St. Patrick's Day PE Games: 10 Fun Activities and Stations for Elementary Physical Education
Updated: 4 days ago
St. Patrick's Day games and activities are a great way to celebrate the holiday and bring some extra joy to your PE classes. Students get to be active and have fun, and they learn a little about the holiday's traditions too! Themed activities like these get students interested, engaged, and excited to move.
Pics by Rose PE @RoseRays_PE and Crestview PE @CviewPE
In this post, I'll share why St. Patrick's Day activities work so well in PE and give you tips for setting up St. Patrick's Day stations. I'll also share 10 fun movement activities with a St. Patrick's Day twist that you can use in your PE lessons this March. I hope this post brings the LUCK of the Irish into your gym!
Quick Answer: St. Patrick's Day PE activities add holiday fun to skill and fitness work. This post includes a Shamrock Fitness warm-up plus 9 themed stations and relays: Pot of Gold toss, Leap Over the Blarney Stones, Dribble the Potato, Jump the Lily Pads, a Leprechaun Shuttle Run, Carry the Shamrocks, Hoop Maze, Irish Golf, and Lucky Charms.
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Why Include St. Patrick's Day Activities in PE?
St. Patrick's Day gym activities, stations, and games have lots of benefits for teachers and students. They're an exciting way to celebrate the holiday while introducing students to Irish culture and customs in a fun way. That excitement helps spark student interest and gets them wanting to learn more.
Pics by Lines PE @LINES_PE
These activities also build physical literacy skills like agility, coordination, and balance while keeping everyone active. When you add a St. Patrick's Day theme to your lessons, students have fun while they improve their fitness.
Finally, these activities build a sense of teamwork as students work together and support each other to finish a task or play a game. All in all, St. Patrick's Day activities are a great way to get your students excited about PE!
Are St. Patrick's Day PE Activities Standards Based?
Yes! These St. Patrick's Day activities help students work toward SHAPE America's Standard 4: Develops personal skills, identifies personal benefits of movement and chooses healthy opportunities for movement.* The stations also build Standard 1: Develops a variety of motor skills.* Read on for the tips and activities!
Pic by Crestview PE @CviewPE
10 Tips for Organizing St. Patrick's Day PE Stations
1. Plan Ahead: Think about what you want your students to do and how they'll do it.
2. Make It Festive: Add some Irish music, props (a pot of gold, rainbow noodles, Blarney stones), or a good luck charm! Younger students especially love this.
3. Focus on Skills: Choose activities that build physical literacy skills like coordination, agility, balance, and manipulative skills so students learn while they have fun.
Video by Coach Kem @TheCoach_K
4. Include Everyone: Make sure each activity works for every age and ability level in the class.
5. Watch the Clock: Keep track of time so everyone gets enough time at each station before rotating.
6. Encourage Teamwork: Have students work together at a station or help each other during an activity.
7. Give Clear Directions: Explain each station before you start. It keeps everyone on task and makes sure students know what to do.
Video by Mrs. Dwar @DwarPhysEd
8. Take Breaks: Give students time to catch their breath between activities if they need it.
9. Give Positive Feedback: Encourage students throughout the lesson so they keep going, even when things get tough.
10. Have Fun with It: The most important part of any PE class is that everyone has fun while learning something new.
Pics by Margaret Elementary PE @margaretelempe
10 Fun St. Patrick's Day PE Activities
1. Shamrock Fitness (Warm-Up)
Overview
Students do locomotor movements and fitness exercises using shamrock cut-outs as task cards.
Set-Up
Make the Cards: Design and laminate shamrock cards that show exercises with reps or a time.
Spread Them Out: Place the shamrock cards face down in the middle of your playing area.
Set the Lines: Place 6 to 12 cones around the edge of the gym or field and split students into small, even groups behind each cone.
Activity
On your signal (Irish dancing music works great!), the first student in each line runs (or uses another locomotor movement) to a card, flips it over, and does the exercise for the reps shown.
The student does the exercise in the middle of the room, then returns to their line.
The student tags the hand of the next person in line, who goes out to find a new shamrock card and does that exercise.
Keep it going for a set time, like 5 or 10 minutes.
Modification: A student brings a shamrock back to the group, and everyone does the exercise together. The next person returns the shamrock and picks a new one.
