Grab your green hat and shamrock- it’s time to discover our 37 sensational St Patrick’s Day activities that will have you feeling like you’ve found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!,From leprechaun puppets to lucky charm physics, some tasty treats and laugh-out-loud limericks, this diverse collection of classroom ideas blends Irish culture, creativity, and education for a St. Paddy’s Day that your students will never forget. With just a dash of blarney, you’ll have a room full of little leprechauns who are eager to learn and play the Irish way! Scroll down and find just the right charm for your little learners.
1. Treasure Hunt
Lead your students on a quest for golden treasure! Hide clues across the classroom or schoolyard that guide your explorers toward a pot of faux gold. Each clue will help them uncover not just the next step, but also the joy of problem-solving and teamwork. Who will be the first to unlock the last clue and discover the treasure?
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2. Hot Potato
This is an Irish game dating back to the 18th Century that your class will have just as much fun with today. Select one student to wear a blindfold and yell “Hot!” at a random moment while the rest of the class excitedly pass a potato around the circle. The child caught with the potato in hand when they hear ‘Hot!’ will then be the one who is blindfolded. This quick thinking game is perfect for engaging your kiddos’ senses whilst honing their reaction time and immersing them in a swirl of Irish cheer.
Learn More: Family Education
3. Arts and Crafts
Your class will love to get crafting, the Irish way of course! Hand out an assortment of craft supplies and give each child a shamrock template. Then, let each of your littles get creative and you’ll soon have a wall full of uniquely embellished lucky charms to display.
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4. Make a puppet
All you need is a simple sock and a box of craft materials to transform your classroom into a stage for leprechaun tales that’s full of laughter and imagination. Guide your little learners in making their very own leprechaun puppets before getting them to unleash the power of storytelling using their puppets as the characters. And action!
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5. Rainbow shakers
Have your class create musical instruments with a colorful twist! To do so, give your students rice and different colored pieces of paper to fill transparent jars. Each layer should represent a color of the rainbow; illustrating the concepts of sequence and patterns. And voila, your students will have created their very own rainbow shakers.
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6. Scavenger Hunt
Print out a fun list of St. Patrick’s Day-related items that you can hide around the classroom or the house. Send kids on a scavenger hunt to find all the items and check them off their lists in order to be rewarded with a “pot of gold” or perhaps just some candy.
Learn More: Food Fun Family
7. Make Slime
Get your kiddos excited about exploring their sense of touch with a St Patrick’s Day Slime. Help them mix glue with green coloring and confetti to craft the ultimate Irish goo. This tactile treat offers your littles the chance to squeeze and stretch; developing their fine motor skills in a fun way.
Learn More: Little Bins for Little Hands
8. Magic Rainbow Ring
Chemistry has never been this vibrant! Guide your students in dropping food coloring into warm water before sitting back to observe the reaction that takes place. Your little scientists will be thrilled to see the diffusion of color into the water. Keep adding layers of colour to whip up some rainbow magic.
Learn More: Andrea Knight Teacher Author
9. Lucky Charm Sorting
Invite your students to dive into the physics of force with a sorting game! Armed with straws, they’ll need to suck up and transport as many marshmallows as they can. It’s a quirky but effective way to introduce the dynamics of vacuums and pressure. May the best sorter win!
Learn More: Andrea Knight Teacher Author
10. Write a “what if” story
Engage your students in a writing exercise that’s filled with Irish wonders! Encourage them to craft a narrative based on the magical premise of finding a pot of gold. As they write, the room is sure to become a cauldron of creativity and fantastical possibilities. Don’t forget to ask them to embellish their finished piece with gold coin stickers to ring home your St Patrick’s Day theme!
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
11. Lucky Charms bar graph
Let your kiddos dive into a world of edible statistics with a hands-on bar graph activity! Hand out boxes of Lucky Charms and guide your kiddos through creating a bar graph based on how many marshmallows they find inside. Not only will this activity indulge their sweet tooth, but it’ll also help unearth the statistician within each of them. !
