How to Explain St. Patrick’s Day to Kids: St. Paddy’s Craft and Book

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up quick! It is celebrated by the Irish and non-Irish alike, but aside from the legends of a leprechaun hiding his pot-of-gold, what else is there to know about St. Patrick’s Day? Many of us love celebrating Irish culture, preparing leprechaun traps and classic Irish dishes, and wearing green. There is also a deeper cause for celebration every year on March 17^th and I love that it points us to God!

If you’re looking for a simple way to explain St. Paddy’s to your preschool or elementary aged kids, look no further than the man himself, Saint Patrick. He wasn’t Irish but had been kidnapped and brought to Ireland as a slave from his home in Britain when he was a teenager.

After spending many years there, he managed to bravely escape and return to his family. In the years to come, Patrick felt urged by God to return to the home of his captors and spread Christianity throughout the land. He worked hard to become a priest and made his way back to Ireland.

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It is said that one of the ways St. Patrick explained Christianity was with the Shamrock, which is a type of clover that grows all over Ireland. It has three leaves, which he used to describe the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three in one. Saint Patrick eventually became known as a patron saint of Ireland and succeeded in spreading Christianity to the Irish people.

Legends also say that he drove the snakes from Ireland! As there are no snakes there due to the cold climate, it is said that the “snakes” being referred to were actually the pagan beliefs that existed before Christianity was spread to the people. Saint Patrick is thought to have died on March 17^th, which is why it became a day of celebration and religious feasting to honor him.

So, why do we wear green on St. Paddy’s Day and why do four leaf clovers bring us luck? Ireland is covered in shades of beautiful green and the clover itself is green. Four leaf clovers are considered lucky because they are so rare! When it comes to the legend of those mischievous Irish leprechauns, it is said that if you wear green, they can’t see you as well. Therefore, you will not get pinched by them as they seek to hide their pot-of-gold from human eyes.

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While we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, be sure to enjoy the fun with your kids while also sharing the meaningful life and story of Saint Patrick himself. To give them a visual of the Holy Trinity that St. Patrick taught about, try this fun Shamrock Craft!

What you’ll need:

Green construction paper (and any other colors you prefer!)
Elmer’s glue
Scissors
Marker
Craft fasteners/brads
Glitter or glitter glue
Sequins and stickers (optional)

Maria Magee

Directions:

Choose your main color of construction paper, this will be the main color of the shamrock leaves and stem.

Fold it into three equal columns. While it’s folded, draw the pattern for your leaves on each side. This will give you six leaves total for making two shamrocks. It should look like a long heart-shape.

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Cut out your leaves and arrange them into a shamrock. Using the scrap paper, cut out a stem. Using the fastener, poke it through each leaf and the stem, connecting them all.

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If desired, repeat the first step but make the hearts, or leaves, a little bit smaller. Choose any color you or your kids like, they don’t have to be green.

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For this next part, I placed each shamrock onto a large paper plate to catch all the glitter.

Next, glue those smaller heart shapes onto the larger ones. Using glitter glue or Elmer’s glue, trace along the smaller heart. Then, choose what color of glitter to sprinkle on. This will make the shamrocks pop with color! If you have sequins or stickers, continue decorating your leaves.

Maria Magee

If you don’t have any fasteners, you can always draw a shamrock on the construction paper and cut it out whole! As your kids decorate their leaves, tell them the story of St. Patrick and what each leaf of the shamrock represents.

Another fun way to help your little kids (preschool-kindergarten) understand more about St. Patrick’s Day, is with this book!

The Story of Saint Patrick’s Day by Patricia A. Pingry tells an easy-to-understand story of St. Patrick’s life along with some of the other festive traditions. It does say that leprechauns are make-believe, so if that’s something your kids have fun believing I would just skip that line!

There are so many great ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! What crafts, treats, and books are your St. Paddy’s favorites? If you’re looking for the perfect St. Patrick’s Day meal, we have something for you! Shepherd’s Pie and Irish Apple Cake – Both are perfectly delicious!