20 St Patrick's Day activities for toddlers

Help your toddler make a St Paddy's Day accessory with some good old-fashioned macaroni art, like in this example from Preschool Crafts for Kids.

Paint some dry macaroni pasta pieces green, then thread them onto a piece of string to make a shamrock necklace.

Lots of St. Patrick's Day celebrations involve a traditional dance party called a céilí.

Get your toddler to have a go at a traditional Irish jig, or make yourselves a playlist of modern Irish pop – think B*Witched, Westlife, The Corrs, U2 or even One Direction.

Your toddler will look adorable all dressed up as one of Ireland's pixie-like creatures. All you need is a green t-shirt, a top hat, and a fake ginger beard to complete the look.

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish served on St. Patrick's Day, made with potatoes and cabbage.

Its creamy and mushy texture makes colcannon an easy dish even for young toddlers. Follow our recipe to whip up a bowl.

Or, for the sweet-toothed amongst you, bake some yummy cupcakes using this recipe, and add some green buttercream icing on top.

If you're feeling experimental, you could add some green food colouring to the cupcake batter too.

Keep your toddler absorbed for hours with an Ireland-themed colouring in session.

There are lots of printable options from DLTK's Sites for Kids. Take your pick from their collection of leprechauns, shamrocks and rainbows.

Leprechauns are famous for hiding their treasure haul from prying humans.

Hide your own stash of chocolate coins around the house and see how many your toddler can discover.

(Just be sure to write down where you hide them, so you won't be finding mouldering coins for months!)

Window painting is such a great activity for toddlers – they get to feel just a little bit naughty, without causing any real damage!

Give them some washable marker pens (check the label that they're safe for toddlers first) then set them to work drawing their rainbow.

Introduce some sensory play to your meal prep with these rainbow pizzas.

Follow this recipe to make the cauliflower base, then help your toddler arrange the toppings to make a pretty rainbow.

What leprechaun is complete without their tall top hat?

Source a green top hat or bowler hat from a costume shop or charity shop, then help your toddler decorate it with whatever craft items they fancy – sequins, biodegradable glitter, feathers, beads. All are good, so long as they're green!

It's traditional to drink green beer on St. Paddy's Day, and your toddler can join in the fun with their own green soft drink.

Either drop green food colouring into some fruit juice, or blend together a healthy green smoothie.

Legend has it that we wear green on St. Patrick's Day so that leprechauns can't see us – leprechauns pinch anyone who isn't wearing green on their holiday.

Of course, you don't want to pinch your toddler, but you could engage them in a fun tickle war instead.

Leave out some fun costume items like green sunglasses, green bowler hats and shamrock necklaces for your toddler to play dress up – then capture the whole thing on your phone.

See if you can catch one of those pesky leprechauns by building your own leprechaun trap.

We love this one we found on Instagram by @yesiamandrewfisher. You could also entice your leprechaun with a rainbow or a pot of gold...

There are lots of fun Irish picture books for you to dig into with your toddler this St. Patrick's Day.

Try How To Trap A Leprechaun by Sue Fliess, Brian and the Vikings by Chris Judge, or Eva and the Perfect Rain by Tatyana Feeney.

Get into some messy play with your toddler by making these handprint shamrocks with finger paint.

Smother your toddler's hands in green paint then help them print four shamrock leaves in a circle. Use their finger to paint the stem, then cut out the shamrock shape around the paint.

This one by Preschool Ideas for 2 Year Olds looks great with a little biodegradable glitter sprinkled on top.

Get more finger painting ideas in this article.

Small face paint designs are better for toddlers, since their skin is extra sensitive at this age.

Luckily, there are loads of options to try on St. Paddy's Day. Try painting a shamrock, an Irish flag or a pot of gold on your toddler's cheek.

Remember to do a patch test first to check for allergies.

Playdough is another fantastic material for sensory play, and it's really easy to make with this guide too.

Make your playdough St. Patrick's Day themed with a little green colouring and biodegradable glitter, then sit your toddler down for an afternoon of moulding and squishing.

Playing with sensory bottles will keep your toddler occupied for hours – and this one by Mom. Wife. Busy Life looks great as a decoration too!

Fill up an old plastic bottle with water, green food colouring, and all the sequins, biodegradable glitter and beads you can find.

Get your toddler to predict which items will sink fastest, then give your bottle a shake and see if they guessed right...

Add to the fun of building a leprechaun trap by acting out lots of naughty leprechaun pranks around the house.

This leprechaun who visited Sheek Shindigs has left quite the mess!

Look through our Elf on the Shelf ideas for more inspiration.