Learn More: How To Homeschool My Child
12. Learn an Irish Step Dance
Awaken the sense of rhythm in your students by using online tutorials to guide them through the basic steps of an Irish dance. As they tap and shuffle, the classroom will transform into a whirl of cultural exploration and physical exercise. Watch as they become jigs and reels experts!
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13. Make a Leprechaun mask
Invite your students to create their own leprechaun faces! Using simple art supplies, guide them in crafting masks that embody the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. As they parade around the classroom in their new personas, you’ll have your very own pageantry of folklore and fun.
Learn More: Good Housekeeping
14. Build a Leprechaun trap
Time to engineer some magic! Challenge your students to design elaborate leprechaun traps using classroom materials. As they design and lay their traps, principles of engineering will intertwine with Irish folklore. Will today be the day they catch a leprechaun?
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15. Make Shamrock Stamps
Time to get crafty! Hand out sponges and green paint for this simple yet creatively liberating activity. Encourage your students to then carve their sponge into a unique shamrock design. Each stamped shamrock is destined to be an imprint of individuality that your kiddos can use to create prints gallore!. Print away!
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16. Shamrock Salt Painting
Prepare for a tactile and colorful creation with this St Paddy’s Day-themed activity! Have your students trace shamrocks with glue and then sprinkle salt over the wet adhesive. Once dry, they can apply watercolor paints and watch as the salt absorbs the pigment; resulting in textured, vibrant shamrock art.
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17. St. Patrick’s Day Mobile
Let’s bring the science of balance into the arts! Guide your students in constructing mobiles that feature rainbows and shamrocks. From selecting the materials to balancing the weights, this activity is a hands-on lesson in physics wrapped in the aesthetics of St. Patrick’s Day.
Learn More: Bakerross
18. Play a board game
Time for a counting adventure with a St. Paddy’s Day board game! Get your kiddies to simply roll the dice and advance whilst mastering the art of counting and strategy. This is a learning game, where the stakes are high but the rewards are sweet.
Learn More: Fun Learning for Kids
19. Draw a secret map
Let your students create their own magical worlds! Arm your youngsters with white crayons and blank sheets of white paper before encouraging them to draw invisible maps that will be later revealed when they add a wash of green watercolor. Their feeling of surprise will be palpable, and their sense of discovery genuine. Treasure maps have never been this exciting!
Learn More: Education.com
20. Fruit-loops Rainbow
Introduce your students to the art of edible crafts! Hand out Fruit Loops and cotton candy, and let the snacking and crafting commence. The task you ask? For them to lay out a stunning rainbow sky that’s complete with fluffy clouds. This delicious creation will not only tickle their taste buds but also exercise their motor skills.
Learn More: Jenny Irvine
21. Eat Your Greens
This tasty treat activity will have other classes green with envy! Encourage your students to don their baker’s hats and get creative. Arm them with green icing, sprinkles, and edible gold stars, and let them transform shamrock-shaped sugar cookies into a festive masterpiece.
Learn More: Super Healthy Kids
22. Irish Folklore Inspiration
The Irish do have a way with words and why shouldn’t your class take a page out of their book? Have your learners spin tales of mystical leprechauns and enchanted castles. Storytime will take a magical turn as you transport your students to Ireland by sharing tales of its rich folklore to get them inspired.
Learn More: A Little Library
23. Irish Baker In The Making
Teach your students to make traditional Irish soda bread. It’s not just a fun activity but also a fantastic way to get your students to improve their reading and sequencing skills. The smell of freshly baked bread in the classroom will undoubtedly be something to remember!
Learn More: Guideposts
24. Green Smoothie Showdown
Ever tried a spinach, kale, apple, and kiwi smoothie? Well, your students are bound to love it! Get your learners to whip up a variety of green smoothies and see which one gets the top vote by hosting a smoothie showdown!
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25. Rainbow Mural Magic
Encourage your students’ inner Van Goghs to shine! With a large sheet of paper and a rainbow array of art supplies, they can collaborate on a grand mural. Expect lots of excitement and color – and perhaps a future masterpiece!
