St. Patty’s Day Activities

There is no shortage of fun and mischief when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day and those tiny leprechauns. This post shares easy to set up activities for toddlers to have some fun all of March! **This post may contain affiliate links. A small commission may be earned.**

Setting up activities to do with your toddler doesn’t have to be complicated or take a bunch of time. My personal favorite activities are the ones I can set up in less than five minutes and then my toddler can do them on her own without my help! This gives me a much needed break and gives my toddler independence and confidence when it comes to activities.

I’ve been consistently doing activities with my oldest since she was about two and a half. It all started because I had my second baby when she was almost two and relied heavily on screen time. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, but at some point I was over the dependence on the screen.

For us, I notice a huge difference in my toddler’s behavior and happiness when we do less screen time. She’s able to play longer and has more patience on days and weeks that we’ve kept the TV off. We still do screen time, but it’s definitely not my first line of defense these days.

However, when we first started activities she didn’t always have the patience to try something new. It took her a few weeks to really spend time with the activities. So if you are just starting activities and your toddler doesn’t seem interested – don’t force it, but keep trying!

Since doing these activities there are a few things I’ve learned….

1. It’s okay if it doesn’t go to plan.
   For me the biggest goal of these activities was for my toddler to be entertained and I get a little breather. So instead of trying to make sure my toddler was doing everything how I set it up to be done… I started showing her the process and then letting her do it herself (even if it was wrong). Especially at this young of an age, I did this with the educational activities too.
   I wanted her to enjoy the activity and learning, not feel pressured.
   
2. There will be days where I can handle a mess and days I can’t. I can tailor my activities to reflect that too! The whole point of these activities is they are entertained and I get a break. So if it’s a day that a mess would feel overwhelming – it defeats part of the purpose!
   
3. There are also days that my toddler is REALLY into it and other days where she isn’t.. That’s okay too! Just try to be flexible. You can try the activity another day no problem.
   Usually if this happens and I still need a break, I break out my toddlers favorites – Kinetic Sand in her Sensory Light Box or her Table Top Water Table.

Now to get to the good stuff – the St. Patrick’s Day Activities!

Shamrock and Rainbow Window Clings
What you need:
– Cling Paper
– Tissue Paper
– Cardstock
– Cricut (opt)
– Scissors

1. Use your Cricut (or just scissors) to cut out your outlines. If you want the outline to show on the back and the front of the window clings, make sure you cut two identical outlines. We did Shamrocks and rainbows!
2. Cut several pieces of tissue paper in the colors you want into 1 x 1 inch squares.
3. Cut two rectangular pieces of cling paper the size of your outlines. Each window cling needs two outlines and two pieces of cling paper.
4. Peel one piece of cling paper and place one outline on it.
5. Have your toddler place tissue paper pieces all inside the shape. Try to keep the tissue paper as flat as possible.
6. Once you’ve filled the shape up, place the second outline on top and then the other piece of cling paper. Make sure to get it as flat as possible.
7. Cut out your shape around the outline and you have your window cling!
   
   *For best results place on a clean window with a little bit of water to help it stick!*

Magic Fizzy Shamrock
What you need:
– Cardstock
– Green Paint or Food Coloring
– Baking Soda
– Sharpie
– Vinegar
– Small Pipette

1. Draw your shamrock pictures on your cardstock with sharpie.
2. Mix your paint or food coloring with 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp baking soda.
3. Have your toddler paint their shamrocks with the green baking soda paint.
4. Once your shamrocks are all painted move your pictures to a cookie sheet or cake pan (when you drop the vinegar you’ll want somewhere to catch all the extra liquid).
5. Pour white vinegar into a cup and have your child use the pipette to drop vinegar on their painting. It should fizz and foam when it hits the paint!

Find the Leprechaun’s Treasures
What you need:
– Butcher Paper (we have ours on our easel)
– Construction Paper
– Painters Tape
– Markers

1. Cut your construction paper into 6-8 small rectangles.
2. Draw 6-8 pictures of St Pattys Day treasures (rainbow, shamrock, leprechaun’s hat, gold, etc) on your small rectangles and draw those same pictures on your butcher paper.
3. Have your toddler closer their eyes like you’re playing hide and seek. Tape your small rectangles all over your play room or house.
4. Have your toddler open their eyes and find the missing treasures. Once they find them, have them match them to the pictures on the easel to be sure they find all the missing pieces!
5. Repeat!

Magic Rainbow Picture
What you need:
– Cardstock
– White Crayon
– Water Colors
– Paintbrush

1. With white crayon on your cardstock draw a rainbow. You can include a pot of gold or some shamrocks if you want too!
2. Have your toddler paint with water colors on the cardstock to reveal the picture!

Color Sort Sticker Rainbow
What you need:
– Construction Paper or Butcher Paper
– Colored Stickers
– Sharpie
– Colored Markers

1. On your construction paper or butcher paper, draw an outline of a rainbow. I usually do this on our easel or I tape the paper to the wall so my toddler is standing.
2. Color dots all over the rainbow in the same colors as the stickers you have.
3. Have your toddler match their stickers to the dots on your rainbow. I usually peel the backing off the stickers to make it easier for my toddler to grab the actual stickers.
   **If your toddler isn’t matching colors (for whatever reason), but they are entertained by the activity – that’s okay! The goal is to entertain your toddler and give yourself a break. If they aren’t matching colors, you can always try again another day!

Shamrock Sort
What you need:
– Colored Construction Paper
– Cricut or Scissors
– Sharpie (for more advanced options)
– Painters Tape

1. Cut out several shamrocks from your construction paper. Depending on the activity you choose to do, you can cut them in various colors or sizes.
2. Practice Counting and Numbers
   On each shamrock write a number 1-10. Hang the shamrocks around the house for your toddler to find. Have them find them in order or find them and then place them in order.
3. Practice Letters
   On each shamrock write a letter spelling their name or something about the holiday (St. Patricks, Gold, Shamrock, etc). On a piece of construction paper write out the same word. Hand the shamrocks around the house for your toddler to find. Have them organize the shamrocks to spell the word you chose!
4. Color Sort
   Cut out the shamrocks in a variety of colors. Tape them up around the room and then have your toddler find them and sort them by color!

I hope you have great fun with these activities and remember that it’s supposed to be fun. If it’s more of a challenge than fun, try again a different day. You and your little one should both have a good time.

And most of all, you’re doing a great job. xx Ciara

For more fun Saint Patrick’s day crafts check out my friends below…

Caitlyn’s St. Patricks Day Slime

Lexie’s DIY Puff Paint

Haley’s Sensory Bin

Katie’s Cloud Dough