St. Patrick’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for preschoolers to explore the world around them through hands-on learning and play! From lucky shamrocks to mischievous leprechauns, this festive holiday is filled with endless ways to spark curiosity and develop important early skills.
Whether it’s gold coin counting games, rainbow color sorting, or fun leprechaun crafts, St. Patrick’s-themed activities bring joy and learning together in a way that keeps little ones engaged and excited.
How Can St Patrick’s Day Activities Enhance Learning for Preschoolers?
Themed activities help reinforce key preschool concepts while keeping kids motivated and engaged. St. Patrick’s Day worksheets, crafts, and sensory play can target:
✅ Fine Motor Skills – Cutting, tracing, coloring, and lacing shamrocks or gold coins strengthen little hands.
✅ Math Skills – Counting, number recognition, and simple addition with fun St. Patrick’s Day objects like rainbows and pots of gold.
✅ Literacy Skills – Letter matching, sight word games, and themed storytime encourage language development.
✅ Social & Emotional Growth – Working together on St. Patrick’s-themed group activities promotes sharing, patience, and teamwork.
What Crafts Can Preschoolers Make for St. Patrick’s Day?
Simple St. Patrick’s-themed crafts are a great way to encourage creativity while practicing fine motor skills and cognitive development. Some fun ideas include:
🍀 Shamrock Stamping – Use sponges or cookie cutters to create shamrock art!
🌈 Rainbow Paper Chains – Teach color recognition and patterning while creating a fun classroom or home decoration.
🪙 Gold Coin Sorting & Counting – Fill a “pot of gold” with different numbers of coins to practice math skills.
🎩 Leprechaun Hats & Beards – Make adorable dress-up props for imaginative play!
How Do St. Patrick’s Day Activities Build Confidence?
When children complete a worksheet, craft, or sensory activity, they experience a sense of accomplishment that boosts their confidence and pride. Seeing their finished work—whether it’s a handprint rainbow, a letter-tracing worksheet, or a leprechaun coloring page—encourages them to continue exploring and learning.
Easy-to-Implement St. Patrick’s Day Activities at Home
You don’t need fancy supplies to bring the magic of St. Patrick’s Day to life! Here are some fun and simple at-home activities:
🌟 Make green playdough and shape shamrocks!
🌟 Create a St. Patrick’s-themed sensory bin with rice, gold coins, and rainbow-colored objects.
🌟 Set up a leprechaun “trap” using everyday items like boxes, sticks, and string.
🌟 Go on a gold coin scavenger hunt around the house!
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With festive worksheets, games, and hands-on activities, St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to make learning magical for your little ones! 🍀✨
St Patrick’s Day Literacy Activities for Preschool
St. Patrick’s Day literacy activities for preschoolers are a fun and engaging way to build essential reading and writing skills while celebrating the holiday. Incorporating festive imagery like shamrocks, leprechauns, rainbows, and gold coins helps children connect new vocabulary to familiar and exciting themes.
Sight Word Book “Can” (Printable) – Have student color and cut out the pages of this book. They will start to recognize the sight word can and color words with repetition. There are different options for students who can trace or write as well.
Upper and Lowercase Letter Matching (Printable) – Match each lowercase letter with its uppercase version to complete the image. Cut to size yourself or have students do some of the cutting on the line
Alphabet Worksheets (Printable) – These worksheets have a festive holiday theme as they focus on letter recognition and how it relates to the holiday.
Creating CVC Words (Printable) – Cut out the coin letters and have students create CVC words from the picture.
Word Book (Printable) – First, give the template for students to cut out and color. Then, students will complete the mini book word pages by coloring and tracing the St. Patrick’s Day words. Finally, staple the word book to their leprechaun!
Label the Leprechaun (Printable) – This is a fun labeling activity that gets kids reading and matching words to the parts of a leprechaun. So, if your students are just starting to learn to read, have them work in pairs to figure out the words. Remember, older children will be able to read them more independently. After they have labeled their leprechaun, they can color him!
Mystery Message (Printable) – Students will use the letter and number key to decode this holiday inspired phrase.
