Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, so plan a party for your lads and lassies the next time this holiday rolls around. Festive games are one way to introduce this holiday to your kiddos and allow them to enjoy the seasonal celebration of everything Irish. Mix some St. Paddy’s fun into your March gathering to surprise and delight your family and friends.
Add Irish Elements
You can make any game into a St. Patrick’s extravaganza by adding Irish elements. Turn a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey into a St. Pat’s activity by calling it “Pin the Pot of Gold on the Rainbow.” Modify Hide-and-Go-Seek by having players hide shamrocks with their names on them instead of their bodies and allowing the hunter to search for these St. Patrick’s tokens. By modifying a current game, you allow your kids to play a familiar game and save time explaining novel rules.
Hunt for Good Ol’ Gold
Set up a gold hunt for your young Irish men and women. Purchase chocolates covered with gold foil and hide them around your house. Set a timer and instruct the players to search for the hidden gold. Let the seekers eat the tasty loot they locate and give a special prize to the little leprechaun who finds the most metallic coins during the allotted time.
Educational Games
St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect opportunity to teach your mentally developing kiddos. Gather information on the holiday and compose trivia questions. Present these questions to players and reward those who know the correct answers. Instead of cleaning before your gathering begins, have some fun upsetting a room in your house by turning lamps upside down, moving furniture out of its usual place, and overturning containers. Surround this ransacked area with caution tape. When the kiddos arrive, tell them a leprechaun turned up the area, and challenge them to write down as many things that are upset as possible. Reward the observant laddies who locate the most problems.
Move About
Let your kids work off some of their energy with movement-based games. Play a round of Irish Hot Potato, placing players in a circle and asking them to pass a potato while you play an Irish Jig. The player who holds the potato when the music stops is out. Or try a shamrock relay by setting up obstacles in your backyard. Divide players into teams, instructing them to move through the obstacles while passing a paper shamrock.
Green Up Your Games
When creating your games, keep the St. Paddy’s green in mind. Include this color in as many of your games as possible, painting game pieces this earthy shade or using the color in score materials or cards you create. With everything a shade of green, there will be no mistaking what holiday you are celebrating.
