Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish: Vocab & Activities for Kids
Every March 17th, countries around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in honor of Ireland’s patron saint. Bring out the clovers and your pot o’ gold, and let’s start prepping for the festivities!
Keep reading this blog post for a fun lesson on vocabulary and activities related to St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish you can enjoy with preschoolers and elementary students.
A Brief Overview of St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish national holiday that has expanded worldwide. It was originally a Catholic religious festivity in honor of San Patricio (St. Patrick).
According to the legend, San Patricio was a Roman Britain who lived in the 4th century. Born in Scotland, he was a religious missionary and evangelist, who introduced Christianity in Ireland. He was kidnapped at age 16 by a band of pirates and held captive for six years as a slave, until he managed to escape to French lands. There he was ordained a priest and decided to return to Ireland to preach the gospel. St. Patrick’s day commemorates his date of passing and contributions to the country.
It became a public holiday in 1903 and is accompanied by traditional food, music, dance, and parties. Today, Saint Patrick’s day celebrations stand out for the use of the colors green and emerald, four-leaf clovers, rainbows, leprechauns, and gold.
Read our blog post on interesting facts about St. Patrick’s day in Latin America to learn more about this holiday.
St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish Vocabulary
If you have a little one at home who is learning Spanish, a lesson on St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish vocabulary is the ideal way to celebrate this holiday and improve their knowledge of Spanish words and concepts.
Remember, kids have minds like sponges. The more you expose them to a language, the easier it will be for them to understand it and upgrade their conversational skills and fluency.
I’ve prepared a list of words and vocabulary for you to share with preschool and elementary Spanish students. Let’s take a look!
| English | Spanish |
| Bagpipes | (la) gaita |
| Coins | (las) monedas |
| Clover / Shamrock | (el) trébol |
| Emerald green | (el) verde esmeralda |
| Four-leaf clover | (el) trébol de cuatro hojas |
| Gold | (el) oro |
| Green | (el) verde |
| Good luck | (la) buena suerte / (la) buena fortuna |
| Holiday | (la) fiesta / (el) día festivo |
| Harp | (el) arpa |
| Ireland | Irlanda |
| Legend | (la) leyenda |
| Leprechaun | (el) duende |
| Luck of the Irish | (la) suerte del irlandes |
| March | Marzo |
| Pot of gold | (la) maceta de oro / (la) olla con oro |
| Parade | (el) desfile |
| Patron Saint | (el) santo patrón / (la) santa patrona |
| Rainbow | (el) arcoiris |
| St. Paddy’s Day / St. Patrick’s Day | Día de San Patricio |
6 Practice Activities for Kids
If you don’t know where to start preparing for St. Patrick’s day in Spanish, the luck of the Irish is on your side! Check out these creative ideas.
1. Celebra el día de San Patricio con Samantha y Lola
Ideal for: Preschool students
Share with the little ones all there is to know about Saint Patrick’s day in Spanish through a captivating illustrated book and story.
Celebra el día de San Patricia con Samantha y Lola (Celebrate St. Patrick’s day with Samantha and Lola) is a 30-page long book by Santillana Publishing that divides into two part stories related to St. Patrick’s day in Spanish.
The first part of this fictional story tells the tale of how Samantha teaches Lola the art of Irish dancing. The second part is nonfiction and focuses on the story of Saint Patrick’s day, including lots of pictures and fun facts. The book is available for purchase on Amazon.
2. St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish Spelling Game
Ideal for: Elementary students
Put kids’ Spanish abilities to the test with a spelling worksheet. This activity will test their knowledge of letters, syllables, and spelling in Spanish while using their visual memory and comprehension.
3. St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish Word Search
Ideal for: Elementary students
Familiarize students with vocabulary related to St. Patrick’s day in Spanish using a good old fashioned sopa de letras (word search). This challenging activity encourages kids to focus on newly learned concepts, while also reinforcing spelling.
4. Crea tu propio duende
Ideal for: Preschool students
Practice vocab related to St. Patrick’s day in Spanish with preschoolers with an amusing coloring activity of Crea tu propio Duende (create your own leprechaun).
Use illustrated flashcards to enforce and teach new Spanish vocabulary. Use our wanted poster template and inspire their creativity, while they draw themselves as a lucky Irish Leprechaun. You can ask the kids to use concepts from the vocabulary list in their drawing and have them share it with the rest of the class.
5. St. Patrick’s Day Lotería
Ideal for: Elementary students
A game of bingo is an excellent resource for practicing new vocabulary, and the Spanish counterpart named Lotería does the trick! To play this game, you need St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish lotería cards, grains of beans or beads, and a card for each of the words in the lotería for the person who calls the game.
Give a lotería carton to each student and mix the word cards in a deck to make the game random and fair. Call each word on the vocabulary as you pick a card from the deck, each student should mark the word if it’s on their card using beans or beads. The first student to complete the full card wins the game.
Lotería is illustrated and has the word written, allowing kids to familiarize with the concept, grammar, and spelling in Spanish.
6. St. Patrick’s Day Memory Game
Ideal for: Preschool and elementary students
Test the kids knowledge and comprehension with a game of Memoria de San Patricio. The game includes twenty pairs of cards with St. Patrick’s day in Spanish vocabulary, one of the pairs has the word in Spanish and the other has the illustrated concept. The goal of the game is to have the kids pair up the word in Spanish with the picture that defines it.
If your class is large and you want to make it exciting, set a time limit and include prizes. This activity has everything you need to make learning about St. Patrick’s day in Spanish amusing and extra enjoyable!
Talk about St. Patrick’s Day in Spanish!
I lesson on vocabulary related to St. Patrick’s day in Spanish helps you feel prepared to teach your little leprechauns all about this holiday and get them in on the celebration. Feel free to use this activity pack as a resource for celebrating St. Patrick’s in Spanish at school or at home.
If you’d like more motivation for your kids and want to elevate their Spanish abilities, sign them up for a free trial class with our certified, native, Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. We are happy to accommodate your family’s needs with flexible schedules and affordable prices. I guarantee you’ll feel extra lucky after you give it a chance!
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