Syllable Sort (Printable) – This printable sorting mat is a great way to review breaking up words into syllables! But, if this is your kiddos first time working with syllable sorting, you may want to do this activity as a class. Simply have students cut and paste each St. Patrick’s Day themed word into the correct box.
Pots of Letter Matching – Do you have any plastic mini black cauldrons? Use a silver permanent marker to write a letter of the alphabet on each leprechaun cauldron. Then set out a set of corresponding magnetic letters and invite your preschooler to drop the letters into the matching pot.
Shamrock Alphabet – If your student is just learning the alphabet & letter sounds, this is great for early literacy. Write the letters of the alphabet on foam or paper shamrocks (carried at most dollar stores). Arrange in alphabetical order in a circle on the floor with your student in the middle. Say a letter sound & have your student spin around until they find the corresponding letter. Alternatively, you can pick up a shamrock one at a time & ask the student to say the letter or letter sound.
St Patrick’s Day Math Activities for Preschoolers
St. Patrick’s Day math activities offer a fun and festive way for preschoolers to develop their mathematical skills. By incorporating holiday-themed elements like shamrocks, leprechauns, and gold coins, children can practice counting, sorting, and pattern recognition in an engaging and interactive way.
Counting Ten Frame (Printable)– Use math counters or any manipulative for this activity. Place counters to complete the 10 frame then circle the correct number that will make up to 10.
Counting Pathway Game (Printable) – Pathway games make counting and adding come to life. Roll one dice and move the corresponding number or roll two dice, add the numbers and move the total.
Number Activity Mats (Printable) – First, identify the number at the top left corner of each page. Follow the instructions to build the 10 frame with counters to show that number, trace, write, add, circle, and then use counters again to count and cover the number of items at the bottom. Use math link cubes or manipulative.
Roll and Cover (Printable)– Have child roll a dice. Whatever number it lands on, student will place a sticker or marker/counter on that number. Then they can trace or write it at the bottom. Children can practice number recognition and counting with numbers 1-6 or they can use two dice and add the numbers together for the numbers 7-12.
Counting Gold Coins: Gold coins from the Dollar store make great counting manipulatives! Create a pot of gold by drawing or cutting out a pot shape. Write numbers on it and encourage children to count and place the correct number of coins in the pot.
Shamrock Patterns: Cut out shamrock shapes in different colors. Create simple patterns using the shamrocks (e.g., green, green, blue, green, green, blue). Have children continue the pattern by placing the corresponding colored shamrock next in line.
Spy Counting (Printable) – How many can you find? That is the question with this I-spy printable. Children will work on counting, number writing, and visual perception too!
St Patrick’s Day Fine Motor Activities for Preschool
These St. Patrick’s Day activities are a fantastic way to help preschoolers develop fine motor skills.
By tracing shamrocks and rainbows, cutting out leprechaun hats and gold coins, and engaging in sensory play with festive materials, children can practice precision and control with their hands and fingers.
These hands-on activities strengthen dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and muscle development in a fun and engaging way.
Color and Write (Printable) – Use these pages to color pictures of St Patricks Day holiday items, trace letters of the words, and copy the letters on the lines.
Cutting Strips (Printable) – Practice cutting and tracing skills with these cutting strips.
Dot Activities (Printable) – Use dot markers, dot stickers, finger paint, etc. to fill in the circles of these dot pages. Students will be practicing patterns, numbers, counting, and coloring while using fine and visual motor skills.
St. Patricks Day Tracing (Printable) – Use a pencil to trace the shapes and words on this sheet. For students who are ready, they can copy the letters below as well.
Color by Number (Printable) – Challenge young children to reveal mystery pictures by coloring in the correct colors based on the provided number key. This adds an element of fun and improves their number recognition and fine motor skills with each colored section.
Color by Shape (Printable) – Reveal mystery pictures by coloring in the correct colors based on the provided key. This is a color-by-code activity that is better for younger-aged kids who can’t yet recognize numbers, but can recognize shapes inst
Mazes (Printable) – Your little leprechauns will enjoy navigating their way from start to finish, and they can even practice tracing the text. There are little drawings which they can color too!
