Kids love any excuse to make a day extra special, so why not March 17 of
every year? You certainly don’t need to be Irish to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day
with your kids and to honor St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. On
this day, everyone has a little Irish in them! Here are some ideas for
traditions to start this year!
- Wear green so you don’t get pinched! If your kids don’t have much green
clothing in their closet, head to a consignment or thrift store so you can
go green for the planet while also wearing green. I have to admit sometimes
I cheat and hit the local department store because they carry green
T-shirts with cute St. Patrick’s Day sayings like, “Everybody loves an
Irish girl.” - Go to a parade. Many cities, large and small, have a St. Patrick’s Day
parade every year, and many have the parade the weekend before St Patrick’s
Day so more people can attend (it happens to fall on a Saturday this year).
Check out St-Patricks-Day.com for all kinds of cool stuff like Irish music,
Irish dancing and even parades and fun runs/walks. The parade list is by no
means complete, so Google “St. Patrick’s Day parade [your city]” to find
one near you. - Go to McDonald’s for a green Shamrock Shake, a mint-flavored, green-dyed
vanilla milkshake. My kids get excited when these come out and we have to
hit the drive-through for one every year. You can find dairy-free versions
online that you can make at home, and if you’re concerned about food dyes,
you can pick up some natural green food dye online or at a health food
store. - Tell St. Patrick’s story. Legend says he used a three-leaf clover (also
known as a shamrock) to teach about the Holy Trinity. There are a ton of
great books about St. Patrick, including “The Night Before St. Patrick’s
Day” (Reading Railroad) by Natasha Wing and Amy Wummer, “St. Patrick’s Day”
by Gail Gibbons, and a board book called “The Story of St. Patrick’s” by
Patricia A. Pingry and Pamela R. Levy. You can also get a made-for-TV
family movie called “St. Patrick: The Irish Legend” through Amazon.com and
Netflix - Have a small party. Penny Warner, author of “The Best Party Book,”
offers some great suggestions for a fun St. Patrick’s Day party:- For invitations, paint a stone green, write party
information on the stone and leave the stone at the invitee’s front porch. - Give a prize to the guest wearing the most green.
- Hang construction paper shamrocks everywhere, hang green
balloons, put posters of Ireland on the walls and, of course, play some
Irish music. - Set out a gold pot filled with chocolate coins.
- Play games like Hot Potato and make sure to set out a Mr.
Potato Head set. - Make a shamrock cake using three heart-shaped cakes joined
together and frost with green icing. - For food, have a potato bar with fun toppings like
broccoli, chili, cheese and bacon bits.
- For invitations, paint a stone green, write party
