43 Fun St Patrick’s Day Classroom Games & Activities

43 Fun St Patrick's Day Classroom Games & Activities

If you want some fun ideas for St Patrick’s Day classroom games and activities you’ve come to the right place. This post is packed with learning games and activities that would be perfect for your St. Patrick’s day classroom celebration. Plus I’ve included ideas to have an amazing classroom party for the holiday.

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St Patrick's Day Classroom Games

This special holiday can be a great opportunity in your classroom to learn about the Irish culture while playing fun games. Check out some of my favorite ideas for games to try in your classroom below. I’ve included ideas for younger students and older students as well.

How to Catch a Leprechaun

You can create an atmosphere of Irish folklore by challenging your students to try to catch a Leprechaun by making their own leprechaun traps. This is an activity that younger students have a lot of fun with. If you want to try this in your classroom this year, check out ideas to pull it off from other creative teachers.

1 | Leprechaun Footprints

leprechaun footprints
Image Source | mrskinderpayne

When your leprechaun first visits the classroom, he may leave clues like a note for the class and little green footprints. This can start the class’s quest to catch the leprechaun.

2 | Plan to Catch a Leprechaun

how to catch a leprechaun game
Image Source | the_suburbanteacher

Have your students start with a plan of how they will catch the leprechaun. In the plan they can list materials that they will use and the steps that they will take to catch the little green elf.

3 | Leprechaun Traps

leprechaun traps
Image Source | mrskinderpayne

Next have students create leprechaun traps. Provide them with materials like cardboard boxes, pipe cleaners, and colorful craft supplies. Let their imaginations run wild as they design and construct their traps to capture the elusive leprechauns.

4 | Leprechaun Message

leprechaun message
Image Source | mrskinderpayne

In this classroom the leprechaun was not caught but he did leave the class a note about how much fun he had and left them a bag of treats to share!

St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt

Add some excitement to your classroom with a St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt. Hide clues around the room that lead students towards a pot of faux gold coins.

This activity encourages problem-solving and teamwork as students work together to decipher clues and find the treasure. Check out how to pull it off below.

5 | Scavenger Hunt Check List

St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt check list
Image Source | crazymamaofboysandaprincess

Hit up the dollar store at this time of year to find a package of St. Patrick’s day items that would be perfect for your scavenger hunt or treasure hunt. Next create a checklist and have students work in small groups to try to check off all of the items on the list. You can provide a small prize for the first team to check off all of the items.

Treasure Hunt

Similar to the scavenger hunt, you can organize a treasure hunt for your students by hiding gold coins, shamrocks, or other Saint Patrick's Day-themed items around the classroom. Encourage teamwork and problem-solving skills as students work in groups to find the hidden items.

6 | Leprechaun Treasure Hunt

For a leprechaun led treasure hunt you can provide students with clue cards that were left by a sneaky little leprechaun. The leprechaun may have left gold coins as clues as to where he traveled around the classroom or even the school. At the end of the treasure hunt students can find a little treat like chocolate gold coins.

Creative St Patrick's Day Classroom Games

Read on to check out some new and creative ideas for St Patrick’s day games to introduce to your class this year.

7 | Letter and Number Guessing Game

creative St. Patrick's day game idea
Image Source | ateacherandhercat

For this game the teacher hides a themed object card behind a letter or a number. Students then take turns guessing which letter or number it is hiding behind and get to check for the hidden image.

8 | St. Patrick’s Day Memory Game

St Patrick's Day memory game
Image Source | kt_creates

Take any simple game, like memory and apply a St. Patrick’s Day theme for the holiday.

St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Word Searches

Create custom word searches for your students based on Saint Patrick's Day-themed vocabulary. This will help students expand their language skills while having fun solving word puzzles related to the holiday.

9 | St. Patrick’s Day Word Search

St Patrick's day word search
Image Source | lilacsandcharcoal

If you want to create a word search for your classroom here are some ideas to include:

  • St Patrick
  • Shamrock
  • Pot of Gold
  • Leprechaun
  • Lucky
  • Rainbow
  • Ireland
  • Clover
  • Irish
  • March

St. Patrick's Day Dice Games

Introduce a new dice game to your classroom with a St. Patrick's Day twist. Provide students with printable game sheets where they can practice math skills while rolling dice to move pieces along a game board featuring shamrocks and leprechauns. Check out some more ideas for dice games below.

10 | Roll and Cover

St Patrick's Day dice games for the classroom
Image Source | ateacherandhercat

To play roll and cover students just roll the dice and then cover the number that they roll. They win when they cover all of the numbers. Provide students with foam four leaf clovers for the game.

