St. Patrick’s Day is almost here. Journey with us as we discover some fun and engaging activities for kids. We will color, tell jokes, bake, read and more! Let’s get started!
St. Patrick’s Day is an old and storied tradition that was first celebrated in Ireland around the year of 1000 AD. It was a day full of fun and feasting to recognize Ireland’s patron saint, Patrick. There are many myths and legends surrounding St. Patrick. One of the most popular legends is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland!
Many of the St. Patrick’s day traditions that we celebrate in America today are uniquely American. They are not celebrated in Ireland. In the early 1600s, people began to immigrate to what was then the British colonies in America. St. Patrick’s Day was a way for Irish-Americans to remember and celebrate their Irish heritage. This was especially important in the earliest days of American history, as Irish immigrants were often looked down upon. Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day brought them together and helped them to feel more at home in America. There are many St. Patrick’s Day Activities for kids that we can participate in to celebrate on March 17th!
St. Patrick’s Day Coloring pages for kids
Coloring is a simple way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and Irish culture. Many coloring pages represent important symbols of Irish culture. Such as, the three leaf clover and representations of the mythical leprechaun!
The three leaf clover is a popular symbol of Ireland and Irish culture. It is also called a shamrock. Shamrock is a word associated with many different types of clover that are native to Ireland. The three leaf clover or shamrock is associated with St. Patrick’s day because St. Patrick used the three leaves of the clover to explain the Holy Trinity of Christianity to the Irish people.
At the present day, many St. Patrick’s Day traditions are associated with being “lucky.” Four leaf clovers are particularly associated with luck. This is because the odds of finding a four leaf clover are quite low. This makes finding a four leaf clover rare and unusual – lucky! The ancient Celtic people believed that finding a four leaf clover was a good sign and would keep bad luck away. They also believed that a four leaf clover would offer the holder a kind of magical protection as well as the ability to see fairies and leprechauns.
St. Patrick’s Day Jokes for Kids
Secondly, if you have kids with funny bones, nothing is better than educating through laughter! Here are a few popular jokes related to St. Patrick’s Day.
Q: How is a good friend like a four-leaf clover?
A: They’re hard to find.
Q: Why did the leprechaun turn down the bowl of soup?
A: Because he already had a pot of gold!
Q: What’s a leprechaun’s favorite cereal?
A: Lucky charms!
Q: What was St. Patrick’s favorite kind of music?
A: Sham-rock and roll.
Q: Knock Knock
A: Who’s there?
Q: Irish.
A: Irish who?
Q: I-rish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Q: What do you call a frog that jumped into a pot of gold?
A: A leap-rechaun!
Q: Why do leprechauns love to garden?
A: They have green thumbs!
Q: Why did St. Patrick drive the snakes out of Ireland?
A: Because he couldn’t get the snakes on a plane!
Q: Knock knock?
A: Who’s there?
Q: Warren.
A: Warren who?
Q: Warren’ anything green today?
Why Green?
Green is a popular color associated with St. Patrick’s Day. However, the color for St. Patrick’s Day used to be blue! St. Patrick himself is associated with the color blue. During the Great Irish Rebellion of 1641, green became a colloquial national color of Ireland. Green was also the uniform of some Irish nationalists in 1790. One-third of the Irish flag is green, with the other colors being orange and white.
What’s another reason we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? Why, the leprechaun, of course! The leprechaun is a mythical Irish being that has a reputation for being a bit naughty – and pinching people! Green is alleged to make people invisible to leprechauns, so if you’re wearing green – no pinches!
Another fun way to celebrate is to focus on activities that are more educational to every day life in Ireland. There are many traditional Irish recipes that you can make together with your kids. One of our favorites is Irish soda bread!
Irish Soda Bread Recipe
Irish soda bread is a kind of bread with a few simple ingredients – soft wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and sour milk. Yeast is not used in traditional Irish soda bread. This is because at the time Irish soda bread-making became widespread, yeast was hard to come by. Widespread famine across Ireland meant that bread had to be made out of as few ingredients as possible, and they had to be easy to come by. Therefore, Irish soda bread was created. Making Irish soda bread with your students is a great way to teach about the struggles of the Irish people during famine and how they innovated to survive. Click on the above link to bake and enjoy some today!
St. Patrick’s Day music
Additionally, music is an important part of Celtic and Irish culture. Danny Boy, which is a ballad set to a traditional Irish tune, is one of the most popular songs representing Irish culture. It is commonly considered the national anthem of Northern Ireland.
Another popular song to listen to on St. Patrick’s Day is called I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover. This song incorporated the lucky symbol of the four leaf clover and was written in 1927. It’s been sung by many famous artists, including Frank Sinatra!
The second verse of Irish Lullaby or Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral is a popular song for younger children due it’s lyrics and melody. It was also sung by famous American big band singers like Bing Crosby.
A Great Day for the Irish was popularized by Judy Garland when she sang it in Europe on tour. The lyrics are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, all about a great day for the Irish (particularly in New York, which has a heavy population of Irish-American heritage).
St. Patrick’s Day Books
The Leprechaun’s Gold: This is a tale of a classic Irish legend in which two harpists set off for a contest to name the finest harpist in all of Ireland. This is a great one to teach broadly about Irish traditions and cultures, as the harp is another important symbol of Ireland that doesn’t get as much love on St. Patrick’s Day as the shamrock does.
That’s What Leprechauns Do: a picture book for younger children that brings leprechauns to life! This is a book about mischief and pranks.
Shamrocks, Harps, and Shillelaghs: a book about the history of St. Patrick’s Day and the symbology around it. It is a fun and educational book filled with stories, legends, and historical facts about how St. Patrick’s Day came to be.
The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day: an Irish twist on the popular winter tale The Night Before Christmas. In this retelling, two children set a trap to catch a leprechaun.
Finally, Fiona’s Luck uses the Irish potato famine as a backdrop for this story, and is appropriate for 5th and 6th grade students. Leprechauns are present in this tale, but main character, Fiona, must go up against the leprechaun king to take the luck of Ireland back and save her people.
While St. Patrick’s Day may have started as a feast in Ireland, it’s transformed into a world-wide party! There are lots of ways to celebrate Irish culture with St. Patrick’s Day traditions. Following your celebrations, be sure and check out our free lesson plans for more learning adventures!
