35 Fun St Patricks Day Facts for Kids

Learn about the history of St. Patrick’s day with these fun St. Patricks Day facts for Kids.

 

Students love celebrations. A parade, crafts, and fun activities breaks up what can sometimes feel like a long and monotonous school year.

Teachers love holiday celebrations too! It is fun to get excited and do something slightly out of the routine.

Outside of the large holidays, many teachers and schools choose to celebrate slightly smaller ones too. Some of those are usually Valentine’s Day, Groundhog Day, Dr. Suess Day/Week, and the 100th Day of school.

There is another, particularly green, holiday that gets festivities as well — St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day is a time to learn a little history. It is also a perfect opportunity to learn a little bit about the world outside of our own.

Incorporating Irish culture, traditions, and the true history of St. Patrick’s is a perfect way to broaden your students mind — and their view of the world. If you arelooking for a break down of what Saint Patrick’s Day is all about, look no further.

Below you will find a lot of fun St Patricks Day facts for kids.

 

Easy St. Patrick’s Day Facts

This first section is ideal for younger students. They are simple, easy to read, and easy to understand. You can also use them as a starting point and dive a little bit deeper into each fact if you choose.

• Saint Patrick’s Day is on March 17th.
• Saint Patrick’s Day started in Ireland.
• The shamrock is the symbol for Saint Patrick’s Day!
• Saint Patrick was a real person! He was bishop in Ireland.
• A shamrock is a clover that usually has three leaves — four if you are lucky!
• Leprechauns are another symbol for Saint Patrick’s Day.
• Many cities have Saint Patrick’s Day parades.
• Many people wear the color green on Saint Patrick’s Day!
• Corned beef and cabbage are Irish foods eaten on Saint Patrick’s Day.
• Many people look for pots of gold on Saint Patrick’s Day!

Incorporate a fun learning activity with these Building Sentences printables.  Simply print and go.  The kids build a fact about St. Patrick’s Day, write the sentence, and draw a picture.  And, best of all, they come leveled for easy differentiation. 

 

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

This public holiday was originated in the 18th century when the Irish immigrants in North America wanted a special day to celebrate their heritage. Here are some popular facts about St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

• Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17th. Why? This is the day that Saint Patrick unfortunately died. He is an important part of Irish heritage and the Irish people want to honor and celebrate this Christian missionary.
•  In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a feast day celebration that happens every year. It is also a religious celebration.
•  Many people in Ireland and countries all over the world go to church on St. Patrick’s Day!
• New York City has an amazing St. Patrick’s Day parade! The first St. Patty’s Day parade was on March 17, 1762 in New York City. 
• Irish legends say that if you wear green on the day, you are invisible to Leprechauns. If you are not wearing green, leprechauns can see you and will pinch you! This is why we pinch each other as well if we see someone not wearing green.
• Many restaurants will make traditional Irish food on St. Patrick’s Day. Those traditional foods typically include: corned beef, cabbage, Irish soda bread, and shepherd’s pie.
• The Chicago River is dyed greed the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day.
• Sometimes, the White House in Washington D.C. will dye their fountain green for celebration!
• The Irish festival in Dublin, Ohio lasts three days long!

School Celebrations for St Patrick’s Day

Many celebrations at school for St. Patty’s Day include fun, adventurous,  activities for kids.  Here are some of the best traditions I’ve done or have heard of from other teachers:

• Leprechaun hunt around the school.
• Lucky Charms marshmallow sort
• Build your own leprechaun trap
• Let kids read and act out 5 Little Leprechauns poem to another class. 
• Green snacks all day
• The leprechaun messes up the classroom while the kids are at recess.
• Teeny Tiny Day: swap regular items for tiny ones.  (Tiny golf pencils, mini dice, mini crayons, etc)

If you are looking for more fun St. Patrick’s day printables, check out my post 8 Fun St. Patrick’s Day Activities.

 

Interesting Facts about the History of St. Patrick’s Day

These facts go into more detail than the ones above. However, elementary students will still find these easy to understand.  Your kids will find out so much about this holiday! It is not just about rainbows and leprechauns!

•  Despite being an Irish religious celebration, St. Patty’s Day is celebrated in the United States and all over the world!
•  Blue used to be the color that represented St. Patrick. It switched to green in 1798!
•  Many of the traditions that we have to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the United States are actually Irish traditions!
• The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and Saint Patrick’s Day. Shamrock’s are three-leaf clovers. They are said to represent the holy trinity. In the Christian religion, the holy trinity means the father, son, and holy spirit. 
•  If you find a four-leaf clover, it is said to mean good luck!
• Leprechauns are another symbol for Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. Leprechauns are mythical creatures. Irish legends say that if you capture a leprechaun, they have to take you to their pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!
• Some people say that leprechauns are unfriendly! So, be careful if you go searching!
• Ireland is a very green country! It is covered in trees, grass, and plants. This is another reason why we wear green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
• Many restaurants and Irish pubs will offer green beer on St. Patrick’s Day!
• The Guinness Book of World Records calls St. Patrick’s Day the friendliest day of the year!
• Some people call St. Patrick’s Day a different name. Some of those names are: St. Paddy’s Day, St. Patty’s Day, and the Feast of Saint Patrick.
• March is Irish Heritage month in the United States!

 

Facts about St. Patrick

• Saint Patrick is a patron saint of Ireland. This is because he was the person to bring the Christian religion to the republic of Ireland. Ireland has two other patron saints. They are Saint Brigid and Saint Columba.
•  Saint Patrick was born in Britain and was brought to Ireland as a slave. When he was free he became a priest and sparked the arrival of Christianity.
•  One of the many Irish legends is that St. Patrick drove all the snakes away from Ireland! 
•  St. Patrick died in the 5th century. However, St. Patrick’s Day did not become popular until the 17th century!

 

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