Station and Relay Activities
2. Pot of Gold
Overview
Students toss bean bags or yarn balls into a pot of gold from different distances.
Set-Up
Toss Lines: Set up a few toss lines and some pots, buckets, containers, or boxes to toss the gold into.
Distances: Give students several distances to toss from.
Gold Coins: Place 3 bean bags (each one is a gold coin) at each toss line.
Activity
Students form short lines and take turns tossing into the pot of gold.
Each student gets 3 tosses from any of the toss lines.
After 3 tosses, students gather the gold and bring it to the next person in line.
For extra fun, give each distance a point value and let students track their personal or group scores.
3. Leap Over the Blarney Stones
Overview
Students run and leap over a line of low hurdles of different heights.
Set-Up
Hurdles: Set up a line of low hurdles using cones and pool noodles or folded mats.
Start Line: Mark a start line with tape or a poly spot.
Activity
Students form short lines and take turns running through the Blarney stone course.
The first person in line runs and leaps over each hurdle (Blarney stone).
After going around the finish area, the runner jogs straight back to the start line and tags the next person in line.
For extra fun, students can time each other or time the whole group.
4. Dribble the Potato
Overview
Students use their feet to dribble a "potato" (a football) through a line of cones.
Set-Up
Course: Set up a start line and a straight line (or circle) of cones.
Potatoes: Place a football at each start line in front of the cones.
Activity
Students form short lines and take turns dribbling through the potato course.
The first person in line dribbles the football with their feet, zig-zagging around each cone toward an end marker.
After going around the end marker, the student dribbles straight back and passes the football to the next person in line.
For extra fun, students can time each other or time the whole group.
5. Jump the Lily Pads
Overview
Students jump 2 feet to 2 feet through a lily pad course.
Set-Up
Lily Pads: Set up an "Irish swamp" with several lily pads (poly spots).
Start Line: Mark a start line with tape or a cone.
Activity
Students form short lines and take turns jumping through the lily pad course.
The first person in line jumps 2 feet to 2 feet from one lily pad to the next.
At the finish area, the student runs straight back to the start line and tags the next person in line.
For extra fun, students can time each other or time the whole group.
From My PE Classes
One of my St. Patrick's Day stations was Jump the Lily Pads. We put down poly spots and made different courses for students to jump from one lily pad to the next across a set area. They loved the challenge. During stations, I played Irish music and wore green leprechaun clothes, just for fun.
6. Leprechaun Shuttle Run
Overview
Students take turns doing a shuttle run, sprinting back and forth to pick up 2 items.
Set-Up
Potatoes: Place 2 bean bags or small balls (the potatoes) on a line about 30 feet from a start line.
Courses: Set up a few shuttle run courses side by side.
Activity
Students form short lines and wait for their turn.
On "go," students run to pick up 1 potato, run it back, and drop it at the start line.
Then they run back for the second potato and carry it past the start line to finish. My speed and agility post has more shuttle run ideas.
For extra fun, students can time each other or race against the course next to them.
7. Carry the Shamrocks Relay
Overview
Students carry shamrocks on a plate as they travel around an end cone and back.
Set-Up
Shamrocks: Cut out paper shamrocks or use small bean bags as shamrocks.
Plates: Place the shamrocks and a plate near the start line.
Activity
Students form short lines and get ready to carry the shamrocks through the course.
The first person in line travels down, around an end cone, and back using a locomotor movement you choose.
Back at the start line, the student passes the plate to the next person in line.
Each time a student makes a trip, they add another shamrock to the plate.
If any shamrocks fall, the student stops, puts them back on the plate, and then keeps going.
For extra fun, students can time each other or time the whole group.
8. Hoop Maze
Overview
Students take turns jumping through a maze of hula hoops.
Set-Up
Start Line: Mark a start line with a cone or poly spot.
Hoops: Lay several hula hoops in a row in front of the line.
Activity
Students form short lines, and the first person gets ready to go through the hoop course.
The first person jumps into each hoop on the way to the end line.
After going around the end marker, the student runs straight back to the start line and tags the next person in line.
Challenge Version: Students waiting in line hold hoops upright with the bottom touching the floor, and the runner carefully steps through each one. Then the runner takes a hoop holder's place.
