St. Patrick’s Day Parties are often thrown at local pubs for adults, but you can throw your own party for your garndchildren for very little cost by using your imagination.
Games to Play
Any traditional party game can be transformed to fit a holiday. The classic game of pin the tail on the donkey, for example, can be made into pin the stem on the shamrock, or pin the hat on the leprechaun. You can also make a typical bucket toss game into a pot of gold toss by wrapping black construction paper or felt around empty coffee cans or similar containers, and have children toss fake gold coins into them. The idea is to stand behind a designated line and try to get the coins into the bucket to win a prize.
Irish Hot Potato
Supplies:
Potato
Celtic or Irish Jig Music
How To Play:
Sit the children in a circle. Hand one child the potato. Explain to the children that when the music begins they will pass the potato to the person on their right. When the music stops whoever’s holding the potato scoots out of the circle and playing resumes.
This game also provides a great opportunity to discuss agriculture in Ireland. Perhaps they could pass while you talk and when you stop (every once in awhile) the person holding the potato has to recap what you said.
Hide and Gold Seek
Supplies:
A large gold coin.
How To Play:
A child is chosen to be the Leprechaun and hides her eyes as a gold coin is given to a child to hide in his lap or behind his back. The Leprechaun then has three chances to guess which child has their gold coin. (All children hide their hands in their laps/behind their backs like they have it.)
Find the Gold
Supplies:
Construction paper gold coins cut out
How To Play:
Hide the coins while the children are out of the room. Have the children find as many coins as they can. Then have children go back to their tables or groups and count how many coins the whole group has. Highest number of coins collected get to have their treats first.
Lucky Leprechaun Says
How To Play:
Played similar to Simon Says. The player up is “Lucky Leprechaun”. Player will say “Lucky Leprechaun says hop on one foot”. The children will hop on one foot. Player will say “Stop”. The children are to keep hopping on one foot until player says “Lucky Leprechaun says stop”. Repeat for additional activities such as take one baby step forward, step backwards, turn around, sit down. Sometimes Lucky Leprechaun will say “Lucky Leprechaun says” and sometimes he won’t. It’s a fun game to play with young children.
Freeze
Supplies:
Irish Jig Music
How To Play:
Begin playing music, everyone moves and dances until the music stops then they must “freeze” in whatever position they happen to be in.
Shamrock Stomp
Supplies:
Large laminated green shamrocks, taped to the floor, one for each child
Irish Jig Music
How To Play:
Every child begins by standing on a shamrock that has been taped to the floor. Start the music and have the children walk around the room. When the music stops they need to stand on a shamrock or they’re out. Remove one shamrock after each musical segment.
Shamrock Shimmy
Supplies:
Shamrock for each child with instruction written on one side and a chocolate shaped gold coin taped on the other.
Instructions might include: Hop like a bunny, walk like a crab, bear walk, skip, walk backwards, etc.
How To Play:
Children divide into two teams. Put the shamrocks at the end of the room in two piles. On your mark the first child on each team runs to the pile, takes a shamrock and does what the shamrock says while returning to their team, then sits down. The next team member then runs to the pile…etc. The first team to be sitting down wins. Everyone enjoys a chocolate in the end.
Leprechaun Hop
Supplies:
Gold coin pillow for each team.
How To Play:
Children divide into two teams. Give each team a gold coin pillow. Pillow size should be larger for younger children and smaller for older children. Have one child from each team place the gold coin between their legs and hop to the end of the room and back. They sit down and the next team member goes. This repeats until one team is all sitting.
Pass The Blarney Stone
Supplies:
Samll Grey stone bean bag for each team.
How To Play:
Children divide into two teams. Give each team a grey stone bean bag (about the size of an orange). On your mark, the first child puts the pillow between their chin and neck and passes it to the next player. Here’s the catch, players may only use their heads to pass (no hands or teeth allowed). The process continues to the last person in line and then reverses sending the pillow back to the first player in line. The first team to complete the game wins. You can substitute out a small potato for the bean bag.
Shamrock Relay
Supplies:
2 Large construction paper shamrocks per team
How To Play:
Divide children into teams. The first person of a team takes the 2 shamrocks and lays one of the shamrocks out on the floor. The child steps on the first shamrock and then places the second shamrock in front of them. The child steps on the second shamrock, reaches back and picks up the first shamrock and then places that shamrock in front of them. Continue to the end of the course and then run back and tag the next team member. Variation: Divide the teams in half and have the person walk on shamrocks to the other side.
GrandmaCents 