Learn More: The Kindergarten Collection
26. Fly The Irish Colors
Inspire your class to fly high learning about the Irish flag! Simply teach your students about the colors and design of the Irish flag. Once they understand its symbolism, they can recreate it using any art materials that you have on hand.
Learn More: Kids Activities Blog
27. St. Patrick’s Day Trivia Time
Would your class be up to the challenge of a quiz about St. Patrick’s Day? Yes, please! Engage your students in a team-based quiz about this interesting celebration. It’s sure to be a fun way to assess their knowledge while fostering teamwork and a bit of friendly competition.
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28. Rainbow Pasta Bling
This one’s for all the jewellery fans in your class! Provide your students with pasta and yarn, and watch them create delightful rainbow necklaces by stringing the pasta onto the yarn before decorating with assorted colors of paint. This activity doubles as an art project and a lesson in fine motor skills; all while adding a pop of color to your kiddos’ ensembles!
Learn More: Mommy’s Bundle
29. Pot of Gold Probability Game
Combine math with the fun of St Patrick’s Day! Simply hold a probability coin toss competition using gold-covered chocolate coins. It’s a simple yet engaging activity that will allow your young learners to track the probability of their coin landing on heads or tails and tie in some fun to your St Patrick’s Day celebration.
Learn More: Joy in the Works
30. Shamrock Style
This activity is perfect if you’re looking to encourage artistic expression! Provide your students with plain white t-shirts and fabric paint, and let them express their creativity by decorating the shirts with shamrock designs. Once complete and dry, they’ll be excited to have a wearable memento of the day.
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31. Building a Leprechaun Village
Bring out the craft supplies and guide your students to construct enchanting leprechaun houses. With each tiny house that pops up, you won’t just be building a leprechaun village, but also collaboration and creativity!
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32. The Rainbow Race
Put a colorful spin on the classic relay race by giving it a rainbow catch! Here, you’ll task your students with collecting items that represent every hue of the rainbow. This dynamic activity will help you promote physical engagement whilst bolstering your kiddos’ color recognition skills!
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33. Creating Celtic Knots
Take a trip through Celtic culture by exploring the significance of Celtic knots with your class. As your students try their hand at creating these intricate designs, they’ll be getting a hands-on lesson in both art and history.
Learn More: JDaniel4s Mom
34. Count the Clover Leaves
Math meets botany in this educational game! Have your students count the leaves on different clovers to learn the difference between regular and lucky ones. Kick things up a notch by getting them to add or subtract these numbers. Counting has never been this fun!
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35. Penning Limericks
With rhyme and bouncy rhythm, limericks are a poetry form that originated in Ireland. Encourage your students to learn the structure and pattern of a limerick and then create one of their own. This activity will help develop their writing skills and expose them to a fun aspect of Irish cultural heritage.
Learn More: Kim Miller
36. The Rainbow Bridge Challenge
Present a fun challenge to your eager young engineers! Using colorful building blocks or basic crafting materials, you can prompt them to construct a sturdy ‘rainbow bridge’. This hands-on activity will help you promote problem-solving, creativity, and a bit of friendly competition.
Learn More: STEAM Powered Family
37. Guess the Gold
This is an exciting activity to help you demonstrate the value of estimation. Fill a jar with gold chocolate coins and have your students guess how many are inside. This simple guessing game will add a dose of suspense and excitement to the day, with the jar of coins serving as a tantalizing prize for the learner who gets the closest guess.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make St Patrick’s Day fun?
This holiday lends itself to oodles of whimsy and magic. Plaster shamrocks and rainbows on everything and the kids will instantly be transported into a fantasy world. Try an incorporate the fantasy element of the holiday and the principle of “luck” and you already have yourself tons of fun lined up.
What are the symbols of St Patrick’s Day?
The main symbols of St. Patrick’s day are the leprechaun, a shamrock, a rainbow, and gold coins. Try to incorporate these into your arts and craft and activities to make any activity St. Patrick’s Day themed.
What can I do for St Patrick’s Day at home?
The possibilities are seemly endless when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day activities at home. Some of the most popular activities are treasure hunts and making themed arts and crafts. Stock up on some green glitter and colored paper and you won’t run out of ideas anytime soon!