For extra fun, change the locomotor movement (hop, leap, or skip) for each turn.
9. The Irish Golf Challenge
Overview
Students putt a ball into a hula hoop from different distances.
Set-Up
Putting Lines: Set up a few putting lines and some hula hoops on the floor to putt into.
Clubs: Put a golf club, hockey stick, or pool noodle at each station.
Distances: Give students several distances to putt from.
Balls: Place 3 soft indoor golf balls or ping pong balls at each putting line.
Activity
Students form short lines and take turns putting into the hula hoop.
Each student gets 3 putts from any of the putting lines.
After 3 putts, students gather the balls and bring them to the next person in line.
For extra fun, give each distance a point value and let students track their individual or group scores.
10. Always After Me Lucky Charms!
Overview
Students travel in different ways to collect lucky charms for their group's treasure chest.
Set-Up
Charms: Place several small items (St. Patrick's Day themed if you can) in a box or hula hoop at the end of a course.
Start Line: Mark a start line with tape or a poly spot.
Treasure Chest: Put a treasure chest or box near the start line.
Activity
Students form short lines and take turns traveling to the lucky charm area.
The first person in line travels (skip, gallop, hop, crab walk, ride a scooter board, or slide) through the woods (a set of cones) and picks up a lucky charm (chocolate gold coins work well) at the end of the course.
After picking up 1 charm, the student runs straight back, puts the charm in the treasure chest, and tags the next person in line.
Keep going for a set time or until the group collects a set number of lucky charms.
For extra fun, groups can time themselves or race the group next to them.
You can find the St. Patrick's Day station visuals shown above in my TPT store: St. Patrick's Day PE Stations: 20 Luck of the Irish Activity Cards.
Final Thoughts
St. Patrick's Day is a great chance to bring some festive fun into your PE classes. Classroom teachers can even use these movement games at recess or during a class party. I hope these 10 activities give you some fun ideas to get your students moving! With shamrocks, golf clubs, hula hoops, and lucky charms, you'll have a St. Patrick's Day PE lesson that has students buzzing with excitement.
But don't stop there! Try creating your own St. Patrick's Day PE activities to keep your program fresh. Whether you want something competitive or cooperative, there's sure to be something here that fits. For more holiday fun, check out my Valentine's Day, Easter, and 100th Day of School PE posts. Have a great St. Patrick's Day, and may the luck of the Irish be with you!
Pic by Gorham Intermediate School @Gorham_MWCSD
Do you have a favorite St. Patrick's Day PE activity? Let me know in the comments below! And if this post helped you, please share it with your colleagues. I'd really appreciate it!
*National Physical Education Standards are used under license from SHAPE America. © 2024, SHAPE America, https://www.shapeamerica.org/. All rights reserved.
Need Resources?
Do you need a quick way to get your students moving as soon as they walk into your gym? Do you want something with a St. Patrick's Day theme?
Fill in the form below to download this FREE St. Patrick's Day Edition PE Fitness BLAST: 6 Workout Set, with 6 workout visuals from my St. Patrick's Day Fitness Blasts. Just download, print, laminate, and use it for years! These 6 fun PE BLASTS work great as an instant activity in PE or for classroom teachers during transitions, and they work with a wide range of ages.
If you're looking for St. Patrick's Day games and activities for large, medium, or small groups, check out my PE St. Patrick's Day Stations and Fitness 6 Product Super Bundle!
This Super Bundle has 6 active, engaging St. Patrick's Day movement and fitness activities for large or small groups. You can use them in PE, in the classroom, or at camp. Together, these 6 products give you several weeks of movement activities you can copy, laminate, and use in your March PE curriculum for years!
You can find this bundle in my TPT store: PE St. Patrick's Day Activities and Games: Seasonal 6 Product Bundle
What's in the PE St. Patrick's Day 6 Set Super Bundle?
About Pete Charrette
Pete Charrette is a National Board Certified physical education teacher and former Georgia PE Teacher of the Year with more than 30 years of experience teaching elementary PE. He is the creator of Cap'n Pete's Power PE and has developed more than 1,000 PE and health resources used by teachers around the world. Pete loves helping PE teachers build programs their students enjoy.
