Fun St. Patrick’s Day Kids Ideas
Shamrock Games, Celtic Music, Irish Food Ideas for St. Paddy's Day
Jan 22, 2008
Be a Wee Bit Irish on March 17th
For Americans, many of Irish descent, St. Paddy’s Day is a day for celebrating heritage and having fun. With no gifts to buy or any huge expectations, this Ireland-based holiday is enjoyed with good fun, great food, and some “wearin’ o' the green.”
Following are some ideas and tips for a fun St. Patrick’s Day party or gathering, or even just a day at home with the kids. There are no rules, except to relax and get into the joyful spirit of the Irish.
Fun St. Patrick’s Day Children’s Activities
- Children love traditional Irish-American fun, including wearing green clothing, hunting for clover “shamrocks,” and perhaps having a shamrock or rainbow painted on their cheeks with face paint.
- For school or at home, it is fun to color pictures of leprechauns, maps of Ireland, and so on (there are many free printable coloring pages online).
- Cut out green shamrocks and use them for party or home decorations. Kids may also enjoy making a paper cut out picture of a rainbow with a pot of gold at one end (this is fun with lots of gold glitter), or making green leprechaun hats (complete with buckles) to wear.
- A treasure hunt can be lots of fun. Make rainbow-colored cards (older kids can help) with clues or riddles to the location of the next clue and so on. At the “end of the rainbow” have a treasure of a pot full of chocolate or plastic gold coins.
- Using a pin-the-tail-on-the donkey idea, have a game of pin the coins in the pot at the end of a rainbow.
- Watch a DVD of Riverdance or other Irish dancing.
Kid’s Irish Theme Foods for St. Patrick’s Day
- Traditional Irish foods can be served for dinner, but during the day it can be fun to eat green ice cream, green beverages, and maybe even green-tinted pancakes for breakfast.
- Learn to make Irish Soda Bread. This is easy and delicious.
- Another traditional Irish food is Colcannon. Colcannon is another easy dish to make, combining mashed potatoes and green cabbage.
- For those children who are less adventurous about trying new foods, plain mashed potatoes may be a good choice, especially if lightly tinted with green food coloring.
Ireland Irish Music to Play on St. Patrick’s Day
Some excellent and popular Irish musicians include:
- Clannad
- The Chieftains
- Enya
- Celtic Woman
- Sinead O'Connor
Instrumental Celtic music is available at most stores and online venues that carry CDs. There is also a wide range of musical DVD performances by the above and other people of Ireland. Some favorite St. Patrick’s Day songs include Danny Boy, Molly Malone and When Irish Eyes are Smiling.
More Fun Activities and St. Patty’s Party Ideas
For more fun kid’s holiday and educational ideas, see the web site Teacher Planet. Also check out Entertaining All Year Long for lots of ideas.
See te article St. Patricks Day Party Plan Ideas.
