Saint Patrick’s day is a favorite in the Kilian household. It’s an excuse to drink Guinness, eat corned beef, and make shamrock-shaped pancakes all month long!
Everyone knows keeping a toddler or preschooler busy for more than five minutes can be a challenge. They are interested in and curious about, everything! I’m constantly looking for fun crafts and activities to keep them engaged, all the while practicing their fine motor skills and other very important parts of their development!
5 St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Kids
Here are five fun St. Patrick’s Day-themed activities to do with your toddler or preschooler to keep them engaged, learning, and developing at home all month long!
1. Let them help you cook corned beef!
Maybe you haven’t tried corned beef yet. It’s super easy (and delicious!)
- Fill your slow cooker up with a little water (to where it will cover the corned beef) and let your little one stir in the spices! Turn the slow cooker on low until done. It should still be firm enough to slice.
- This is a super easy one for early learners that you can start at around 18 months depending on your child. It’s nothing too complicated, but it makes them feel helpful and practices fine motor skills as well as stove safety.
2. Make shamrock-shaped pancakes in this other fun cooking activity!
I usually make this one dairy-free with almond milk, but you can follow the recipe or just use a little pre-made pancake batter depending on how handy in the kitchen you are. Add a little green food coloring and grab a shamrock-shaped cookie cutter from the store for a fun way to eat breakfast. Your little one can help measure, add, stir, and even use the spatula to flip the cooked pancake!
- 1 cup flour (can use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- 1 cup milk or milk alternative (we like almond milk)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon of fat of choice
- 1 dash of vanilla extract
- green food coloring (I use the gel as it yields a deeper color in baked goods)
- mix everything together and grill in a hot pan. (I use cast iron but any will do.) Don’t forget to grease and use the cookie cutter!
3. “Puffy Paint” Leprechaun
This is such a cute (but slightly messy) activity for a rainy day! Make the puffy paint!
- Mix a little glue with some shaving cream and food coloring to make a paint-on leprechaun beard!
- Cut out the hat, buckle, and face from construction paper, or let your little one practice his or her fine motor skills and do it themselves! This will be for your preschooler or advanced toddler with safety scissors.
4. Pot O’ Gold
Easily done as finger paint or the ever-popular toddlers’ “dot dot” paint markers, create this precious Pot O’ Gold rainbow with your little ones!
- To set it up, paint a pot with gold glitter to start, and then let them go at it. For preschoolers, focus on the color progression and name each color as you paint!
- To change it up (or for a less messy activity) get colored pompoms and have your little one organize them by color before gluing them on in line.
5. Edible Rainbow Science Experiment
This can be tailored to every age from toddler to kindergarten!
You will need:
- clear cups
- green jello mix
- whipped cream (coconut dairy-free is our favorite!)
- rainbow all sour candy belts (or similar)
Instructions:
- Help your little one mix up the jello and pour it into the clear cups. This is an opportunity to discuss hot versus cold, stove safety, change of state as the liquid congeals and turns solid, etc. Get creative here!
- Finally, complete the activity by making two “clouds,” one on each side of the cup with the whipped cream, connecting them with a rainbow candy belt!
Try just one, or them all! Each can be appropriately skewed for your child’s age and developmental stage! (Full disclosure: Sullivan and I will be making the corned beef at least once per week . . . yum!)
