece of paper and use crayons to make rubbings, revealing the intricate details of the leaves.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
If there’s a local St. Patrick’s Day parade or event in your area, take the kids to watch the festivities. They can enjoy the colorful floats, music, and performances celebrating Irish culture.
St. Patrick’s Day Charades
Write down St. Patrick’s Day-themed words or phrases on pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Have kids take turns drawing a word and acting it out while the others guess what it is. This game encourages creativity, imagination, and teamwork.
Green Science Experiments
Conduct simple science experiments with a St. Patrick’s Day twist. For example, you can make green slime, create a rainbow with a prism and sunlight, or explore the science of rainbows using water and a flashlight.
Leprechaun Relay Race
Set up a fun outdoor relay race with St. Patrick’s Day-themed obstacles. Kids can race while carrying a potato (representing a pot of gold) on a spoon, jump over green hoops (shamrocks), and crawl through a rainbow-colored tunnel.
St. Patrick’s Day Photo Booth
Set up a photo booth with St. Patrick’s Day-themed props like green hats, shamrock glasses, and leprechaun masks. Kids can take turns posing for photos and capturing fun memories of the day.
Gratitude Shamrocks
Have kids write down things they’re thankful for on small shamrock-shaped cutouts. They can decorate the shamrocks and create a “gratitude garden” display where they pin or tape their shamrocks to a poster board or string to hang up as a reminder of the blessings in their lives.
St. Patrick’s Day Movie Night
End the day with a cozy movie night featuring family-friendly Irish or St. Patrick’s Day movies like “The Secret of Kells,” “The Luck of the Irish,” or “Darby O’Gill and the Little People.”
These activities are sure to keep kids entertained and engaged while celebrating the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. Whether indoors or outdoors, there are plenty of ways to make the holiday special and memorable for children of all ages.
Wow, what a great list of activities. I admit, we generally don’t do a lot on this day.
I love all these great ideas. I always dress up in green on St. Patrick’s Day. I’m part Irish, so I always love to do this.
These are all great ideas! The idea of an Irish dance party or Irish story time sounds so fun! 🙂
I love all the creative ideas you mentioned especilly hands-on crafts like making rainbow art, shamrock rubbings, and leprechaun traps. Those all sound like fun projects that will get kids excited. The scavenger hunt and games like charades and relay races also seem like surefire ways to burn off some energy!
Love all these ideas.. gratitude shamrocks are so sweet and easy to do.. Our kids’ elementary school teachers used to have the classrooms turned upside down with green crepe paper strewn around to show that the leprechauns had been there when kids got there on the morning of St.Patricks!
Of all these listed I’d have to say that building leprechaun traps with children is a cherished memory that brings back the joy of creativity and imagination. The laughter, excitement, and anticipation of trying to catch a mischievous leprechaun together creates a special bond and fond memories that will be treasured for years to come.
You have so many great ideas here! I’ve never done this much for St. Patrick’s day and you have a lot of awesome ideas.