5 Fun Ways to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a Family

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world on March 17 and commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.

The holiday was originally celebrated by going to mass & having a quiet day. You might be surprised to hear that until the 1970’s the pubs in Ireland were actually closed on St. Patrick’s Day! Irish American culture heavily influenced St. Patrick’s Day & today worldwide celebrations often include parades, festivals, wearing green & having drinks.

It’s a great opportunity to teach your kids about another culture.

Here are 5 ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a family:

1. Leprechaun Treasure Hunt

We all know that Leprechauns are big fans of the money pot at the end of the rainbow (who wouldn’t be?). And, kids are big fans of chocolate coins (again, who isn’t). A fun way to teach the kids a little Irish culture is to create a fun & easy Leprechaun Treasure Hunt.

You can be as elaborate or as simple with this game as you like. A leprechaun can leave the kids a note telling them he dropped some of his coins around the house for them to find. Or you can simply tell them there are coins to find around the house.

There’s an easy game & a harder game depending on the ages of your kids. For little ones, simply hide the chocolate coins around the house or garden. For older kids, you can hide the chocolate coins out of sight & write clues they need to solve in order to find them.

If you are hiding more than a few coins, write down where you put them – trust me. Then you can play hot & cold to find any remaining chocolate coins.

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2. Sport Some Green

It wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day without a little green!

With some green cardboard, the world is your oyster in terms of crafts. You can make shamrocks decorations for the house or to wear on your clothing. Or you can make leprechaun hats.

Another option is to decorate some plain t-shirts using fabric markers. You can create your own Irish works of art to wear to your local parade.

If you aren’t crafty, you can buy some Irish gear online or in the shops to get the family in the St. Patrick’s Day mood.

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3. Attend Your Local Parade or Festival

Check online to see what parades or festivals are happening in your local area. So many towns have parades you can attend or get involved with. There has a been a movement towards family friendly fun on St. Patrick’s Day with lots of fun activities taking place for kids of all ages to enjoy.

Heading into town or into the city for celebrations is a fun way to soak up the fun atmosphere & enjoy some Irish culture.

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4. Enjoy Some Irish Food

A great way to teach the family about Irish culture is to try some Irish food! A few simple & tasty things you can make are brown bread, shepherd’s pie or Irish stew.

For dessert, you can make or buy some tasty cupcakes with Irish decorations or green food colouring on them.

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5. Learn Some Irish Culture

The four ideas above are all great ways to teach the kids about Irish culture while also enjoying time together as a family.

For older kids, you can sit & tell them more about St. Patrick, who he was & why his day is celebrated. Irish culture is fun to explore. There is plenty to read online & kids books available too.

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Enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations! Let us know what you get up to in the comments or tag us on social media we’d love to hear from you.

Guest post: Becky, wife & mom of three kids. Originally from NY, Becky & her family now live in the beautiful West of Ireland. Becky is the creator & writer at Cuddle Fairy which is a positive space on the internet with the motto: There’s positivity around every corner.

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.