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St. Patrick's Day Games, Party Ideas, and Recipes

As a girl scout leader for many years and a homeroom parent for both of my children I have planned many St. Patrick's Day Parties.  You will find some great games, recipes, crafts and decorating ideas for kids and adult St. Patrick's Day parties.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY GAMES FOR KIDS

Create a Word

Write the word St. Patrick's Day on paper and see how many words the kids can make out of it in 5 minutes.

 

Hot Pumpkin

A spin on the classic "Hot Potato" game, kids sit in a circle and pass the shamrock while the music is playing. When the music stops, the person holding the shamrock goes out of the game and receives a small prize.  Be sure to play some Irish music.

Balloon Bust

Divide the group into two teams.  Blow up green and white color balloons and tie one to everyone's ankles. Say "go" and watch the teams trying to burst the other team's balloons first. The team with the last balloon wins. As your balloon is burst you withdraw from the game.

St. Patrick's Day Air Balloons

Keep the balloons floating in the air while thinking and saying words about St. Patrick's Day.

To begin get everyone into a circle and start the balloon going around from player to player keeping the balloon in the air at all times. The catch however is before he can bat the balloon each player must call out a word (no repetitions, please) to fit a St. Patrick's Day theme. For example shamrock, leprechaun, green, coins, pot of gold etc...

Candy Ring Game

Drop a plastic table cloth on the floor (preferably green color).  Cover it with candy and trinkets such as toys, , pencils etc.   Have the children stand a distance from the table cloth and toss one or two rings.  Whatever their ring encompasses they get to keep.  Be sure to have goodie bags available.  This game has always been a great hit with the kids.
 

Cookie Decorating

Make a shamrock cookie ahead of time for each child.

Prepare colorful frostings (green, white, yellow)

Get green sprinkles

Purchase non-chocolate theme appropriate candy 

Let the fun begin

St. Patrick's Face Paint

1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. cold cream
2 drops food coloring (green)

In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, mix well. Draw a  shamrock on everyone.

 

Coin Hunt

Scatter plastic gold coins and necklaces in the yard prior to guest arrival.  Create green, "leprechaun" footprints leading from the front of the house to the search area.  Sidewalk chalk is a great to use for the footprints. Give each child a set number of coins/necklaces to collect to keep it fair.  Be sure to give them a treasure chest of some sort to collect their goods.

 

ST. PATRICK'S DAY CRAFTS FOR KIDS

Leprechaun

Compliments of family-fun.com

Materials Needed:

Toilet paper tube
Green craft foam
Acrylic paints: green, skin-tone, pink and brown
Black permanent maker
Tacky glue
4 brown pipe cleaners
Decorative button

Wee Leprechaun1. For this crafty little decoration, first trace around the end of a toilet paper tube onto a piece of green craft foam.

Wee Leprechaun 2. Draw a 2 1/2-inch circle around the first circle, then cut them both out to create a hat top and brim and set them aside.

Wee Leprechaun 3. Next, using acrylic paints, paint the paper tube green. Add a skin-tone face and hands, plus rosy cheeks, as well as a band of brown paint around the back for hair.

4. Once the paint has dried, use a permanent marker to draw on facial and clothing details, then use tacky glue to stick on 3 coiled brown pipe cleaners: 2 in the back for hair and 1 around the face for a beard. For feet, fold another pipe cleaner in half, then tightly coil and pinch the ends, as shown.

5. Place the folded pipe cleaner inside the tube and glue the feet to the edge. Glue on the hat top and brim and a 5 1/2- by 1/2-inch strip of craft foam for arms.

6. Finally, glue a decorative button to the hat brim.

Shamrock Pin
 
Complimnets of childfun.com

 

Materials:
chenille stick
pom pom
glue
wiggly eyes
ribbon
feather

Instructions:
I bent the glitzy chenille stick into a shamrock shape. The kids glued on the 1' pom pom. They glued on the shamrock ribbon in the back. They glued on the two eyes. Then they glued on the feather. I glued the pin in the back with glue gun

 

 St. Patrick's Day Party Decorating Ideas


Think "green" when it comes to decorating.

Decorate by filling vases with green and white carnations and tie a festive colored ribbon and bow around each centerpiece and place around the room.

Purchase green  helium balloons and put them is a strategic places.

Decorate with shamrocks and green crepe paper. 

Use green tablecloths, festive paper plate and napkins.