Lacing Cards (Printable) – Print these cards on card stock or laminate. Punch holes and teach your student how to lace a string through each hole. This is a great way to practice fine and visual motor skills.
Playdoh Mats (Printable) – Playdoh mats help students develop fine motor control as they roll, squeeze, and twist playdoh into different shapes and forms.
Torn Paper Shamrock Craft (Template) – This simple activity will help your students develop fine motor skills and strength by first, tearing up pieces of construction paper. The tearing works the muscles of the hand to strengthen them. Then, glue pieces in the shape of a shamrock. Cut out & glue the other shapes for the eyes and mouth from the template.
St. Patrick’s Day Arts & Crafts Activities for Preschoolers 🍀
St. Patrick’s Day arts and crafts activities are a fun and creative way to celebrate the holiday while helping preschoolers develop essential skills! Whether they’re designing lucky shamrocks, making rainbow art, or crafting leprechaun hats, these hands-on projects encourage exploration, imagination, and fine motor development.
With St. Patrick’s-themed crafts, little ones can cut, glue, paint, and create while learning about colors, shapes, and holiday traditions—all in a way that feels like play!
St. Patrick’s Day Handprint Craft 🍀🎨
Create a lucky keepsake with this adorable St. Patrick’s Day handprint craft! Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers, this activity turns little hands into a festive holiday decoration.
🖐 How to Make It:
1️⃣ Dip your child’s hand in green paint and press it onto paper or cardstock to create a shamrock shape. (Use four handprints to form the leaves!)
2️⃣ Let it dry, then add a stem with a paintbrush or marker.
3️⃣ Decorate with gold glitter, rainbow stickers, or a cute “Lucky Me” message.
4️⃣ (Optional) Laminate or frame for a special keepsake!
🌟 Bonus Idea: Make a pot of gold handprint craft by using yellow paint for the “gold” and a black paper cutout for the pot!
Egg Carton Shamrocks – Cut out pieces of a cardboard egg carton. Each student will get 3 pieces to paint green or decorate them as they wish. Cut out a strip of green paper and glue everything together.
Rainbow Pot of Gold Fingerpaint – Use fingerprints and paint to create this masterpiece. Do a line of each color and be sure to clean the fingers off in between. Use glitter to top off the shamprock and don’t forget about the little fingerprint shamrocks!
Pot of Gold Paper Plate Craft – For this craft, you’ll need a paper plate, paint/markers, card stock, and buttons. Other materials can be used for added pizzaz, but this is a really cute activity that kids will love. Simply paint or color the paper plate and card stock, glue on the buttons and you’ve got a pot of gold!
Rainbow Pot of Gold Craft (Printable Template) – This can be made with construction paper, glitter paper, felt and/or embossed paper. Trace & cut out the shapes, paste them together in this pattern, and you have a beautiful St. Patricks day craft.
Mini Leprechaun Hat – You can make this adorable leprechaun hat with a toilet paper roll, green felt, and black and yellow construction paper. Simply wrap the green felt around a toilet paper roll and cut out two circles from the felt (one large & one small) for the top and bottom of the hat. Then cut out two strips of black & yellow paper to make the buckle. Gle it all together and have fun!
Cupcake Wrapper Shamrocks – Have the children flatten out green cupcake wrappers first. Glue them onto the paper to make the shamrock. Lastly, draw a stem and glue a button in the middle.
Leprechaun Lookers – All these craft materials can be found at the dollar store. Wrap used toilet paper rolls with green construction paper, glue two together, and decorate them with stickers, buttons, and pipe cleaners.
Dancing Shamrock – Cut 2 arms and 2 legs out of white paper. Fold them back & forth to make them “bouncy”. Glue them onto a large shamrock made from green paper or cardstock. Add the small shamrocks as the hands and feet. Last create a face for your shamrock. Let dry and then let it “dance”!
Foil Leprechaun Hat – Paint a small foil bowl green. Use black and yellow felt to make the band for the hat. Add a small felt shamrock to the top of the hat. The kids will love it!
