St. Patrick’s Day crafts for kids

Who doesn’t love a cute picture frame? Let your kids define the cute by decorating their own frames. You can even print out a photo of them wearing their uber-cool shamrock tees to place inside the frame.

What you’ll need:

• unfinished wood frame (available at craft stores)
• acrylic paints (white, green, maybe gold)
• 2-inch foam brush
• paint brushes
• paper plate

What you’ll do:

1. The night before you want to do this craft with your kids, use the foam brush to white wash the frames — make sure the paint is even before stopping. Long brush strokes help. Let them dry overnight.
2. Using the paper plate, set up the paints and have your kids go to town painting the frames. Alternatively, you can go for a more polished look by having your kids create a series of fingerprint shamrocks (see shamrock napkin rings above for ”how-to”).
3. Allow the frames to fully dry before adding a photo.

Do you have voracious readers in your family? Then bookmarks are a must. Create some fun, seasonal ones using just a few basic supplies. If you don’t have any laminating sheets, don’t worry, the bookmarks won’t last as long if you don’t laminate them, but they will still last a while. Helpful tip: Make sure the marker is dry before using.

What you’ll need:

• cardstock bookmarks (available in craft stores near the cardstock and card-making items)
• green markers
• stickers
• laminate sheets
• hole punch
• ribbon

What you’ll do:

1. Set up a work station on a table with markers and stickers and let your child decorate each bookmark to their heart’s content.
2. Use the laminate sheets to laminate each bookmark. Cut to fit, as needed.
3. Punch a hole in the top of the bookmark and feed the ribbon through the hole.

What will your child be wearing on St. Patty’s Day? Funkify their day with a fun, homemade four-leaf clover tee. And who knows, maybe you will be inspired to personalize more clothes for them! It’s just that fun and easy.

What you’ll need:

• child-sized white T-shirt
• green fabric color spray (Tulip makes a spray available at craft stores like Michael’s)
• cardboard
• paper
• scissors
• trash bag

What you’ll do:

1. Using the paper, cut out a stencil for the shirt. You can fold it into quarters and cut out a heart shape to make a four-leaf clover.
2. Lay a large trash bag flat on the floor. Arrange the cardboard inside the T-shirt and lay it on the center of the plastic bag. Have your child help arrange the stencil or stencils on the shirt.
3. Spray the color around the stencil(s) onto the shirt. Follow the directions on the bottle to dry properly and wash before wearing (it may be several days before the shirt can be worn).

Image credit: Amy Vowles

More about St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day crafts for preschoolers
Easy last-minute St. Patrick’s Day crafts
St. Patrick’s Day inspired baby names