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St. Patrick's Day Game Ideas
Leprechaun Come Out To Play
Cut five large
shamrocks from green construction paper. On another sheet of
paper draw a symbol to
represent each type of weather (sunny, rainy, windy, snowy, and
cloudy). Cut out and glue a symbol to
the middle of each shamrock cutout. To play the game, arrange
your children in a circle. Place shamrock
cutouts facedown in middle of the circle. Direct a volunteer
leprechaun to go to the middle of the circle.
Sing the following song as the leprechaun performs his/her own
jig. When indicated, pause and instruct
the leprechaun to choose a shamrock to show to everyone. Then
sing the last line to describe the
weather shown on the shamrock. Continue until everyone has had a
turn to be the leprechaun.
(Sung to the
tune of: "Jimmy Crack Corn")
Leprechaun, come out
to play.
Leprechaun, come out to play.
Leprechaun, come out to play.
(Pause.... child picks up shamrock.)
It is a (sunny) day.
Irish Hot Potato
Sit the children in
a circle. Hand one child a potato.
Explain to the children that when the music
(Celtic or Irish Jig Music) begins they will pass the
potato to the person on their right.
When the music stops whoever's holding the potato
scoots out of the circle and playing resumes.
This game also provides a great opportunity to
discuss agriculture in Ireland. Perhaps they could
pass while you talk and when you stop
(every once in awhile) the person holding the
potato has to recap what you said.
Lucky Leprechaun Says
This game is played
similar to Simon Says. The player up is "Lucky Leprechaun".
Player will say "Lucky Leprechaun says hop on one foot". The
children will hop on one foot.
Player will say "Stop". The children are to keep hopping on one
foot until player says
"Lucky Leprechaun says stop". Repeat for additional activities
such as take one baby step forward,
step backwards, turn around, sit down. Sometimes Lucky Leprechaun
will say
"Lucky Leprechaun says" and sometimes he won't. It's a fun game to
play with young children.
Shamrock -
Duck, Duck, Goose
Play Duck, Duck,
Goose with a shamrock cut from green paper and call it “Drop the
Shamrock.”
Gold, Gold,
Who's got the Gold
A child is chosen to
be the Leprechaun and hides her eyes as a gold coin is given to a
child to hide in his lap or behind his back. The Leprechaun then
has three chances to guess which
child has their gold coin. (All children hide their hands in their
laps/behind their backs like they have it.)
Musical
Shamrocks
This game is an
Irish cousin to musical chairs. Cut large shamrock shapes out
of construction paper or craft foam. Make sure you have one for
each child that
plays the game. Lay the shamrocks on the floor and begin the game
with
each child standing on a shamrock shape. Start the music,
preferably an
Irish jig, and remove one shape. Have the children walk around
the shapes in a circle until the music stops and then they must
scramble for
a shape to stand one. Keep playing until only one child is left
as the winner.
Find the
4-Leaf Clover
Prepare pictures or
cutouts of green clovers, have one for each child. All
clovers should have 3 leaves except one which should be a 4-leaf
clover.
Children take turns passing around the clovers to music. When
music stops,
child who has 4-leaf clover gets a special treat (sticker, hug
from you, etc.) Tell
children that the person with the 4-leaf clover is lucky -- that
is why they get
the special treat. Continue on until all kids have gotten the
4-leaf clover, special treat.
Hide the Gold
Have everyone sit in
a circle on the floor. Get a piece of string long enough
for all the players to hold onto. Slip a ring on the string and
tie the ends.
Choose one player to stand aside and be the guesser. When that
person says
"Go" everyone in the circle starts passing the ring along the
string. When
the guesser is ready, he or she calls out "stop". The players hold
onto the
string; the one who has the ring tries to keep it hidden. Then
guesser tries
to guess the person who has the ring. If the guesser is correct,
he or she
gets to join the circle and the person who was holding the ring
steps out and
becomes the new guesser.
Shamrock
Search
Cut shamrock shapes
out of green felt and hide them around the room.
Then let the children search for the shapes while singing the
song below.
Each time they find a shamrock, have them place it on a flannel
board and take a bow.
When all the shamrocks have been found, count them together with
the children.
(Sung to the tune of: "The Farmer In The Dell")
Let's look for
shamrocks now,
Let's look for shamrocks now,
And when we find a bright green one
Then we can take a bow.
Cupcake Walk
Tape numbered green
pieces of paper to the floor in a circle. Put the same numbers on
pieces
of paper and keep them in a green bag or Leprechaun hat. Play
music as the children walk around
the circle stepping on a number as they go. When the music stops,
each child steps to the number
closest to them while you pull a number out of the hat. The child
standing on that number wins a
cupcake of their choice. Continue the game until each child wins a
cupcake.