11 | Shamrock Bump

St Patrick's day math activity
Image Source | games4learning

This fun math game involves subtraction. Here is how you play:

  • Each player gets 8 chips of the same color.
  • Students take turns rolling the dice and then subtracting the number rolled from 17. (This is because March 17th is St. Patrick’s day.)
  • Then they cover the number with their chip.
  • If another player’s chip is on the number they can bump them.
  • If their chip is already on the number they put a second chip on it and have won that number.
  • The first player to use all 8 of their chip wins.

St Patrick's Day Classroom Games for Older Students

Are you looking for some game ideas that will be engaging for older students? How about a St. Patrick’s day escape room? Check out how to pull that off below.

12 | Leprechaun Escape Room

leprechaun escape room classroom game
Image Source | educate.with.ease

Create a leprechaun escape room. This would be a fun and engaging game for older students. Here is how you do it:

Create several clues that small groups have to solve to escape the room. An example of one of the clues would be to provide the students with several math problems and cards with solutions and letters on them.

When the problem is solved the correct solution card is placed on top of the question. The students need to spell out the missing word to get the next clue.

Fun St Patrick's Day Classroom Games

Include entertaining games like Leprechaun Says (a variation of Simon Says) or Pin the Shamrock on the Leprechaun. These activities can be adapted for various age levels and help break up the day with some lighthearted fun. Check out some inspiration below.

13 | Pin the Four-Leaf Clover on the Hat

pin the four-leaf clover on the hat game
Image Source | ateacherandhercat

Here's a quick and easy St. Paddy’s day game that would be perfect to add to your class party.

14 | St. Patrick’s Day Headbands

St Patrick's day headbands game
Image Source | craftingchicks

How about playing a game of St. Patrick’s Day headbands with your class? Use the headbands from the actual game and print off your own St. Paddy’s Day themed cards. If you don’t have the game, you could also make the headbands with construction paper.

If you are not familiar with this game this is how you play:

  • Each player wears the headband across their forehead.
  • Then each players gets a card and places it on the headband without looking.
  • Students take turns asking one yes or no question at a time until they can correctly guess what is on their headband.
  • The player that guesses correctly first wins.

15 | St. Patrick's Day Bingo

Create St. Patrick's Day-themed bingo cards featuring images like pots of gold, shamrocks, and leprechauns. This classic game can be enjoyed by students of all ages as they learn to recognize the different symbols associated with the holiday.

St. Patrick's Day Bingo
Image Source | the_suburbanteacher

Bingo is a classic that would be a fun addition to your holiday party.

Quick and Easy St. Patrick's Day Classroom Games

16 | Pass the Shamrock

For a fast but fun activity, you can try games like Pass the Shamrock, where students pass around a small shamrock while music is playing. When the music stops, whoever is holding the shamrock must answer a St. Paddy’s Day-themed question.

17 | Leprechaun Word Scramble

leprechaun word scramble
Image Source | makinglifeblissful

Create word scramble sheets for your students with St. Patrick’s day terms like rainbow, Leprechaun, shamrock, and pot of gold.

18 | St. Patrick’s Day Tic Tac Toe

St. Patrick’s Day Tic Tac Toe
Image Source | theartkit

For themed tic tac toe provide students with rainbows and pots of gold to use instead of Xs and Os.

19 | St. Patrick’s Day I Spy

St. Patrick’s Day I Spy
Image Source | lilacsandcharcoal

Provide students with an eye spy sheet where they need to count the number of each item and tally them at the bottom. The first student to finish with the correct answers can get a small prize.

St Patrick's Day Classroom Games for Preschoolers or Kindergarteners

For younger students, try simple activities like green playdough sculptures, St. Patrick's Day coloring pages, or a shamrock matching game. These activities can introduce young minds to the holiday while developing their fine motor and cognitive skills.

Check out some more ideas below that would work perfectly for preschooler or kindergarteners.

20 | Magical Sorting

St Patrick's Day classroom game with Lucky Charms
Image Source | kimsteachingcorner

For this fun magical sorting game providing each student with a small bag of the cereal Lucky Charms and a sorting map. Have your students sort their marshmallows and then count the totals. They get to enjoy the treat when they are done!

21 | Roll and Feed Game

leprechaun roll and feed game
Image Source | ateacherandhercat

This game would be perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners that are working on counting. Students roll the dice and feed the leprechaun and the pot of gold the number of pom poms that they have rolled.

Have them pick up the items with tweezers to really hone in on those fine motor skills. At the end they can count and total the number of pom poms eaten.

22 | Play-Doh Leprechaun Faces

St Patrick's day classroom activity with Play-Doh
Image Source | kt_creates

Here’s fun activity for younger students. Provide Students with Play-Doh and have students fill in the missing face of a leprechaun.

St. Patrick's Day Activities

Read on for some ideas of some St. Patrick’s day activities that would be perfect for the classroom including crafts, math activities, jokes, and more.

