St. Patrick’s Day activities for preschoolers can turn an ordinary day into a magical adventure! Imagine your little learners hunting for hidden leprechaun gold, creating dazzling rainbow crafts, or giggling through shamrock-themed games—all while building essential early learning skills. Therefore, today’s post collects a big list of engaging activities to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Try them out and make St. Patrick’s Day unforgettable for your preschoolers!
10+ St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Preschoolers
Below are 11 engaging St. Patrick’s Day activities that will captivate young learners while supporting their development.
1. Shamrock Handprint Art
Creating shamrock handprint art is a delightful way for preschoolers to celebrate the holiday while developing fine motor skills. This simple craft also serves as a cherished keepsake for parents.
How to Do It:
- Use green washable paint to coat children’s hands.
- Press hands onto white construction paper in a clover shape.
- Add stems using a paintbrush or green marker.
- Once dry, decorate with glitter or stickers for extra flair.
2. DIY Leprechaun Hats
Let your preschoolers feel like little leprechauns by making their own festive hats! This craft encourages creativity and imaginative play.
How to Do It:
- Cut out a large green construction paper band for the base of the hat.
- Attach a black strip and a yellow square buckle for decoration.
- Allow kids to personalize their hats with stickers, shamrocks, or gold glitter.
- Staple or tape the ends together to create a wearable hat.
3. Rainbow Paper Chains
This simple craft is a great way for preschoolers to practice color recognition and fine motor skills while making a bright and festive classroom decoration.
How to Do It:
- Cut construction paper into equal strips of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
- Form loops by stapling or gluing each strip into a chain.
- Connect each colored loop to create a long rainbow chain.
- Display around the classroom to brighten up the space.
4. Green Slime Sensory Bin
Kids love slime, and a green St. Patrick’s Day version adds a fun twist to sensory exploration.
How to Do It:
- Mix equal parts of glue and liquid starch, adding green food coloring and glitter.
- Let kids explore the slime by stretching and squishing it.
- Hide small gold coins or shamrocks in the slime for a fun treasure hunt.
5. Fizzy Gold Coin Experiment
This simple science experiment introduces preschoolers to chemical reactions in a fun, hands-on way.
How to Do It:
- Place gold-painted coins (or plastic coins) in a shallow dish.
- Give each child a small cup of vinegar.
- Sprinkle baking soda over the coins.
- Let kids pour vinegar over the coins and watch them fizz!
6. St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Activity
Coloring is a wonderful way for preschoolers to express their creativity while also developing fine motor skills. This St. Patrick’s Day-themed coloring activity features a cheerful leprechaun sitting in a pot of gold, surrounded by lucky shamrocks and coins.
How to Do It:
- Print out the coloring sheet featuring a leprechaun, a pot of gold, and festive decorations.
- Provide crayons, markers, or colored pencils in green, gold, and rainbow colors.
- Encourage kids to use their imagination and experiment with different color combinations.
- Discuss the significance of leprechauns, shamrocks, and gold coins in St. Patrick’s Day traditions as they color.
- Display the finished artwork around the classroom or create a St. Patrick’s Day-themed bulletin board.
You can also grab our Leprechaun Coloring Pages to give preschoolers extra creative options while celebrating the holiday.
7. Counting Game
Counting activities are essential for preschoolers as they build early math skills in a fun and engaging way. This St. Patrick’s Day-themed counting worksheet helps children practice number recognition and counting while connecting to the holiday’s iconic symbols, such as shamrocks, gold coins, rainbows, and leprechaun hats.
How to Do It:
- Print the worksheet featuring different St. Patrick’s Day objects in groups.
- Explain to students that they need to count the items in each box carefully.
- Have them circle or mark the correct number corresponding to the total items shown.
- Encourage children to count aloud as they work through the activity.
- Use real-life objects like gold coin cutouts or shamrocks to reinforce the lesson with hands-on learning.
Download and print our St. Patrick’s Day Counting Worksheet to make this festive math activity even easier to set up in your classroom or at home.
8. St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt is a fantastic way to make St. Patrick’s Day interactive and exciting for kids! This activity encourages children to search for specific holiday-themed items, sharpening their observation skills while having fun. It’s perfect for classrooms, parties, or at-home celebrations.
How to Do It:
- Print out the scavenger hunt sheet for each participant.
- Explain that their task
- Players can either search for real objects or spot images and decorations around them.
- Once they find an item, they can check it off their list.
- To make it competitive, set a time limit and reward the fastest player or the one who finds the most items!
9. St. Patrick’s Day Story Time
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a fun and engaging storytime! Reading festive books is a wonderful way to spark children’s imagination, introduce them to holiday traditions, and enhance their language development.
Book Suggestions:
- “How to Catch a Leprechaun” by Adam Wallace.
- “The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day” by Natasha Wing.
- “Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato” by Tomie dePaola.
10. Irish Jig Dance Party
Get preschoolers up and moving with a lively Irish Jig Dance Party! Dancing is a fantastic way to improve coordination, build gross motor skills, and introduce kids to cultural traditions in a fun and engaging way. This high-energy activity will have little ones giggling, hopping, and kicking to the beat of festive Irish music.
How to Do It:
- Play traditional Irish music or Celtic tunes.
- Teach simple Irish dance steps like hopping and kicking.
- Let kids dance freely and enjoy the rhythm!
11. St. Patrick’s Day Bingo
Get into the festive spirit with a fun game of St. Patrick’s Day Bingo! This activity is perfect for classrooms, parties, or family gatherings, encouraging kids to recognize holiday-themed symbols while having fun.
How to Do It:
- Print out bingo cards featuring St. Patrick’s Day icons like shamrocks, rainbows, pots of gold, and leprechaun hats.
- Prepare a set of calling cards with matching images. Shuffle and draw them randomly.
- Players mark the matching images on their cards as they are called out.
- The first player to complete a row, column, or diagonal shouts “Bingo!” and wins a small prize.
Get this St. Patrick’s Day Bingo worksheet to save your prep time!
FAQs
1. How do you explain St. Patrick’s Day to preschoolers?
Introducing young children to St. Patrick’s Day can be fun and educational!
- Use simple language and engaging visuals to make the holiday easy to understand.
- Explain that it’s a special day to celebrate Irish culture and traditions.
- Show and discuss common symbols like leprechauns, shamrocks, and rainbows to make learning interactive.
2. What are you supposed to do for St. Patrick’s Day for kids?
There are plenty of ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with kids:
- Engage in crafts, games, and sensory play.
- Read books and sing festive songs.
- Encourage imaginative play with leprechaun stories and treasure hunts.
Final Thoughts
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with little ones is a perfect way to mix fun and learning! These St. Patrick’s Day activities for preschoolers bring the holiday spirit alive while supporting early development through crafts, games, and hands-on play. Whether in the classroom or at home, these engaging ideas inspire creativity and joyful moments. For even more fun and educational resources, explore Worksheetzone’s collection of St. Patrick’s Day worksheets for kids and make this holiday unforgettable!
