St. Patrick’s Day Activities
EMBRACING THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT TO FOCUS ON THE SENSES
St. Patrick’s Day provides a wonderful opportunity to incorporate fun, creative, and meaningful activities into school counseling sessions. Focusing on the senses, counselors can help students express emotions, build social skills, and develop self-awareness while embracing the holiday spirit. Below are some engaging St. Patrick’s Day-themed activities tailored for school counseling programs.
Drawing, Drama, and Dance Activities
1. “What’s at the End of Your Rainbow?” Drawing Activity
Encourage students to draw a rainbow and fill the pot of gold at the end with things that bring them joy, hope, or gratitude. This helps students focus on positive emotions and goal-setting.
2. “Leprechaun’s Dilemma” Role-Playing
Create a short scenario where a leprechaun faces a moral dilemma (e.g., “Should he share his gold with a friend who is struggling?”). Have students act out different solutions, helping them develop empathy and problem-solving skills.
3. “Irish Dance for Emotion Regulation”
Introduce students to simple Irish dance steps and discuss how movement helps with emotional expression and regulation. This is a fun way to relieve stress and build confidence through movement.
Music-Based Activities
4. “Lucky Playlist” – Mood-Boosting Music Activity
Ask students to create a “lucky” playlist—a list of songs that make them feel positive, confident, or motivated. Discuss how music affects emotions and how it can be used for self-care and mood management.
5. “Clapping to the Beat” Team-Building Game
Play traditional Irish music and encourage students to clap or drum along to the beat. This simple activity helps improve focus, mindfulness, and teamwork.
Literature-Based Activities
6. “The Luck Factor” Gratitude Journaling
Read a short St. Patrick’s Day-themed story about luck or gratitude. Then, have students write a journal entry about a time they felt lucky or grateful. This promotes self-reflection and a positive mindset.
7. “Leprechaun Letters” – Encouraging Kindness
Have students write anonymous encouraging notes to classmates as if they were friendly leprechauns. This builds self-esteem, kindness, and community.
Sensory Path Activities
8. “Follow the Shamrock Trail” – Mindful Walking Path
Create a St. Patrick’s Day-themed sensory path where students follow shamrocks with different movement-based prompts (e.g., “Hop like a leprechaun,” “Take deep breaths and think of something lucky,” “March like a parade”). This helps with focus, stress relief, and mindfulness.
9. “Gold Coin Hunt” – Movement and Coping Skills Game
Scatter gold coins (paper cutouts or foam coins) along a sensory path. Each coin has a coping skill or positive affirmation written on it (e.g., “Take 3 deep breaths,” “You are brave and strong”). Students collect and read them aloud, reinforcing self-regulation techniques.
Final Thoughts
St. Patrick’s Day is more than just a fun holiday—it’s a chance to incorporate meaningful social-emotional learning experiences. By using drawing, drama, dance, music, literature, and sensory paths, school counselors can create an engaging, supportive environment that helps students build emotional resilience, self-awareness, and social skills while celebrating the spirit of the holiday. These activities ensure that students leave feeling lucky, confident, and connected!