St. Patrick's Day Crafts

Check out some ideas below of easy St. Paddy’s Day crafts for kids of all ages.

23 | Leprechaun Puppets

You can have your kids create cute leprechaun puppets using paper bags, colored paper, and other decorations. Encourage them to use their imagination and play with their leprechaun puppets once they're finished.

24 | Shamrock Crafts

Have your students cut out shamrocks from green construction paper. They can decorate them with glitter, paint or stickers. You can display the shamrocks around the classroom for the holiday.

25 | Leprechaun Hats

DIY leprechaun hats with construction paper
Image Source | rockpapersprinklesco

To get students into the spirit of the holiday have them create a DIY leprechaun hat out of construction paper. They can even make a beard too!

26 | St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Sheets

Image Source | lilacsandcharcoal

Print off some themed coloring sheets for an easy activity for your class party.

Fun St. Patrick's Day activities

Check out below some more fun ideas for activities that your students will have a lot of fun with for the holiday.

27 | Leprechaun Name

leprechaun name classroom activity
Image Source | lilacsandcharcoal

Provide students with a cheat sheet that tells them what their leprechaun name is. You can use the letters of their first and last names or even the month they were born to come up with clever names, like Lucky McGiggles.

28 | St. Patrick’s Day Jokes

St Patrick's Day jokes
Image Source | makinglifeblissful

St. Patrick’s Day Jokes for Elementary Students

Incorporate Jokes for the holiday to add a fun element to the special day. Here some funny St. Paddy’s Day Jokes that your students will like:

  • What kind of spells do leprechauns use? Luck Charms!
  • What’s small, lucky and green all over? A leprechaun who recycles.
  • What do you call a frog that jumped into a pot of gold? A leap-rechaun!
  • Why do leprechauns love to garden? They have green thumbs.
  • Why shouldn’t you borrow money from a leprechaun? They are always a little short.

29 | Leprechaun Yourself

leprechaun yourself
Image Source | ideasclaseabc

Have students add their photos to a green elf body to leprechaun their selves. You can have students draw and color the little leprechauns themselves for a fun activity for the holiday.

Math Activities

Incorporate Irish themes into your math lessons. For example, use shamrocks for counting or addition problems. Check out some more math activities that you can put a St. Patrick’s day spin on below.

30 | Math Riddles

St. Patrick's Day math activity
Image Source | educate.with.ease

Have students complete the math problems to solve St. Patrick’s Day themed riddles.

31 | Shamrock Math Game

St Patrick's day math game for the classroom
Image Source | games4learning

For this math game students take turns finding two numbers on the shamrock that add to the third number. They then color all three numbers. The winner is the last player who can color a set of three numbers in the shamrock.

32 | Student Made Problems

St Patrick's day math activity for older students
Image Source | educate.with.ease

First, give students a history of Irish culture. Then have them come up with their own word problems incorporating the holiday. This would be an engaging math activity for older students.

St Patrick's Day Centers

Set up various stations around the classroom with different math-related activities. Students can rotate among the stations to practice their math skills through fun, themed activities.

33 | Math St. Patrick’s Day Centers

St Patrick's day math stations
Image Source | just.call.me.andy

For math stations you can base them on popular dice and card games with an Irish theme.

St Patrick's Day Writing Prompts

Encourage your students to use their creativity and practice their writing skills with St. Paddy’s Day themed prompts. Examples include:

  • Write a story about a day in the life of a leprechaun.
  • List of things you would do if you found a pot of gold.
  • Describe how you would spend a day in Ireland.

34 | Writing Activity for St. Patrick’s Day

St Patrick's day writing activity for the classroom
Image Source | the_suburbanteacher

Have students finish the writing prompt if I were a leprechaun… They can also color a picture of themselves as a tiny green elf.

35 | St Patrick's Day Classroom Party

For your St. Patrick’s Day class party consider teaching the students about Irish culture including incorporating Irish food, music and dances. You could also provide green snacks for the party and play some of the fun games mentioned in this post. Check out some more ideas for your classroom party below.

36 | Celebration of Irish Culture

Encourage your students to learn about the richness of Irish culture by including stories, music, Irish movies and traditions in your classroom party. Provide handouts or display infographics about Ireland's history, and don't forget to play traditional Irish music in the background. This way, you'll introduce students to this vibrant heritage in a fun and engaging environment.

37 | St. Patrick's Day Songs

Introduce your students to traditional Irish songs and let them sing along to popular tunes like "Danny Boy" or "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling". Create a playlist for the classroom party, and it might even be fun to organize a small choir where kids can showcase their singing talents.

38 | Irish Step Dance

Get your students moving and grooving with a mini Irish dancing workshop! Teach them some basic moves or invite a local Irish dance group to demonstrate this energetic and rhythmic dance style. You might even stream a video tutorial for a more interactive experience.

