Cue all things green, rainbow, and lucky! St. Patrick’s Day is a cultural holiday that originated in Ireland. The special day is an opportunity to celebrate a cultural event and, for younger kids, is a great excuse for creative hands-on activities.
5 St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids
1. Scavenger hunt
Leprechauns are legendary creatures that play a leading role in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. As the story goes, they are obsessed with gold and the treasure hiding at the end of the rainbow.
You can set up a miniature scavenger hunt in your house, backyard, or local park to track down the leprechaun’s lost treasure chest.
Directions:
- Fill a small or medium-sized box with shiny chocolates, yellow-colored toys (stuffed animals, balls, Minions, rubber ducks, etc.), gold costume jewelry, or any prizes your child will enjoy.
- Hide the treasure box somewhere special.
- As for the clues, you can write them on paper, or make a path to the treasure with other small prizes (single toys or pieces of jewelry) along the way. Clues could be anything from “Remember the first place you learned how to ride a bike?” (leading them to a driveway or park), or “Take 10 big steps to the LEFT, then 2 big hops forward!”
We recommend making the hunt pretty long. Kids will be quicker than you think!
2. “Leprechaun” on the shelf
Like the beloved Christmas “Elf on the Shelf,” but with a St. Patrick’s Day twist!
You don’t have to buy a stuffed leprechaun. You could work with your child to make a new outfit for your Christmas elf by cutting out green outfits with construction paper.
Alternatively, you could draw a life-sized leprechaun. If you have babies or toddlers in the house, it could be fun for an older sibling to trace the outline of their younger sibling on big paper to use as the base shape for their leprechaun. From there, draw and decorate!
Keep moving the leprechaun around the house! Surprise your child by putting it where they’d never expect it.
3. Green eggs & ham
Did someone say food? With green food coloring, you can make any cooking activity fun and festive. Try to theme the whole day with green meals.
Drop some green food coloring into scrambled eggs or milk for breakfast. For lunch or dinner, pasta with pesto sauce is naturally green. As a healthy snack, you can sneak some spinach into a smoothie with light-colored fruit like bananas, pears, and green apples. The smoothie will turn bright green, but the kids won’t taste the spinach!
Finally, kids can help make cookies for dessert. With a bit more green food coloring, they can get their hands nice and messy as they mix the dough.
4. Draw a rainbow
Create your own luck by drawing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
This video teaches how to draw a rainbow with step-by-step instructions. Once their rainbow is complete, encourage your child to add clovers and a pot of gold!
5. Learn the history
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t all rainbows and leprechauns. In fact, there is a lot of history behind the story of St. Patrick and Ireland. On St. Patrick’s Day, your family can read a children’s book together about the special holiday.
The story, Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato, is an Irish folktale and an engaging story for children to follow along with.
St. Patrick’s Day and Lingokids
Interested in learning more about how Lingokids helps teach children about culture and life skills? Download the app and check out more content on our YouTube channels.
What are your family’s favorite ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Let us know by commenting below!