Green light bulbs and a string of green lights will give you a festive atmosphere

 Use ice cream cones (sugar cones) filled with chocolate foil coins to embellish your holiday table.   Lay cone down and fill letting coins spill out onto table.

Use plastic green leprechaun hats for serving.

What's a St. Patrick's day party without a Blarney Stone.   Get white packing paper and crumble into a large ball (shape of a boulder)  then paint with gray/black paint.  Place by the front door with a label,"BLARNEY STONE - KISS FOR GOOD LUCK."

Leprechaun Hat Bowl

Compliments of kaboose.com

A fun table decoration that can be used to hold chips or flowers.

What you'll need:

  • 1/2 gallon Round ice cream container, clean and dry (you do not need the lid)
  • 2 or 3 sheets of Green construction paper
  • 1 sheet of Yellow or Gray construction paper
  • 1 sheet of Black construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pen
  • Double stick tape
  • Large circular object (however wide the construction paper is)

How to make it:

  1. Trace around the large circular object on the green construction paper with the pen.
  2. Cut out the circle.
  3. Use the double stick tape to adhere the circle to the bottom of the ice cream container.
  4. Cut a piece of green construction paper to fit around the container. You may need two pieces of construction paper or be able to piece them together.
  5. Use the double stick tape to adhere the construction paper around the container.
  6. Cut a strip about 2" wide out of the black construction paper.
  7. Cut a 4" square out of the gray or yellow construction paper.
  8. Cut a rectangle in the middle of the gray construction paper about 1 1/4" x 2". Discard the little piece of construction paper. Hint: Fold the square into fourths and cut a square out of the middle of the folded area. Open up the square.
  9. Check positioning of the black band by laying it around the hat about an inch above the brim. Cut off any excess construction paper where it meets in the back.
  10. Lay the gray or yellow (buckle) over the black band as shown in the photograph. Once the layout is satisfactory, tape in place.
  11. Add green tortilla chips or flowers.
  12. Remember if you use chips put some green food coloring in your dip.

    Treasure Chest Center Piece

Create a treasure chest for a center piece.  Start with a small wooden box.   Paint or cover the outside to look like a treasure chest.  Fill the inside with green shiny paper ( filler) and gold coins, jewelry, gold painted marbles etc.

Option two use your Halloween cauldron and fill as stated above.

  St. Patrick's Day Links

St. Patrick's Day Games:  Interactive games kids will love

Catch a leprechaun: Details on leprechauns and how to trap them

 St. Patrick's Day Party Recipes

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Pretzel Rods
3 or more bags of melting chocolate
(depends on the number of kids)
Green Sprinkles
Wax Paper

Melt chocolate in crock pot on high stirring occasionally.  Once chocolate is melted have kids dip the pretzel into the chocolate and then into the sprinkles.  Give them a piece of wax paper to put it on to dry.

 

Pot of gold sugar cookies

Ingredients
One round sugar cookie for each child
White cake frosting
cake decorator gels in black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple
Small yellow candies (mini M&M's)
Small round green candies

Spead each cookie with white frosting and place a few yellow candies in the area where you want your pot of gold.  Use black decorator gel to create a pot under the "gold".

Use rainbow colored decorator gels to draw a rainbow coming out of the top of the pot. Rainbow colors go in the following order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.

 

Leprechaun Pudding

one 1-ounce box of sugar free instant
pistachio pudding for every five children
1/2 cup of milk per child
1 small, resealable plastic bag per child
1/2 cup measuring cup
1 spoon per child.
Put tablespoon of pudding mix in sandwich bag and milk, then close the baggy and have kids shake and squeeze, then eat.

Snack Ideas

Gold-foil-wrapped chocolate coins, green M&M's and Lucky Charms cereal make for festive snacks as well as great table decorations. So fill clear bowls or vases with them to dress up your table.

Guacamole and chips will be a hit.

Refreshments: 

Leprechaun Milk
Simply add green food coloring to milk or a milkshake.

Shamrock Punch

Recipe makes six servings

1 pint lime sherbet

2 cups milk

1 6oz can frozen limeade concentrate, slightly thawed

Lemon-lime carbonated beverage chilled

Additional scoops of lime sherbet

Kiwi for garnish

Place first 3 ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and frothy.  Top off with lemon-lime soda and mix together.   Garnish with additional sherbet and kiwi.