St. Patrick’s Day Fun for Little Wee Ones

Top of the morning to you!

You may think that St. Patrick’s Day is only relevant for adults. Typically, it evokes images of dying a river green or drinking your favorite green beer.  I’m here to tell you, however, that there is PLENTY of fun to be had with your little wee ones as well on St. Patrick’s Day! In fact, I have five fun-filled activities for you to use to celebrate the holiday whether you’re 100% Irish or you just like to wear green on March 17th!

Shamrock Marble Painting

Materials Needed ::

Green finger paint
3-4 glass marbles 
1 pie pan
1 shamrock drawn on white paper which is then taped to the pie pan

This is a favorite activity for my kiddos {and to be honest we adapt it to every holiday, because it’s such a hit}! My first tip is to make sure you do this outside as those marbles can have a mind of their own especially as excitement builds. Simply roll the marbles in green paint, and then place them in the pie pan for your little Leprechaun. After that, the process art is up to them. They’ll roll the pie pan in all directions and use the marble rolls to paint their picture. 

**Please note, this is suggested for ages 2 and up with parental supervision, since the marbles can pose a choking hazard.**

Shamrock Stamping

Materials Needed ::

Green finger paint
Paper
3 wine corks taped together in a shamrock shape

This activity is both fun and easy, and the mess is contained enough to do it inside with the help of a dollar store table cloth and old shirt for a smock {win, win, win}! Simply pour out the green finger paint in a container, give your child the pre-made shamrock-shaped stamp, and let them go to town {more specifically, Dublin}. The craft is so simple, you could easily transform the artwork into cards for family members as well!

Magic Shrinking Leprechaun Hats

Materials Needed ::

Styrofoam cups {make sure they have a lip around the lid}
Markers {used to decorate the cups}
A metal cookie sheet
An oven

Of all of the fun activities my littles and I do for St. Patrick’s Day, this is by far the most fun {and to be honest, I can’t get enough of it either}. There are specific directions for this activity, so make sure to follow them::

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
2. As it’s warming up, have your children decorate their hats for their Leprechaun {the styrofoam cup}.
3. Once the oven is heated, put the cups {lid-down} on the sheet and place them in the oven.
4. Watch them CAREFULLY! They are usually done in about 4 minutes. This is when the lip of the lid will flatten into the hat’s brim.
5. Take them out immediately and let them cool.

Please note, that the hats will be a bit brittle after they’ve been “cooked” so any kind of rough play will break them. You could also choose to have your kids decorate hats, and then you could shrink them in secret overnight as a surprise! Another idea is to have them watch the process, place their hats in a special place in the house, and then the next morning you could replace the hats with chocolate coins! The possibilities are endless, but the results are always fun and memorable!

Sorting and Graphing Lucky Charms

Materials Needed ::

A small serving of Lucky Charms
A piece of paper
Crayons to match the marshmallow colors

I love this activity, because it keeps with the festivity of the holiday while also sneakily integrating math! Here are the directions to make sure it’s a success for you::

1. Dump out your serving of Lucky Charms for your kids and have them {or try to have them} eat ONLY the crunchy pieces, leaving the marshmallows behind.
2. After they’ve eaten the crunchy cereal {and assuredly some of the marshmallows as well} have them sort the marshmallows into groups by shape.
3. Once this is done, turn the groups into columns on the piece of paper.
4. Then, use the crayon to outline the column and write the number on the top of how many marshmallows are in that group.

Boom! You have math and Lucky Charm marshmallows as a treat to enjoy after that learning! For an extra bonus, you can compare the different columns by asking your child which shape was the most common and which the least, etc.

Shamrock Root Beer Floats

Just because your littles can’t have a certain adult green beverage, doesn’t mean that they have to be left out of fun green drinks altogether! Here’s a recipe for a kid-friendly St. Patrick’s Day green drink :: A Shamrock Root Beer Float.

Ingredients ::

Root beer
Green Food Coloring
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Crean {Blue Bell is our favorite!}
Green, gold, or rainbow sprinkles {optional}

Recipe::

1. Pour the root beer into a clear cup.
2. Put a few drops of the food coloring in, and stir to mix.
3. Scoop out ice cream, and put in the cup.
4. Decorate with sprinkles on top for some colorful fun!

So there you have it :: 5 activities to have some festive fun with your favorite little Leprechauns! With these activities and a little bit of Irish luck, I’m sure you’ll make great memories this holiday too!

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