Need a fun St. Patrick’s Day Tradition for your family? Here’s a great St. Patrick’s Day game that you can do at home or in a classroom setting: A Treasure Hunt leading to the “pot of gold”. I even have some St. Patrick’s Day Clue Cards already made for you to make your St. Patrick’s day Treasure Hunt a snap! You can check them out in my Etsy shop- just click below!
I’ve used this St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt both at school and at home, and the kids had a great time following the clues to find the prize. It’s one of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day games for kids. The best thing about it is that you can adapt it for different age groups and purposes, and it’s not hard to do!
Contents
What You Need
To get started, here’s what you’ll need .
- Clue cards designed to lead from one card to the next, ultimately ending when you find the hidden treasure!
- A prize for the end of the hunt. It can be anything from candy to a small stuffed animal or treat bag- whatever you think your kids would be excited to find.
Planning A St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt
First, you need to search your space- whether at home or in a classroom – and determine where you’d like to hide each clue. Make a list of each location so you’ll know what you need the clues to point to.
Choose places that are familiar to your kids, and spread the clues out a bit so they really have to look.
Here are some examples of places you can hide clues for your St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt:
- At Home: Laundry room, refrigerator, under the bed, the bathroom mirror
- In a Classroom: reading center, near the rug you use for group time, next to the pencil sharpener, in a cubby.
Teachers: If you have the freedom to do so, you could also take your class on a walk around the school to find clues in familiar places like the music room, cafeteria, or library. You could hide the clues ahead of time and have them lead back to a hidden place in the classroom for the treasure.
Writing Clues for a St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt
Once you know how many clues you need and where you’d like them to lead, you can start writing the clues.
I usually start with a letter from the leprechaun challenging the hunters to find him and his pot of gold. You could also simply write a note giving the instructions for them to follow the clues to a prize, or just give verbal instructions to them before they start.
For some reason, we’ve all adopted the idea that leprechauns like to rhyme. If you’d like to take the time to create rhyming clues, it can add a lot of fun to your hunt. Here’s an example:
You can’t catch me or match my speed
Look for a clue in the place where you read
Rhyming can be a lot of fun, but don’t stress. The clues don’t have to rhyme at all as long as they lead to the pot of gold.
If you want a great resource with some printable clues that are ready to go, check out these printable clue cards that I created.
I made these for a St. Patrick’s Day Treasure Hunt at home. However, I’ve also included some blank cards that you can use to write your own clues and customize your St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt for home or school.
Read on for an exclusive offer just for reading this article!
Create Clues With A Purpose
If you want to get even more out of your St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt, create your clues with an educational purpose.
For example, preschool or kindergarten kids can search for clues by finding colors, shapes or letters. Here’s How:
- Write a letter of the alphabet that you want your kids to recognize on one side of a card, and have the clue to the next letter written on the back.
Example: You could read this clue out loud to them:
“ What letter sound do you hear at the beginning of the word ‘dog’?”
2. The hunters would look for the card with the letter ‘D’ on it. Then, read the clue on the back of that card to find the next letter, and the game continues.
You can create clues using letters, math facts, sight words, colors, shapes, or vocabulary words. A St. Patrick’s Day game like this is such a fun way to practice any skills you’ve been working on.
Setting Up a St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt
So, you’ve made a list of all the places you will hide clues, you’ve decided what order you would like the clues to be found, and you’ve written clues that lead your treasure hunters from one clue to the next.
Now, you need to place the clues in each hiding spot. You can tape the cards in plain sight (for younger kids) or hide them out of sight for more of a challenge.
When I’m setting up my clues, I usually set them out in the order of the hunt. That way, I can double check myself and make sure that the clue sequence will lead to the right spot.
The final clue should lead to the place you’d like to hide the pot of gold prize. Make sure this is a place that’s out of sight and NOT close to any of the other clues. That way the kids won’t accidentally stumble across the prize before the hunt is over. Once you have everything in place, you’re ready to search for the pot of gold!
Starting the St, Patrick’s Day Treasure Hunt
Time to start your St. Patrick’s Day game! Gather your treasure hunters and issue the challenge.
I like to start with a letter from a leprechaun stating that he has left behind clues to find his pot of gold. I will typically place the letter next to the first clue on the kitchen counter or on the nightstand in the kids’ bedroom so they can easily see it.
If you choose not to use the starting letter, you can just tell the kids what to do and hand them the first clue. How you start is completely up to you. (oh no! I think the rhyming is contagious.)
At the end of the hunt, I hide the pot of gold prize (candy, a small toy, or a goody bag) somewhere out of sight. The last clue should lead to the prize. I also like to include another leprechaun note that congratulates them on completing the hunt.
This is a fun St. Patrick’s Day Game that you can adapt to kids of different ages. You can set it up at night and have them find the first clue when they wake up. If mornings aren’t the best time for you, set it up as a surprise when the kids come home from school.
Need Some Ready-Made Clue Cards?
If you don’t have time to create clues on your own, I have some adorable clue cards in my Etsy Shop that I made for an at-home treasure hunt. These printable clue cards can make your hunt super easy to set up.
*Use the promo code MOMJOY15 at checkout to receive 15% off your order- just for supporting my blog!*
The listing includes 12 rhyming clues that lead to common household places and 2 Leprechaun Letters to start and end the hunt. The clues aren’t numbered, so you can choose where you want to start and customize the order to fit your needs.
I’ve also included 12 cards that have cute St. Patrick’s Day graphics but no words, so you can write in your own clues to use at home or at school.
Hopefully this has given you some inspiration to start your own St. Patrick’s Day Scavenger Hunt. Happy Hunting!