39 | Irish Food

No party is complete without delicious food! Introduce your students to traditional Irish dishes like Irish soda bread, colcannon, and shepherd's pie. You could also present students with Irish potatoes – a tasty confectionery made of coconut, cream cheese, and cinnamon.

Food can always help make cultural connections for students, as it represents an essential aspect of traditions worldwide.

40 | Green Snacks

Incorporate the iconic color green into your Saint Patrick's Day celebration by offering your students a variety of green-themed snacks. You could do a mix of heathy options and some green candies for a festive touch!

Here are some ideas for green snacks to include at your classroom party:

  • Cucumbers
  • Celery Sticks
  • Green Apples
  • Green Grapes
  • Green Popcorn
  • Mint Chocolate Chip Milk Shake
  • Green Candies like M&Ms, Jellybeans

green milkshake
Image Source | houseofshine

Create a milk shake with mint chocolate chip ice-cream, green food coloring, whip cream and green sprinkles for a tasty treat for your classroom green party!

41 | St. Patrick's Day Parade

Organize a St. Paddy’s Day Parade in your school by encouraging students to dress up in green, accessorize with shamrocks, and carry an Irish flag. Involve the entire class and send out invites to other teachers and classes to join and watch the parade making its way through your school's hallways.

St. Patrick's Day Treats for Students

Make your classroom party even more memorable by offering creative and themed treats like shamrock-shaped sugar cookies or green cupcakes. You can also prepare a small goodie bag for each student with green candies and Saint Patrick's Day-themed trinkets, as a fun takeaway to remember the experience!

Check out some creative ideas for treats that your students will love.

42 | Goldfish Goody Bag

Image Source | lilacsandcharcoal

This snack label says, "You are the pot of gold(fish) at the end of the rainbow."

43 | Rainbow Themed Treat Bag

St Patrick's day classroom treat
Image Source | lilacsandcharcoal

Give your students rainbow treats like these rainbow Twizzlers with gold Rolos to represent the gold and the rainbow. This snack tag says you are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Through these activities and treats, you'll create a memorable St. Patrick's Day party for your students while highlighting the best of Irish culture and traditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some fun word games for St Patrick's Day?

You can try playing St. Patrick's Day word searches, crossword puzzles, or word scrambles. Create your own or find some online that are themed around St. Paddy’s Day vocabulary, such as shamrock, leprechaun, and pot of gold.

Another option is to play a themed version of the game, "Boggle" or "Hangman" using Saint Patrick's Day-related words.

Which outdoor activities suit St Patrick's Day celebrations?

A treasure hunt is a great outdoor activity for St. Patrick's Day festivities. You can hide clues across the schoolyard that guide participants toward a pot of faux gold. This helps students uncover not just the next step, but also encourages problem-solving and teamwork. Traditional Irish games such as tug-of-war or potato sack races can also be good options for getting students outside and active.

Can you suggest St Patrick's Day party games for preschoolers?

For preschoolers, consider playing "Pin the Shamrock on the Leprechaun" or "Ring Toss on the Leprechaun Hat." These games are similar to traditional party games and can easily be modified by using Saint Patrick's Day-themed items.

Another idea is to create a "Leprechaun Hop" by using green construction paper to make shamrock-shaped hopping spots on the floor.

What's a good guessing game for a St Patrick's Day class party?

A fun and simple guessing game is "How Many Shamrocks?" Fill a jar with green shamrock-shaped items, such as erasers or confetti, and have students guess how many are in the jar. The student who gets closest to the actual number wins a small prize, like a green pencil or a shamrock sticker.

What are some traditional Irish games and activities that students can play?

Introduce your students to traditional Irish games, such as skittles, Gaelic football, or hurling. You can also have a dance session where they learn some basic Irish dance steps. You can also share Irish folktales or teach students a traditional Irish song to engage them in cultural activities.

What are some St Patrick's day contest ideas for school?

Organize a creative writing competition where students compose St. Patrick's Day-themed stories or poems. Alternatively, you can host a drawing or coloring contest featuring St. Paddy’s Day symbols, like leprechauns or shamrocks.

Other ideas include costume contests for the best Saint Patrick's Day-themed outfit or a bake-off for the best Irish-inspired baked goods. Encourage participation and reward winners with festive prizes to make the event enjoyable for all.

St Patrick’s day classroom games & Activities Pinterest

Feel free to save your favorite games and activities from this post to your Pinterest boards. To do that just click on the picture, then the P and choose your board.

I hope you found some new ideas for St Patrick’s day classroom games and activities to try this year. Hopefully you also have some fun ideas for your class party as well. If you loved this post, please give it a share!

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