Have your children decorate a sheet of white paper with St. Patrick’s Day motifs. They can use stickers, draw pictures, or make fingerprint four leaf clovers with finger paints or water-based poster paints, as shown in the image below.
When the paper is decorated, and has had a chance to dry, have your children write the words “Happy Saint Patrick’s Day” across the top of a piece of paper. Any plain paper will work, but green pens, markers, or colored pencils should be used for writing.
If small children are included, Mom or Dad can help little ones write (and help them come up with a few words). Set a timer for an agreed upon amount of time, and have each child make as many words as possible from the letters in the words at the top of the page, before time runs out. No peeking at each other’s pages!
When the timer rings, Mom and Dad should check each word to make sure it is actually a word and that it is spelled correctly using only the designated letters. Incorrect words should be crossed out. Once each child’s paper has been checked, have your children tally up the number of correct words on his or her page.
The child who makes the most words then gets to pick a noun from his or her list (one or more depending on how “crafty” Mom and Dad are feeling) and the entire family makes a craft project from that word. It can be as simple as having everyone draw a picture of the noun (such as a dog), cutting and gluing shapes to form the image, or making a collage from newspaper and magazine cutouts related to the word that was chosen.
This project can be adapted for any holiday, birthday, or other special event, and it is a great way to learn, play, and do crafts all at one time, as a family.