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Pin The
Shamrock on the Leprechaun
You will need
a big picture of a Leprechaun, a green shamrock, for each
child,
with adhesive on back and their name on the front and a
blindfold. To play,
blindfold the player, spin 'em around and let them try to
stick the shamrock
where it's supposed to go. Give a prize for the player that
gets the closest. |
St. Patrick's
Day Twenty Questions
Teacher starts by
choosing a St. Patrick's Day related person, place, or thing. The
teacher says, "I'm
thinking of something". The children try to guess what it is by
asking no more than twenty questions
that can be answered "YES", "NO", or I DON'T KNOW". The student
who guesses correctly is next up.
Teacher thinks of person, place, or thing. Teacher gives a clue.
Begin at one end of the room and work
your way around allowing each student to take a turn guessing
until one student solves the case.
The student who solves the case goes next. Clues should be
appropriate for the knowledge of the children.
Example: Leprechaun
Clue: He's 2 feet tall
Clue: Don't blink or he'll vanish
Clue: You want his gold
At The End Of The Rainbow
In advance, purchase
a skein of rainbow colored
yarn. Then before the children arrive in the
morning, string the yarn through the classroom,
down the hallway, and around the school.
String the yarn as far as desired; then place a
container of gold foil wrapped chocolate coins at
the end of the yarn trail. When the children
reach the end of the rainbow, allow them
each to take a golden treat.
How to Trap a Leprechaun
Inspire creativity
and eager anticipation in youngsters who are just longing to see a
leprechaun.
Mention to youngsters that leprechauns love green things, Lucky
Charms cereal, gold, and
chocolate foil-covered candy coins. Then give each child an
opportunity to design his
own original leprechaun trap. It has been reported by some that
reciting the poem
below can be beneficial in coaxing the little green guys into
your general vicinity!
Leprechaun
Poem
Leprechaun,
leprechaun, don't catch cold.
Leprechaun, leprechaun, come get the gold.
Eat some cereal, drink some tea.
Leprechaun, leprechaun, visit with me.
I promise not to keep you for more than just a spell.
My mother wouldn't let me, so it's just as well.
Leprechauns, leprechauns, where do you dwell?
Leprechauns, leprechauns, elves, and trolls.
I think you live on grassy knolls.
Leprechauns, leprechauns everywhere.
Leprechauns, leprechauns in my hair.
On my foot and near my ear
Leprechaun, leprechaun, see you next year!
Leprechaun
Mischief
While the children
are out playing or before they arrive make some
silly changes in the room like putting things out of place,
hiding things,
leaving gold chocolate coins, etc. Leave green footprints Blame
it on the
leprechaun when they come in. Explain all about St. Patrick's day
and leprechauns.
Leprechaun
Leprechaun Where’s Your Gold?
Leprechaun
Leprechaun where’s your gold? Some on stole it from you home.-the
children
chat this as they pass the gold. Which can be made by spray
painting a rock with gold paint.
Leprechaun
Gold Search
Collect some shiny
pennies or chocolate coins covered with gold foil to use for
"leprechaun gold." Hide the gold outdoors or inside where your
child can
easily find it. For fun clues, spray-paint some small stones gold
and arrange
them in a pathway for your child to follow when going on his gold
search.
Shamrock File
Folder Game
On the inside of a
file folder draw the outlines of eight shamrocks and write a
different
number inside each one. Cover the folder with clear contact
paper. Draw matching
shamrock shapes on poser board, add corresponding numbers of
dots, cover the
shapes with clear contact paper and cut them out. To play the
game, give the child
the shamrock cutouts and the file folder. Let the child count
the number of dots on the
cutouts and place them on top of the matching numbered shamrocks
on the file folder.
"Pot of Gold"
Shape Game
Place different
laminated paper shapes in "pot of gold." (a coffee can covered
with black paper.)
The pot is passed around the circle to each child, who pulls out
a shape and says,
"Do you know what I've been told? A (name shape) is in the pot of
gold."
Irish Potato
Bounce
Paint an old tennis
ball brown for the potato. Cut the numbers 1 - 5 from
paper. Tape the numbers to the center of 5 alum. pans. Place the
pans in a
circle, leaving an open space in the center. To play Bounce the
potato in the
center area and try to make it land in a pan. Give each person
five bounces -
keep score for older kids.
St. Pat's Day
For St. Patrick's
Day I do the footprints around the room and rearrange things
(things on the wall turned upside down, toys left out, etc....),
which gives the
children the impression that a leprechaun had been there during
the night.
To still the doubts of our few doubting Thomas', there is also a
tape left behind
with a message from the leprechaun (make sure the voice is one
they do not
hear around school). That usually convinces the skeptics. (And
you should see there
faces when the leprechaun refers to my assistant and I by name in
the message!!!)
St. Patrick's
Day Sticker Game
Find an interesting
magazine picture that takes up most of a page and cut it out.
Set out several St. Patrick's Day stickers. Then give your child
directions for placing
the stickers on the picture such as, "Put the leprechaun sticker
under the tree,"
or "Put the shamrock sticker next to the house." When all the
stickers
have been used, ask your child to tell you where he placed each
one.
Pre-K
Fun Theme Pages are for educational reference only!
No copyright infringement is intended.
I do not claim any of these as my own
ideas.
They are shared from friends and fellow
group
members.
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!
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