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FEATURED
PROJECT FROM:

Lisa at...


  

M & M Color
Sorting Game


(Photo by Lisa)

For the directions and FREE
printable for this game, check
 out Lisa's blog HERE.

 

 

FEATURED
PROJECT FROM:

Rebecca at...


 

Alphabet Match


(Photo by Rebecca)

Take a lowercase letter tile from the
 white bowl and place the duck on the
 matching uppercase letter shamrock.

 

 

Freeze

Begin playing Irish Jig music,
everyone moves and dances until
 the music stops then they must
 "freeze" in whatever position
 they happen to be in.

 

Lucky Charms
Matching Game

For more free printables,
go to the St. Patrick's Day
printables section HERE.

 

Hunt for the Gold

I spray paint macaroni with gold
 paint and then hide them in the
 rice/bean table. The children
 are convinced the leprechaun
 lost his gold. They love finding
 the leprechaun's lost gold.

 

 

Gold Coins Toss

  The gold coins are circular yellow
 felt bean bags.  Use a plastic
 witch's cauldron from Halloween
 for the children to toss their coins in.

 

St. Patrick's Day
Memory Matching

COMING SOON!

 

 

Potato Hop

Cut out 10 potatoes shapes out
 of brown paper bags (laminate
if you wish to save from year
 to year) and number them 1-10.
 Place them on the floor in a row.
 Encourage the kids jump from one
 to ten signing "one potato, two
potato, three potato, four...etc. Fun!

 

 

File Folder Games

Leprechaun Matching

 

COMING SOON!

 

 

Gold  Coin
Alphabet Matching

 

COMING SOON!

 

 

Rainbow Match

 

COMING SOON!

 

 

Leprechaun's
Gold

 

COMING SOON!

 

 

 

 

St. Pat's Charades

Cut out gold coins and write
 simple directions on each one.
 Put the coins in a pretend
“pot of gold” and have children
 take turns choosing a coin and
acting out the directions on the
 coins. Make them silly and simple,
 such as; “Dance a jig” “Clap your
 hands twice and shake your
 neighbor’s hand” “Turn around
 three times and say ‘Luck of the
 Irish to you’” The sillier the better!

 

 

 

St. Patrick's Day Game Ideas

 

 

Leprechaun Come Out To Play

Cut five large shamrocks from green construction paper.  On another sheet of paper draw a symbol to
 represent each type of weather (sunny, rainy, windy, snowy, and cloudy).  Cut out and glue a symbol to
the middle of each shamrock cutout.  To play the game, arrange your children in a circle.  Place shamrock
 cutouts facedown in middle of the circle.  Direct a volunteer leprechaun to go to the middle of the circle. 
 Sing the following song as the leprechaun performs his/her own jig.  When indicated, pause and instruct
the leprechaun to choose a shamrock to show to everyone.  Then sing the last line to describe the
weather shown on the shamrock.  Continue until everyone has had a turn to be the leprechaun. 

(Sung to the tune of: "Jimmy Crack Corn")

Leprechaun, come out to play.
Leprechaun, come out to play.
Leprechaun, come out to play.
(Pause.... child picks up shamrock.)
It is a (sunny) day.

 

Irish Hot Potato

Sit the children in a circle. Hand one child a potato.
 Explain to the children that when the music
(Celtic or Irish Jig 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.

 

Lucky Leprechaun Says

This game is 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.

 

Shamrock - Duck, Duck, Goose

Play Duck, Duck, Goose with a shamrock cut from green paper and call it “Drop the Shamrock.”

 

Gold, Gold, Who's got the Gold

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.)

 

Musical Shamrocks

This game is an Irish cousin to musical chairs. Cut large shamrock shapes out
 of construction  paper or craft foam. Make sure you have one for each child that
 plays the game. Lay the shamrocks on the floor and begin the game with
 each child standing on a shamrock shape. Start the music,  preferably an
 Irish jig, and remove one shape. Have the children walk around
 the shapes in a circle  until the music stops and then they must scramble for
 a shape to stand one. Keep playing until  only one child is left as the winner.

 

Find the 4-Leaf Clover

Prepare pictures or cutouts of green clovers, have one for each child. All
clovers should have 3 leaves except one which should be a 4-leaf clover.
Children take turns passing around the clovers to music. When music stops,
child who has 4-leaf clover gets a special treat (sticker, hug from you, etc.) Tell
children that the person with the 4-leaf clover is lucky -- that is why they get
 the special treat. Continue on until all kids have gotten the 4-leaf clover, special treat.

  

Hide the Gold

Have everyone sit in a circle on the floor. Get a piece of string long enough
for all the players to hold onto. Slip a ring on the string and tie the ends.
Choose one player to stand aside and be the guesser. When that person says
"Go" everyone in the circle starts passing the ring along the string. When
the guesser is ready, he or she calls out "stop". The players hold onto the
string; the one who has the ring tries to keep it hidden. Then guesser tries
to guess the person who has the ring. If the guesser is correct, he or she
gets to join the circle and the person who was holding the ring steps out and
becomes the new guesser.

  

Shamrock Search

Cut shamrock shapes out of green felt and hide them around the room.
  Then let the children search for the shapes while singing the song below.
Each time they find a shamrock, have them place it on a flannel board and take a bow.
 When all the shamrocks have been found, count them together with the children.

(Sung to the tune of: "The Farmer In The Dell")

Let's look for shamrocks now,
Let's look for shamrocks now,
And when we find a bright green one
Then we can take a bow.