St Patrick’s Physical Development Activities for Preschool
St. Patrick’s Day physical development activities for preschoolers are a fantastic way to get little ones moving and strengthen their gross motor skills while celebrating the holiday.
From leprechaun treasure hunts to rainbow obstacle courses and shamrock hopscotch, these activities keep preschoolers active, engaged, and having fun. They also encourage social interaction, teamwork, and imaginative play in a festive and energetic way.er physical development activities for preschoolers offer a fantastic way to get little ones moving and strengthen their gross motor skills, all while embracing the season.
These physical activities not only help preschoolers stay healthy and energized during the winter months but also provide opportunities for social interaction, teamwork, and imaginative play.
Pot O’ Gold Coin Toss – Grab a “Pot of Gold” and some gold coins from your local dollar store and have students take turns trying to land the coins in the pot. Cut shamrocks with numbers and tape them to the floor giving your children a spot to stand and throw it from. Keep backing them up to increase the difficulty as they go on.
Clover Hop Movement Game (Printable) – The clover hop gets kids up and moving. Lay clovers with movement words on the floor. Use the same amount or more of clovers as you have kids- this way everyone can start on a spot. The kids will move to the next clover & then perform the movement that they land on. You can also use music and play it as they move, and then when you turn the music off, they stay on that clover.
Dance with Green Streamers – Dance with green crepe streamers for music & movement to get their bodies moving and grooving! It’s so simple but so much fun! Dance to slow and fast beats or shout out positional words like up or down behind you to sneak in math! You can also dance to St. Patricks Day songs, as well.
Irish Dance for Kids from YouTube – Have students watch this video and follow along as they get up and moving to learn a fun kid’s Irish dance.
St Patrick’s Day Science and Sensory Activities for Preschool
Science is an exciting way for preschoolers to explore, experiment, and spark curiosity about the world around them!
St. Patrick’s Day-themed science activities engage their senses and encourage hands-on learning, making them all-around learners. Fun experiments like fizzy pot-of-gold reactions, rainbow color mixing, and leprechaun magic milk introduce basic scientific concepts in a playful way.
Use simple materials from around your home or community to bring the holiday theme to life and make science time extra magical!
Make a Leprechaun Trap (Printable) – Use an old shoe box, paint, craft sticks, gold coins, cotton balls, and markers to make this fun leprechaun trap. Cut a circle at the top for the “trap”. Paint the shoe box green & decorate it with stickers. Make the ladder with 5 craft sticks and cutting 3 in half. Print, cut, and color the rainbow template. Glue the rainbow in front of the hole in the box with cotton balls. Glue gold coins in a trail from the rainbow to the edge of the box. Make a free gold sign using cardstock. Glue the sign to a craft stick & attach. Place the ladder in front of the trap.
More Leprechaun Trap Ideas – Here are a couple more simpler ways to trap your Leprechaun. Teach students about the science and mechanisms of how these traps would work to trap a leprechaun.
Sink the Leprechaun’s Pot – Teach your students about the science of buoyancy with this experiment involving a tub/bowl of water, small cauldron, small legos, and coins. Talk about how the empty pot floats as you place it in the water. Then show what happens as you place pennies in the pot or legos in the pot. Have them make predictions on how many it will take to sink the pot.
Fizzy Pots – For this simple experiment, you’ll need small couldrons, baking soda, white vinegar, food coloring, and squeeze bottles. First, add a couple drops of food coloring to each pot. Then add a teaspoon of baking soda. Then gradually squeeze in the vinegar and watch the pots fizz up.
Shamrock Slime – The cute little shamrocks and golden sparkles inside this shamrock slime make it just too eye-catching not to play with it! To make this slime, you’ll need clear glue, baking soda, water, contact lens solution, and lots of festive confetti and glitter.
Clothing Sort- This is a cut and paste activity where students sort different clothing items depending on if they would wear them when it it hot or cold outside.
Green Playdough – Once you make the play dough, use letter stamps or cookie cutters to make words or to practice on letter recognition. Here you’ll find the recipe for this green play dough, but you can just use store-bought also!
Green and Gold Spaghetti Sensory Bin – Dye your spaghetti green and throw in some gold coins. Your little ones will love playing in this slimy sensory bin.
