The calendar inspires today’s play-of-the-day with some kids St. Patrick’s Day fun activities. After all, leprechauns and kids both love to play. And laugh and play tricks.
First thing in the morning, find something green to wear. Green is the color of shamrocks and, of course, the Emerald Isle.
Maybe kids can help make a batch of green play dough. Play dough is really quite a treasure for play. Kids can roll, squish, smoosh, pat, twist, stretch, shape, and even cut. It’s highly sensory, appealing to touch, sight, and if you add a few drops of something like peppermint, to the sense of smell.
At snack time, make a dish of green treats. Kids can help wash celery, cucumber, and broccoli and stir up a tasty dip. Leprechauns love to play tricks. Mix up some green jello and when it’s ready try the trick of eating jello with a fork. What other yummy green things are there to eat?
In the book, Harold and Purple Crayon, everything is purple. For this day, let kids draw and color with green crayons and markers. They might want to paint with green too.
Where do we find treasure? At the end of a rainbow, of course. Give kids a box of chalk and let them color a rainbow on the sidewalk or deck. Don’t forget the pot of gold. Hopefully, there will be a warm, golden sun to brighten the day. Maybe there will be rainbows in the sky as well as on the ground.
Treasures need to be counted. Bright, shiny buttons are fun to count, so are cheerios or rainbow fruit loops. What else might you have for counting?
Read some stories about leprechauns and Ireland. One of our favorites is Clever Tom and the Leprechaun by Linda Shute. Does Tom get some leprechaun treasure?
If the weather isn’t playing a terrible trick and covering the ground with white, kids can go outside and gather some nature treasures for making a pot of fairy soup. Bits of grass, small twigs, pine cones, early flower petals, and some tiny rocks for seasoning could attract leprechauns, fairies, and other wee creatures out to play.
Hope your St. Patrick’s Day is full of treasure with these kids St. Patrick’s Day fun activities. Are you keeping your eyes wide open for spotting a leprechaun?