St. Patrick's Day Activities for Preschoolers
Irish Crafts, Games, Coloring, and Books for Young Children
Rainbows, leprechauns, gold coins, and shamrocks are just a few of the traditional symbols of St. Patrick’s Day. Use these in a creative way to involve your preschool children in St. Patrick’s Day crafts, games, and stories that will welcome the customary March 17 celebration.
A Visit from the Leprechauns and a Hunt for Gold
Those Leprechauns are tricky! They usually make an appearance the night before St. Patrick’s Day and can turn a household or classroom completely upside down. Preschool children will delight in the Leprechaun game. In the morning, have them search the area to find items that are out of place, upside down, or completely missing. See how well they observe their surroundings!
Hint: To help out the preschoolers with their hunt, parents or teachers can provide an obvious clue by leaving a piece of Leprechaun gold at each location that has been visited.
Finger Painting Life Size Rainbows
This is a great outdoor craft idea, but a basement or a long classroom table would be okay as well. Purchase a roll of white paper and spread it out on a convenient flat surface. Make sure that the participating kids are wearing old clothes and have painting smocks. For added insurance, use finger paints that are washable.
Have children work side by side along the length of the paper to create a giant rainbow picture with their fingers. The finished product can be used to adorn a wall as a St. Patrick's Day decoration and a reminder that springtime is on its way.
Shamrock Story and Worksheets
What does a shamrock look like? How many leaves does it have and how are the leaves shaped? To find out for sure, a parent or teacher can obtain a printed picture of one online or at a local library. Provide a copy of the printed shamrock to the preschoolers. Then, create a worksheet with shamrocks of different shapes and leaf counts. Have children identify and circle the “real” shamrock and color it.
Alternatively, pair this worksheet activity with a great shamrock story. The Luck of the Irish by Margaret McNamara [Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2007] is a book in the Robin Hill School series. In it, the teacher prepares her St. Patrick’s Day lesson by showing her class a shamrock, but one of her students knows that something isn’t quite right about it.
How will the youngster in the story be able to prove that her teacher’s shamrock isn’t the correct shape? This is a perfect St. Patrick’s Day story that will go well with the shamrock identification worksheet.
Another great idea is to print out some Free St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages online. Coloring is a wonderful preschool activity. If coloring a shamrock, try making a shamrock bird. It is sure to put the kids in the spirit for the March holiday that honors the patron saint of Ireland. Celebrate Irish tradition with the children that you love by engaging them in these fun, educational St. Patrick’s Day activities appropriate for preschoolers.
St. Patrick's Day Activities for Preschoolers
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