Seven Kid-Friendly Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day Fun
St. Patty’s Day celebrations usually call to mind pub crawls, pints of green beer and parade routes jammed with mischievous leprechauns. But if you’re thinking about celebrating in a more family friendly way, we’ve found plenty of easy ideas for having food and fun with the kids.
The Eating of the Greens (and Reds, Yellows, Blues and Oranges)
Corned beef and cabbage will always be a mainstay of the St. Patrick’s Day table, but given the “greenness” of the occasion, it’s a good time to get kids into the spirit by introducing new veggies and fruits.
Have a Green Smoothie Bar
Get kids interested in trying a wider variety of fruits and vegetables with yummy smoothies. Just let them “order” their own custom smoothie creation by having them pick from green vegetables like spinach or kale, various colorful fruits (fresh or frozen), fruit juices and nut milks. Then blend their concoctions to make a “green shake” (wink, wink) that’s as delicious as it is healthy.
Create a Rainbow Fruit Tray
Set out an array of colorful, bite-size fruits like orange smiles, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries and grapes in an arc to create a rainbow-themed fruit tray. If desired, at one end, add a “Pot of Gold” filled with pineapple or mango chunks.
Nothing says “Irish” quite like a spud. Bake up a batch of McCain® Smiles® and create a station with a variety of toppings like chili, broccoli and cheese, alfredo sauce, roasted peppers, bacon and more. Kids will love building their own creations. Plus, you can make the display festive by using green plastic leprechaun hats from a party store as bowls.
For a kid, the highlight of any party is game time. Keep them entertained with these easy ideas.
Get white T-shirts and a variety of green dye colors for an old-fashioned tie-dye craft party. Or, go the rainbow route and let them be extra colorful with lots of different colors.
Use a traditional set of bingo cards or create your own St. Patrick’s Day-themed cards from construction paper and dollar store stickers featuring shamrocks, pots of gold, leprechaun hats and shoes, rainbows and horseshoes. If you can’t find stickers, have the kids draw shapes on a construction paper bingo card first. Then use gold paper or candy “coins” for the chips!
Pin the Shamrock on the Leprechaun
Pick up a large leprechaun wall or window decoration and use a cut-out paper shamrock to give the pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game a new twist.
Hide paper “gold coins” or shamrocks throughout the house (or yard) and have the kids hunt for them within a certain time frame. Whoever collects the most gets a special “treasure” of your choosing.
