Parenting Today
Mark your calendars to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with your kids!
The holiday was originally a religious celebration in Ireland to honor St. Patrick and his teachings (presumably marking the day he died). Today, St. Patrick’s Day signals food, parades, trickery, and plenty of green! Interestingly, in the early days of the celebration, the color palette differed—leprechauns wore red, and St. Patrick’s predominant color was blue.
Over time, Ireland’s nickname “The Emerald Isle” and symbols such as the green shamrock transformed the holiday into a sea of green. Now, popular symbols like the shamrock and leprechaun represent luck and appreciation for Irish culture and heritage, while meals like corned beef and cabbage celebrate Irish and Irish-American traditions. To make the most of this festive occasion at home, break out the craft supplies and have your kids help decorate, incorporating these themes along the way.
Rainbow Paper Chain
Have your kids make these easy paper chains to celebrate the pot of gold at the end of each rainbow. Cutting the rainbow strips is great practice for the littlest hands learning to use scissors, and the older kids can help make the more intricate pot of gold to hang at the end. Make several to hang from doorways all over the house!
Leprechaun Hat
Whether you use these for a decorative touch on the dining table or as costumes for your very own St. Patrick’s Day parade, these leprechaun hats are easy to make with supplies you probably already have on hand. For the best results, make this a two-day project. Cut out the center of the paper plates and paint the rims green on day one, then assemble the rest of the hat and glitter buckle on day two!
Mosaic Paper Shamrocks
Try these mosaic paper shamrocks for a simple craft that the whole family can make. For the littlest ones, cut the shamrock shape and paper pieces ahead of time and have them practice using the glue and placing squares (fine motor skills!). For older kids, let them cut their own shamrock shapes and pieces. This craft is an excellent way to use up scraps of green paper discarded from other projects. You can also buy discount scrapbook paper booklets and use pieces from there. The best part is seeing how everyone chose to arrange their mosaics—the same materials can create beautifully different results!
Shamrock Thumbprint Art
An easy craft that encourages kids to get a little messy (their favorite!), this thumbprint art is an excellent way for kids to let their unique personalities shine. Everyone can use the same shamrock template to make the blank white space, but then let each person choose their own color scheme and even shamrock placement! Hang them all together for a shamrock-color collage.
Shamrock Crystals
For all of the curious kids at home, this craft is also a fun science experiment. Using only borax and water, you can create crystals! Let the kids use green pipe cleaners to shape their shamrocks, then mix up a borax and water solution and let the pipe cleaners suspend in the solution undisturbed. Make sure you have a spot that’s out of the way for the crystals to form over a day or two. Hang up these crystal shapes in a window to watch them sparkle!
Pasta Necklace
Take advantage of this colorful holiday by introducing a new crafting supply to your kids—dyed pasta! For St. Patrick’s Day, dye your pasta green and gold or make rainbow colors. Then, have your kids create necklaces with the dyed pasta, encouraging them to create interesting patterns. Add a foam shamrock to the middle for an easy way to make sure everyone is wearing green on the big day.
Whether you’re hosting a party for friends and family or just decorating your house for some added fun, everyone in the family will love making these lucky crafts!
