Can you believe it’s almost March? With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start planning some fun and festive activities for our classrooms!
I wanted to share some exciting ideas and resources to help you make this St. Patrick’s Day a memorable one for your students.
Silly McGilly Book and Leprechaun Fun
One of my FAVORITE St. Patrick’s Day traditions is reading the book “Silly McGilly” in my classroom to introduce the magical character of Silly McGilly who loves to play leprechaun tricks! (Think Elf on the Shelf for St. Patrick’s Day!) Silly McGilly by Michelle Dougherty, Eileen Cowley & Victoria Coffe and illustrated by Charlotte Cheng is a story that explains the tradition with a cute story. Set the Silly McGilly doll in your window, and watch as your students delight in the mischief and fun.
More St. Patrick’s Day Books
- The Itsy Bitsy Leprechaun by Jeffrey Burton and Sanja Rescek:
- This is a super short book for the littlest learners with a St. Patrick’s Twist on the nursery rhyme “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”.
- Thing One, Thing Two, and the Leprechaun by Dr. Seuss
- Follow Think One and Thing Two as they chase a leprechaun.
- How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton
- This is a GREAT book to read and encourage students to build a leprechaun trap! Follow along as a sneaky leprechaun gets past all of the traps!
- There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Clover by Lucille Colandro
- An old lady swallows a clover to make a rainbow with a pot of gold in this St. Patrick’s Day themed version of the classic story.
- Ten Lucky Leprechauns Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook
- A fun and rhythmic rhyming book that is great for students practicing their counting!
St. Patrick’s Day Letter Dot FREEBIE
Grab my St. Patrick’s Day Letter Dot Freebie from my TpT store! Students can practice dotting letters or words that begin with the sound! It comes with G is for Gold, L is for Leprechaun, and R is for Rainbow with 3 Differentiated Versions!
Make a Rainbow or Pot of Gold Name Craft
(Or use a craft to practice numbers, letters, etc. because it is EDITABLE!) Check out my TpT Store for adorable Rainbow Name Craft and Pot of Gold Name Craft templates that your students will love to create and personalize!
St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin
Set up a sensory bin filled with a base of green rice and leprechaun-themed items such as plastic coins, mini black pots, green pipe cleaners, and shamrock-shaped toys. Allow students to explore the textures and colors while engaging their senses.
Number Activities
These St. Patrick’s Day Math Activities Pack includes number cards for numbers 0-10 and 0-20. There are many different options for your students to practice counting, ten-frames, and number sense! My FAVORITE is to hang the cards around the room and then have students go on a scavenger hunt to find them!
Letter and Beginning Sound Activities
These St. Patrick’s Day Letter and Beginning Sound Activities come with cards that look like gold coins for students to find and color in or write the matching uppercase or lowercase letter! There are so many ways to use these cards in our classroom! My favorite is to hide them in a sensory bin and have students hunt for them!
Leprechaun Rocks Activity
Get creative with your students by making leprechaun rocks and hiding them around the room. This exciting scavenger hunt will keep your students engaged while adding a touch of magic to your classroom. Leprechaun rocks can be made with baking soda, green food coloring, water, and gold coins! Leprechaun rocks do take a day or so to dry – so I suggest making them a day or two before you plan on using them. You can speed up the drying process by putting them in the oven at a very low heat – but that can cause cracking, so I prefer to air dry.
Either way… Leprechaun Rocks are ALWAYS a hit!
St. Patrick’s Day Music and Movement Activities
We love these St. Patrick’s Day themed Freeze Dances and Chases on YouTube! These videos get students moving, dancing, and exercising while chasing leprechauns, looking for a pot of gold, completing challenges and dancing along with a St. Patrick’s Day theme.
Leprechaun Traps
Encourage families to create leprechaun traps at home and bring them into the classroom the day before St. Patrick’s Day. This collaborative activity will foster creativity and excitement as students eagerly await the chance to catch a leprechaun!
You can also provide your students with a STEM activity to build leprechaun traps at school! Grab as many loose parts as you can think of! (blocks, pipe cleaners, paper towel rolls, popsicle sticks, etc.) and let students build their own cute leprechaun traps!
Set these out the day before St. Patrick’s Day. On St. Patrick’s Day – a leprechaun will have come into your classroom before the kids and made a HUGE MESS! This can include (but is not limited to) – flipping over chairs, leaving green glitter and stickers scattered everywhere, pencils on the ground, and green pee in the toilet (with green food coloring!)
The leprechaun may also leave behind a note, leprechaun rocks, gold coins, or any special treat of your choice! Such a fun way to start the morning on St. Patrick’s Day with your students! This may be why St. Patrick’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays to celebrate in my classroom!
I hope these ideas inspire you to create a memorable St. Patrick’s Day celebration in your classroom! Feel free to adapt and customize these activities to suit the needs and interests of your students.
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