Every year on March 17, people head to the streets to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Thousands of folks from all over the world celebrate Irish culture with street parades, Irish music, dancing, leprechaun traps, and lots and lots of alcohol. But there are plenty of ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as a family that don’t involve drinking beer!
1. Make Some St. Patrick’s Day Crafts
Arts and crafts are so much fun on St. Paddy’s Day. All you’ll need is some construction paper, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, and lots of creativity to whip up something crafty like a dollar tree leprechaun, a four-leaf clover origami craft, or an epic rainbow made out of paper plates. If you own a Cricut machine, you can even create your own Lucky St. Patrick’s Day tee.
Leprechaun tutorial:
Four leaf clover origami:
Rainbow:
2. Watch Irish Movies with The Kids
Watch an Irish-themed movie like “Leap Year.” The story centers around a woman who travels to Dublin to pop the question to her boyfriend on Leap Day. According to Irish tradition, a man who gets proposed to on Leap Day has to say yes. It’s the perfect rom-com to watch with teenagers while you snack on a few delicious Irish treats.
Another classic Irish film that’s fun for the whole family is the 1959 movie, “Darby O’Gill and the Little People.” In the film, an elderly man named Darby goes head-to-head with Brian the King of the Leprechauns. After Brian gets caught, he offers Darby three wishes that don’t really go as expected.
3. Bake Something Green or Make a Green Drink
With the help of green food coloring, you can turn practically any snack or drink green. Best of all? There’s no need to worry about the flavor because food coloring is flavorless! Gather everyone in the kitchen and bake a green St Patty’s day green velvet cake, Shamrock cookies, a Pistachio Fruit Dip, or cupcakes with green frosting. You can even make a St. Paddy’s Day Shamrock Shake smoothie that’s kid-friendly and super healthy. Check out the YouTube video below to see how to make it:
4. Get a Leprechaun to do Naughty Things around the House
There’s no need to buy a leprechaun toy! All you have to do is get an invisible leprechaun to visit the house every night and misbehave, kind of the way an Elf on the Shelf would. Make the leprechaun hide game controllers, hang dirty socks in the shower, or hide your kids’ toys in the refrigerator when they’re asleep. When the little ones wake up and wonder what’s going on, blame it on the leprechaun.
5. Watch a St. Patrick’s Day Parade on YouTube
If you’re living in cities like Boston or Chicago, consider yourself lucky because they sure know how to throw a St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Unfortunately, most events have been put on hold due to the pandemic. But YouTube, however, is still alive and kicking, and you and the family can use it to virtually enjoy a St. Patrick’s Day Parade either live or a pre-recorded version from last year or the year before.
6. Learn Some Interesting Tidbits about St. Patrick’s Day
Turn this holiday into a learning experience for the kids. Go online and read some interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day. For example, did you know that St. Patrick was English, not Irish? It is said that he was taken by force to Ireland when he was 16. Oh, and the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade wasn’t held in Ireland but in New York City in 1762. But there’s a lot more to discover, so make sure to do a little search on Google or check out these interesting articles:
Some reputable articles about St. Patrick’s Day facts: 7 Surprising Facts About St. Patrick’s Day and all about St. Patrick’s Day.
