With so much uncertainty around us right now, I understand that many of us may be feeling pretty determined to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the kids as normally as possible. . .especially since we now have SO MUCH TIME TOGETHER with them. And, luckily, there is no reason to make a big shopping trip for this holiday if we use a little bit of imagination, as well as supplies and ingredients we already have in the house.
So I have pulled together a whole bunch of St. Patrick’s Day celebration ideas for you to consider for this festive day. With the luck of the Irish, you’ll be able to pick out a few things that you can either craft, cook, or play.
And since we’re avoiding supermarkets and stores as much as possible, don’t fret if your rainbow snack doesn’t have violet in it, or the only green food coloring you have is actually closer to turquoise than emerald. Just make the best of what you have on hand and blame any shortcomings on Leprechaun mischief.
Main Photo: Pretty Prudent
Photo: Pretty Prudent
1. Fire up the printer and pick something fun from these 7 free St. Patrick’s Day printables that will give luck o’ the Irish to kids everywhere. I especially like these pretty watercolor tags from Pretty Prudent which you can use as decorations around the breakfast table or tie around some colorful drinks, as shown at the top of the page.
2. Don’t forget to wear green! Raid the closet, the dress-up bin, and your box of party supplies and make a pile of everything green you can find. Make a game of who can make the craziest outfit or just casually stroll around your home dressed in head-to-toe green all day.
3. Have a special St. Paddy’s Day lunch. If your kids are home from school (unexpected 3-week break here!), you won’t need to pull out the lunch box, but we still love these 7 easy school lunch ideas for St. Patrick’s Day with the kids from rainbow fruit to leprechaun sandwiches.
Photo: Alpha Mom
4. Have a four-leaf clover stone hunt. Love this idea from Alpha Mom to paint clovers and gold coins on a few rocks, hide them in the yard (or around the house) and have a Four Leaf Clover Stone Hunt! Great way to get the kids moving and burn off some energy too.
5. Or, search for the real thing. if you have a patch of lawn or quiet park nearby, go on a St. Patrick’s Day search using these great tips on finding a real four-leaf clover from WordPlayHouse.
6. Brighten your day with rainbow crafts. We could all use a little brightness right now which is why I love these 9 fun and easy rainbow crafts to brighten up your St. Patrick’s Day. Or if you have little ones, check out 8 of the cutest St. Patrick’s Day rainbow crafts for preschoolers and little kids. Pot of gold not included.
7. It’s a perfect day for DIY Shamrock shakes. I am totally willing to do a taste test of each of these 5 copycat shamrock shake recipes for St. Patrick’s Day.
Photo: Not So Wimpy Teacher
8. Play St. Patrick’s Day Games together. Though these games were created for a classroom, Not So Wimpy Teacher’s Minute to Win It St. Patrick’s Day Activities can easily be played between siblings or even the entire family after dinner. Super fun if you have a competitive bunch.
9. Yummy St. Patrick’s Day crafts you can eat! Fun AND edible? Loving these easy, edible St. Patrick’s day crafts and activities for kids. With absolutely no glitter. (You’re welcome).
10. Put on your (Irish) dancing shoes. Try our your best jigs with great Irish tunes, like this selection of Irish Celtic songs on Spotify.
11. Instant Pot to the rescue: No need to spend all day in the kitchen with these 5 easy and delicious Irish recipes for your Instant Pot.
Related: Make this Instant Pot corned beef recipe for St. Patrick’s Day.
12. Add green food coloring to everything! The toilet water, the bottom of their bowl of cereal (just add milk!), scrambled eggs, yogurt, lemonade, pasta water are all such easy ways to add some green. And this recipe for Green Colored Popcorn from Skip to my Lou may be a little advanced, but it’ll give you a chance to pull out that candy thermometer that may be languishing in the back of a kitchen drawer.
13. Go green with these dye-free ideas. Or skip the dye and go green with these dye free recipes for St. Patrick’s Day with the kids, using naturally green foods like spinach, matcha, kale, broccoli, and pesto.
14. Make rainbow salsa! You can also taste the rainbow with this idea on how to make Rainbow Salsa for St Patrick’s Day. Hey, it also happens to be Taco Tuesday!
Photo: A Night Owl
15. Don’t forget dessert! Here are 7 creative, cute rainbow desserts from easy to OMG. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day…or any day! This Rainbow Frozen Yogurt Bark from A Night Owl only calls for a few ingredients, is almost healthy, and is easy enough for preschoolers to play sous chef in the kitchen.
16. For adults only, the best boozy desserts for St. Patrick’s Day and beyond, from Creme de Menthe Brownies to a Guinness Milkshake. Because why should the kids have all the fun?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Sláinte!
