Saint Patrick's Day Party Activities
Presumably,
you will be having one of two types of parties for St.
Patrick’s Day. The first one is for children, the second
being for adults. Of course, it’s entirely possible to
have one for both children and adults at the same time
but keep in mind, this will greatly increase the work
involved, and the food and supplies needed.
Children's Activities & Games
Let’s start with ideas for a Children’s St. Patrick’s Day party. For them, it’s not about the old Irish way of eating, drinking, and being merry. It’s about eating and being merry. That means having goodies and playing games. There are many activities that kids can do in the classroom as well as your home that will keep them busy and give them something to take home.
T-Shirts
If your party is small enough, you may be able to afford buying some plain-green t-shirts and let them decorate their own with fabric paint and permanent marker. If you can’t find any green t-shirts, buy white ones in packages and let the kids add lots of green. If you’re using screen prints or anything that involves an iron, make sure there are adults on hand to do ALL of the ironing and keep the kids away from reach.
Place Mats
You can provide construction paper, markers, glue, and glitter and let the children design their own Irish place mats and place cards. When they’re finished, laminate them to seal out moisture and preserve their creation. Clear contact paper also works for lamination and is inexpensive. Consider having each child draw and cut out pictures, pool them, and then have them put together a collage with everyone’s creations on their base paper. This will make the place match thicker and more durable.
Pinatas
A piñata is sure to be the hit of the party, giving the kids not only candy, but fun memories to go along with it. If you wish to buy one, look in party stores as soon as they begin stocking supplies for Saint Patrick’s Day. These are seasonal items and are usually not available all year round. Once they’re sold out, you’re usually out of luck. Some piñatas are pre-filled, others are empty and will need to be filled with candy or piñata-stuffers. Take pictures of this activity and send them home with the kids.
Word Scramble and Crossword Puzzles
You can make word searches and crosswords into competitive games by setting a time limit and awarding prizes to the kids whom complete the most of the puzzles.
Saint Patrick's Day Quiz
Award the child who knows the most about St. Patrick’s Day. Depending on the age of your young guests, you can assemble different types of quizzes that vary in difficulty. From hardest to easiest are fill in the blank, multiple choice, and true or false. To make things easier, you can tell a story that will enlighten the kids about the history and traditions of St. Patrick’s day before the quiz. If they’re paying attention, they’ll know the answers.
Musical Chairs
This game goes way back and almost every child knows how to play it. For this, you’ll need plenty of space and some old, Irish folk music. You can look for the music compiled on a CD or if you’re in school, ask the music teacher to lend a hand (or two) on the piano.
Potato Sack Race
Weather permitting, you can get the children outside and let them expend their extra energy with a potato sack race. This game is best done towards the end of the party, as it is a good way to tire them out and make them more agreeable to go home. Line the kids up at the starting line, allowing several feet between each child. Give them each a large, burlap bag to step inside of and tell them to hold the edges up and stay inside of the bag or they will be disqualified. Yell “on your marks… get set…. Go!” The first child crossing the finish line inside of their bag is the winner.
Party Prizes
There’s a little bit of superstition in all of us so why not give the luck of the Irish to the game winners? There are various good luck charms that are either Irish specific or if you need more ideas, you can venture beyond the Irish tradition and give out general good luck charms. Irish good luck and fortune comes from four-leaf clovers, shamrocks, or you can give a mini pot of gold with chocolate foil-wrapped coins. Other good luck charms include a rabbit’s foot, wishbones, or horseshoes. Most charms can be found in the form of the object, such as a necklace, bracelet, keychain, or pin with a horseshoe or shamrock. The first place to check would be in the holiday section of a store or a party store in the party favors section. If you’re outta luck, what child wouldn’t appreciate a box of Lucky Charms cereal?
Activities for Adults
Keeping adults busy is often easier because they can entertain themselves with socializing and good conversation. Still, to keep with the theme of the party, you should have some activities planned to get everyone into the Irish spirit. You could start an at-home party with some Celtic folk music and dancing. Don’t want to stay put? After serving up traditional Irish food, head on out for an Irish-themed scavenger hunt or or go bar-hopping in search of green beer.