St Patrick’s Day Discussions and Graphing Ideas for Preschoolers
St. Patrick’s Day discussions and graphing activities provide a structured yet festive way for preschoolers to develop their skills, expand their minds, and have fun while learning.
Through engaging discussions, children strengthen their language skills, learn to express their thoughts, and deepen their understanding of themed lessons.
Encourage critical thinking by exploring fun topics like lucky charms, leprechaun myths, or favorite rainbow colors, while introducing simple graphing activities to track their ideas in a hands-on way!
Lucky Animals: Leprechaun Pets vs. Real-Life Creatures
- Discuss imaginary leprechaun pets like tiny green dragons or lucky unicorns versus real animals like sheep and Irish hares.
- Create a chart comparing “Leprechaun Pets” vs. “Real Animals.” Kids can add stickers to vote for their favorites!
The Magic of Weather: Rainbows vs. Rain Showers
- Talk about different weather types—rainbows, misty rain, and sunshine—during spring and St. Patrick’s Day.
- Make a weather chart with pictures of a rainbow, raindrops, and sun. Each day, have kids add a sticker to match the weather outside!
Dressing Like a Leprechaun: What Do We Wear?
- Discuss festive clothing like green hats, lucky socks, and gold accessories compared to everyday outfits.
- Create a “What Would a Leprechaun Wear?” chart. Kids can vote on their favorite outfit pieces!
Lucky Days vs. Rainy Days
- Discuss how St. Patrick’s Day is a special celebration, while some days might be rainy or cloudy.
- Make a chart with “Lucky Days” and “Rainy Days” and track the weather for the week!
Pot of Gold Colors: Pick Your Favorite!
- Have a fun discussion about what colors make a rainbow and what color the pot of gold should be!
- Make a bar graph showing kids’ favorite rainbow colors and which one they think is the luckiest!
Where Do Animals Go in Spring? Hibernation vs. Migration vs. Staying Active
- Talk about how some animals (like bears) wake up in spring, some (like birds) migrate back, and others stay active.
- Create a chart with “Hibernates,” “Migrates,” and “Stays Active.” Kids can add stickers to their favorite animal!
Festive Foods: Warm vs. Cold Treats
- Discuss warm St. Patrick’s Day foods (like Irish stew and hot cocoa) vs. cold treats (like mint ice cream or green smoothies).
- Create a Venn diagram comparing “Hot” vs. “Cold” foods, and see which treats kids love most!
Leprechaun Adventures: What’s the Most Fun?
- Talk about fun St. Patrick’s Day activities like searching for four-leaf clovers, making crafts, or playing treasure hunts.
- Create a bar graph comparing favorite activities and let kids vote for their top pick!
Gold Coins: Big vs. Small
- Discuss how gold coins in a leprechaun’s pot come in different sizes.
- Make a chart showing “Big Coins” vs. “Small Coins.” Kids can sort or draw them!
Counting Down to St. Patrick’s Day!
- Mark the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day by placing a gold coin sticker on a countdown calendar!
St Patrick’s Day Books to Read Aloud for Preschool
Reading St. Patrick’s Day-themed books aloud is a fun and festive way to introduce preschoolers to the magic of the holiday! These stories captivate young minds with playful leprechaun adventures, shimmering rainbows, and pots of gold, all brought to life with engaging storytelling and colorful illustrations. 🍀🌈✨
“Pete the Cat – The Great Leprechaun Chase” by James Dean – It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and also the grand opening of Pete the Cat’s leprechaun catching business. Pete gears up to trap a leprechaun for his friends, but catching a leprechaun is never easy—especially if it’s Clover, who’s full of tricks.
“How to Catch a Leprechaun” by Adam Wallace -Start a St. Patrick’s Day tradition with this fun and lively children’s picture book and get inspired to build leprechaun traps of your own at home or in the classroom! Laugh along in this zany story for kids that blends STEAM concepts with hilarious rhymes and vibrant illustrations!
“There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover” by Lucille Colandro – It’s spring and the Old Lady is swallowing a clover, a butterfly, a daisy, and more! Herald spring with this joyful entry in the Old Lady series, full of bouncy rhymes and bright art!
