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St. Patrick's Day is a celebration of Irish culture and heritage that over the years has evolved into a commercialized holiday across the United States. If you are looking for ways to celebrate with your kids, make sure you celebrate respectfully. One thing I've tried to instill in my kids is that if just one person takes offense to something as it relates to their culture, ethnicity, or race, then that's enough reason to stop doing or saying the offensive thing.
In the case of St. Patrick's Day and the negative stereotypes Irish people have endured over the years, which have roots in anti-immigration sentiment, the holiday has unfortunately become associated with drinking to excess. Our job as parents is to move forward and teach our kids how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with respect and sensitivity.
Here are a few St. Patrick's Day activities for kids, so we can begin to change the narrative.
St. Patrick's Day books to read with your kids
If you're looking to teach your kids how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day respectfully, impart historical knowledge, or if you just need a fun St. Patrick's Day activity to bring on the smiles, these resources will set the tone for a family-friendly St. Paddy's Day!
1. Help your kids answer the question, "why do we celebrate St. Patrick's Day?"
Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by children's author Tomie dePaola, answers all the questions kids may have about the origins of St. Patrick's Day.
2. Teach your children a bit of Ireland's history
Explore the Great Famine with your kids in this video geared toward older elementary grades. Pair it with a cooking lesson on Irish soda bread to help your children understand how the Irish persevered with minimal ingredients during this challenging time.
3. Read How to Catch a Leprechaun and make a leprechaun trap
In some elementary schools around the country, kids take part in a yearly St. Patrick's Day tradition that has them creating their own leprechaun trap after reading this whimsical book by Adam Wallace. This is a fun activity for school or home, with an added educational STEAM component.
While the leprechaun is a popular character with kids and will be everywhere during St. Patrick's Day, keep in mind that there is also recent discourse about the term leprechaun being derogatory, and it's important to take those concerns seriously. Use this opportunity to discuss with your children why the character is controversial, and how they can remain empathetic and refrain from doing or saying something that could be hurtful.
St. Patrick's Day foods to make with your kids
If you're looking for ideas on how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with kids, food is always a great place to start. Whether you're looking to make kid-friendly St. Patrick's Day drinks or traditional Irish meals, these ideas will elevate any celebration!
4. Throw a family potluck dinner
"When my kiddo was little, we celebrated surrounded by food and company coming over or going to my parent's house for corned beef, fixings, and of course, dessert," South Carolina mom Elisa told Mom.com. "I remember my grandmother would make Irish soda bread and would come by to eat as well, but mostly I remember having company over and eating together."
5. Bake some Irish soda bread
Young children will enjoy baking and eating Irish soda bread, which is a fairly straightforward and easy recipe to perfect. Incorporate bread baking into a history lesson for older kids by explaining how it came into existence due to its limited ingredients during a time of widespread famine in the 1830s.
6. Make festive St. Patrick's Day drinks with the kids
Rather than hitting up the drive-through for your yearly green milkshake, you can feel good about offering this healthy mint chip shamrock shake!
"We are making fun foods like shamrock shakes and rainbow waffles in cooking group this week for St. Paddy's Day," Lyn D., a special education professional in Massachusetts, told Mom.com.
"A lot of what we focus on for these students is life skills, and cooking obviously is a big step toward improving their ability to live independently," Lyn explained. "We tend to cook everyday meals like pizza, mac and cheese, breakfast foods, and pasta dishes. We like to spice things up and do fun projects focusing on fun holiday foods."
Crafts and St. Patrick's Day activities for kids
There's nothing quite like hands-on activities for kids of all ages when you want to celebrate holidays that are typically geared toward adults. These St. Patrick's Day crafts and activities ideas will help make the day feel special for everyone.
7. Print out St. Patrick's Day-themed activities
"Today was our family party at my mom's, we found some free printables of games and will play a few, like bingo," Meghan Bo, a mom of two from the Boston area, told Mom.com.
But you don't need to have a big family party to incorporate some St. Paddy's Day fun. Print out some coloring sheets, mazes, or these printable St. Patrick's Day pins to add a festive flair to any day.
8. Attend a local St. Patrick's Day parade
Chances are there's a big St. Patrick's Day parade scheduled near you! Check out your local news site for details, don your green, and take it all in! If you can't make it out though, don't worry — you can watch the oldest and biggest St. Patrick's Day parade online, live from New York City.
9. Plan a scavenger hunt
Your St. Patrick's Day craft doesn't have to be messy or wasteful — no one needs to be cleaning up glue and glitter in the middle of the week. Instead, opt for a backyard St. Patrick's Day scavenger hunt game that gets kids out and about for some hands-on fun.
