St. Patrick’s Day for Kids: History, Activities, Free I Spy, & More!
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It’s so much fun to celebrate not just the big holidays, but also the other days scattered throughout the year. Whether you have Irish ancestors or not, you can enjoy the luck o’ the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.
Whether you wear green or orange, a shamrock or a four-leaf clover, these fun free printable I-Spy pages will make you smile…so be sure to get yours today!
But there’s so much more to the day than just leprechauns and shamrocks. St. Patrick’s Day has a rich and lovely history that so many miss out on these days. We love to read his story and then enjoy some green and orange activities to commemorate the day.
If you’re looking for some great ideas, read on!
Or, if you prefer to purchase them for only $1 instead of joining our email list, you can do so in our shop (and check out our other awesome printables for your kids while you’re there!)
St. Patrick’s Real Name & Colors
You may already realize that St. Patrick was a man named Maewyn Succat, born to Christian parents in Roman Britain. He himself wasn’t given to religious behavior as a young child or teen, although his grandfather was a priest and his dad was a deacon.
It wasn’t until he returned home as an adult and became a priest himself that his name was changed (and even then it was actually Patricus in Britain, and changed to Patrick when we went back to Ireland).
While many associate green with St. Patrick, he actually wore robes of azure blue. He was so associated with that shade of blue that once up on a time it was called St. Patrick’s blue!
You can see the original St. Patrick’s blue (hex #23297a) and Shamrock green (commonly referred to as Irish green and hex code #009E60) below.
But you’ll ALSO notice orange in the picture. Do you know why?
The Irish flag has green, white, and orange in it. Traditionally, Irish Catholics will wear green while Protestants are represented by orange. The white in the middle represents the peace that now exists between the two, as they share a nation.
Fun Ideas For St. Patrick’s Day Fun
If you’re looking for some awesome activities to do with your kids and loop them into your homeschool day, you definitely want to start with our Big Bundle O’ Fun – with activities, fun facts, and more.
But you may also want to try this really fun STEM project – making leprechaun traps gets more involved and more crazy every year around our home.
Don’t forget the snacks – this shake paired with these yummy treats make for an awesome themed dessert, afternoon delight, or party table.
If you have sensory seekers or just creative kiddos who love hands-on, gooey fun…this easy slime recipe is a MUST.
Toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners will enjoy this simple shamrock activity and older kiddos may enjoy this one.
What do lepreschauns have to do with St. Patrick?
Leprechauns have been a part of Irish lore since long before young Maewyn Succat (see above if you’re confused) was kidnapped by pirates.
Tales of these little people who made shoes, hid pots of coins at the end of rainbows, and even gave wishes to those caught them have been around for centuries.
However, they really became famous and a part of our modern celebration after Disney released the movie Darby O’Gill and the Little People in 1959. It was largely this movie, released at a time when parades and other celebrations for St. Patrick’s Day were on the rise in the United States, that linked the two.
Fun fact: before these little faeries were reputed as wearing green (hence why so many wear green on this day…to avoid being tricked by one!), they wore RED. How’s that for wild? (source)
Or, if you prefer to purchase them for only $1 instead of joining our email list, you can do so in our shop (and check out our other awesome printables for your kids while you’re there!)
