Grandparently Grandparents and Grandchildren 
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner. It doesn’t have the good PR of Christmas or Halloween, but there are plenty of ways you can make it fun for your grandkids. Here are 10 ideas for things to do with your grandkids on St. Patrick’s Day.
Make Goofy Shamrock Hats
Make a silly shamrock hat out of a paper plate. Cut all the way around the circumference except for about an inch. This’ll be the stem of the shamrock. Have the kids draw a shamrock outline and then color and decorate. Cut it out and you’ll have a paper plate hat where the shamrock sticks straight up.
Find a Pot o’ Gold
Turn your house, yard or neighborhood into a giant scavenger hunt full of clues for your kids to find the pot o’ gold. The “gold” here can be coins or trinkets or, even better, something sweet and edible like chocolates or candy.
Play Leprechaun Hot Potato
Leprechaun Hot Potato is a game for five or more players. The “leprechaun” sits in the middle and throws a “potato,” which can be a bean bag, ball or other object. While the other players toss around the potato, the leprechaun covers his or her eyes. When the leprechaun shouts “shamrock!” whoever is holding the potato has to leave the circle. The game goes on and the number of players dwindles until there is only one, and he or she becomes the new leprechaun.
See a Parade
Check events listing and see if there is a St. Patrick’s Day parade in your local area. There’s no better way than a parade to get the kids into the spirit of the holiday. See if there are other events for the holiday as well. Be sure to wear plenty of green.
Make St. Pat Tees
Take white t-shirts and make St. Patrick’s Day shirts. Use a shamrock stencil or pattern and spray around it with green acrylic paint. Have the kids add their own designs and drawings afterward and each t-shirt will be unique.
Make Shamrock Rubbings
Cut out shamrock patterns on sandpaper. Put the sandpaper under a large sheet of drawing paper and have the kids rub away with green crayons or colored pencils. Turn it into a huge collage full of rainbows, leprechauns, pots of gold and other St. Patrick’s Day images.
Cook Green Food
Make a meal out of green foods. Take the kids to the store and buy all of the green stuff you can, like kiwis, key lime pie, pesto, guacamole, veggies, and whatever else. An even cooler idea is to make your own green food from scratch. Buy some green food coloring and make green scrambled eggs, pancakes, cookies, punch, mashed potatoes, and whatever other goodies the grandkids love.
Learn about St. Patrick
Every kid knows about St. Patrick’s Day but most don’t know who the saint actually was. Find a book or website that tells the story of St. Patrick and teach it to the kids. If they like writing and drawing, have them make their own book, story, comic, play or drawing that depicts his life.
Dance a Jig
Get the kids dancing with a good ol’ Irish jig. Learn some jig moves and teach them to the grandkids. Play Irish music and dance away. A great way to make it creative is to have the kids invent their own moves or mix the traditional jig with modern hip-hop dance moves.
Play Hide the Shamrock
Here’s a really simple St. Patrick’s Day game you can play. Cut a shamrock out of construction paper, or better yet, have the kids do it. One kid is “it” and has to hide the shamrock. The other kids look for it and the one who discovers it first gets to hide it the next time. For older kids, create a more involved set of rules where they can give hints.
These are just a few ideas to help you make St. Patrick’s Day more fun for the grandkids. Every holiday should be full of fun games, activities and crafts, and this day that celebrates Irish culture is no exception.