 

Cupcake Walk

Tape numbered green pieces of paper to the floor in a circle. Put the same numbers on pieces
of paper and keep them in a green bag or Leprechaun hat. Play music as the children walk around
the circle stepping on a number as they go. When the music stops, each child steps to the number
closest to them while you pull a number out of the hat. The child standing on that number wins a
cupcake of their choice. Continue the game until each child wins a cupcake.

 

Pin The Shamrock on the Leprechaun

You will need a big picture of a Leprechaun, a green shamrock, for each child,
 with adhesive on back and their name on the front and a blindfold.  To play,
 blindfold the player, spin 'em around and let them try to stick the shamrock
 where it's supposed to go. Give a prize for the player that gets the closest.

  

St. Patrick's Day Twenty Questions

Teacher starts by choosing a St. Patrick's Day related person, place, or thing. The teacher says, "I'm
thinking of something". The children try to guess what it is by asking no more than twenty questions
that can be answered "YES", "NO", or I DON'T KNOW". The student who guesses correctly is next up.

Teacher thinks of person, place, or thing. Teacher gives a clue. Begin at one end of the room and work
your way around allowing each student to take a turn guessing until one student solves the case.
The student who solves the case goes next. Clues should be appropriate for the knowledge of the children.

Example: Leprechaun
Clue: He's 2 feet tall
Clue: Don't blink or he'll vanish
Clue: You want his gold

 

At The End Of The Rainbow

In advance, purchase a skein of rainbow colored
 yarn.  Then before the children arrive in the
 morning,  string the yarn through the classroom,
 down the hallway, and around the school.
  String the yarn as far as desired; then place a
 container of gold foil wrapped chocolate coins at
 the end of the yarn trail.  When the children
reach the end of the rainbow, allow them
 each to take a golden treat.

 

How to Trap a Leprechaun

Inspire creativity and eager anticipation in youngsters who are just longing to see a leprechaun.
 Mention to youngsters that leprechauns love green things, Lucky Charms cereal, gold, and
 chocolate foil-covered candy coins. Then give each child an opportunity to design his
 own original leprechaun trap. It has been reported by some that reciting the poem
 below can be beneficial in coaxing the little green guys into your general vicinity!

Leprechaun Poem

Leprechaun, leprechaun, don't catch cold.
Leprechaun, leprechaun, come get the gold.
Eat some cereal, drink some tea.
Leprechaun, leprechaun, visit with me.

I promise not to keep you for more than just a spell.
My mother wouldn't let me, so it's just as well.
Leprechauns, leprechauns, where do you dwell?
Leprechauns, leprechauns, elves, and trolls.
I think you live on grassy knolls.

Leprechauns, leprechauns everywhere.
Leprechauns, leprechauns in my hair.
On my foot and near my ear
Leprechaun, leprechaun, see you next year!

 

Leprechaun Mischief

While the children are out playing or before they arrive make some
 silly changes in the room like putting things out of place, hiding things,
 leaving gold chocolate coins, etc. Leave green footprints Blame it on the
 leprechaun when they come in. Explain all about St. Patrick's day and leprechauns.

 

Leprechaun Leprechaun Where’s Your Gold?

Leprechaun Leprechaun where’s your gold? Some on stole it from you home.-the children
 chat this as they pass the gold. Which can be made by spray painting a rock with gold paint.

 

Leprechaun Gold Search

Collect some shiny pennies or chocolate coins covered with gold foil to use for
 "leprechaun gold." Hide the gold outdoors or inside where your child can
easily find it. For fun clues, spray-paint some small stones gold and arrange
 them in a pathway for your child to follow when going on his gold search.

  

Shamrock File Folder Game

On the inside of a file folder draw the outlines of eight shamrocks and write a different
 number inside each one.  Cover the folder with clear contact paper. Draw matching
 shamrock shapes on poser board, add corresponding numbers of dots, cover the
 shapes with clear contact paper and cut them out.  To play the game, give the child
 the shamrock cutouts and the file folder.  Let the child count the number of dots on the
 cutouts and place them on top of the matching numbered shamrocks on the file folder.

  

"Pot of Gold" Shape Game

Place different laminated paper shapes in "pot of gold." (a coffee can covered with black paper.)
 The pot is passed around the circle to each child, who pulls out a shape and says,
"Do you know what I've been told? A (name shape) is in the pot of gold."

 

Irish Potato Bounce

Paint an old tennis ball brown for the potato. Cut the numbers 1 - 5 from
paper. Tape the numbers to the center of 5 alum. pans. Place the pans in a
circle, leaving an open space in the center. To play Bounce the potato in the
center area and try to make it land in a pan. Give each person five bounces -
keep score for older kids.

 

St. Pat's Day

For St. Patrick's Day I do the footprints around the room and rearrange things
 (things on the wall turned upside down, toys left out, etc....), which gives the
 children the impression that a leprechaun had been there during the night. 
 To still the doubts of our few doubting Thomas', there is also a tape left behind
 with a message from the leprechaun (make sure the voice is one they do not
 hear around school).  That usually convinces the skeptics.  (And you should see there
 faces when the leprechaun refers to my assistant and I by name in the message!!!)

  

St. Patrick's Day Sticker Game

Find an interesting magazine picture that takes up most of a page and cut it out.
Set out several St. Patrick's Day stickers. Then give your child directions for placing
 the stickers on the picture such as, "Put the leprechaun sticker under the tree,"
or "Put the shamrock sticker next to the house." When all the stickers
 have been used, ask your child to tell you where he placed each one.

      

 

 

   

 

  

Pre-K Fun Theme Pages are for educational reference only! 
No copyright infringement is intended.
I do not claim any of these as my own ideas.  
They are shared from friends and fellow group members.  
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!

 

     

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