Ten Sparkly Snowflakes: Twinkly Countdown Fun!- Join the woodland animals as they get ready to play snowy games in this peek-through counting book. Little ones will love to watch as the number of snowflakes decreases from 10 to 1 with each turn of the page.
“The Night Before St. Patricks Day” by Natasha Wing – It’s the night before St. Patrick’s Day, and Tim and Maureen are wide awake setting traps to catch a leprechaun! When they wake the next morning, they’re shocked to find that they’ve actually caught a leprechaun. But will they be able to find his pot of gold?
“Thing One Thing Two and the Leprechaun” by Dr. Seuss – Written in super-simple rhyme, this book features Thing One and Thing Two as they chase a tricky leprechaun through a St. Patrick’s Day parade, where they encounter bag pipe and harp players, Irish stepdancers, four-lead clovers, a rainbow, and even a pot of gold!
“Ten Lucky Leprechauns” by Kathryn Heling – Count from one to ten as one little leprechaun looking for treasure magically becomes ten silly leprechaun friends at the end of the rainbow! A humorous, rhyming celebration for St. Patrick’s Day!
“Pout Pout Fish Lucky Leprechaun” by Deborah Diesen – Will Mr. Fish and his friends find their pot of gold?
“I’m a Leprechaun” by Mallory Loehr – This adorable Little Golden Book introduces the magical, mischievous leprechaun. Famous for hiding pots of gold, did you know that leprechauns are also talented shoemakers?
“The Littlest Leprechaun” by Brandi Dougherty – Liam is the littlest leprechaun in his lovable family. He may be little, but Liam knows this is the year he’ll be able to finally help on St. Patrick’s Day! But a leprechaun’s duties are difficult to manage when you’re so little! Will Liam be able to find a way to celebrate the holiday, or is he still too little?
St Patrick Day Songs for Preschool
St. Patrick’s Day songs are a fun and engaging way for preschoolers to learn classic rhymes and practice memorization!
With catchy melodies and playful lyrics about leprechauns, rainbows, and pots of gold, these festive tunes capture children’s attention and make the holiday even more exciting.
Singing about St. Patrick’s Day helps little ones strengthen their memory, language skills, and rhythm—while fostering a love for music and celebration! 🍀🎶🌈
Do You Know – Sung to: “Muffin Man”
Do you know the leprechaun, leprechaun, leprechaun?
Do you know the leprechaun? He comes St. Patricks Day.Do You Know – Sung to: “Muffin Man”
Do you know the leprechaun, leprechaun, leprechaun?
Do you know the leprechaun? He comes St. Patricks Day.
Leprechaun, Leprechaun – Sung to: “This Old Man”
Leprechaun, Leprechaun
You play your tricks and then you run
to the end of the rainbow where you stack your pot of gold.
This is fortune I’ve been told.
G-R-E-E-N – Sung to: “B-I-N-G-O”
There is a color I can say that represents St. Patrick’s Day
G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N, and green is the color.
Repeat with a clap for the first letter, repeat with a clap for first and second letter, etc.
St. Patrick’s Day-themed activities for preschoolers are more than just fun—they offer incredible developmental benefits that support children in so many ways. From fine motor skills to social-emotional growth, these festive activities help young learners build essential skills while celebrating the magic of the holiday.
This themed learning approach allows children to connect their experiences to the world around them. Exploring rainbows, lucky charms, and leprechaun adventures helps reinforce both educational concepts and real-life understanding.
I hope your little ones enjoy the creativity and imaginative play these activities inspire! Whether they’re crafting shamrocks, pretending to chase leprechauns, or singing festive songs, they’re developing problem-solving skills, boosting confidence, and strengthening their curiosity.
The magic of St. Patrick’s Day can spark wonder, encouraging kids to ask questions, discover new things, and embrace learning with excitement. With so many opportunities for hands-on fun, we can help nurture a love for learning that lasts far beyond the holiday! 🍀🌈✨
Want all of these in one easy-to-access location? Try our St Patrick’s Day Lesson Plan!
