Preschool Pot of Gold Craft for St. Patrick’s Day
Inside: Grab the free printable template and make an ABC or torn paper “pot of gold” craft with your preschool or kindergarten students.
Today is your lucky day! I have a free printable “pot of gold” craft for you just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. There is the ABC version shown above, or you can make it with torn paper – perfect for younger children.
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Picture Books About Leprechaun Gold
You may want to introduce this activity with a read-aloud. That way your kids will have some background knowledge when they do the craft afterwards. Here are four choices I like:
- For preschoolers and kindergartners who can sit for a longer story, I highly recommend The Story of the Leprechaun by Katherine Tegen (ad).
- If you want an additional book then you could read I’m a Leprechaun by Mallory C. Loehr first since it is more of a general introduction (ad) .
- For children who need a shorter read-aloud, This Is the Way the Leprechauns Play by Arlo Finsy (ad) could be a good choice. It’s a rhyme to the tune of “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush.”
- Finally, My Magical Leprechaun by Yujin Shin (ad) is also short and sweet. However, it has interactive parts so would be best for one-on-one or small-group reading.
Pot of Gold Craft
Alright, on to our craft. It’s time to fill that pot of gold with letters or torn paper “coins” and perhaps draw on a rainbow too.
Skills Covered
Use the ABC version to work on . . .
- letter recognition,
- orienting letters right side up,
- and fine motor skills.
Use the torn paper version to work on . . .
- strengthening fingers,
- eye-hand coordination, and
- talking about yellow versus gold colors.
With both versions, you can teach children about the . . .
- folklore around leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day.
If you read aloud one of the suggested books, then your students will also be practicing . . .
- listening and comprehension skills.
Finally, if you’re talking about leprechauns and pots of gold, then you can also . . .
- introduce the science of rainbows. Discuss the colors in a rainbow and explain that you need both sun and rain for one to appear.
What’s Included in the Free Printable
The free printable template for this craft has two pages:
- craft page
- alphabet page
Preparation & Materials
You will need:
- Yellow and/or gold paper
- Scissors and circle punch for the ABC page
- Glue sticks
- Crayons or markers
Print the craft template page on white paper and the alphabet page on yellow or gold paper. (see the end of this post to grab the free download)
If students will be using the circle punch you may want to go ahead and cut the letters into strips as shown above. That way, the punch will reach each letter.
Alternatively, go ahead and punch out each letter yourself.
Craft Instructions
Assembling your leprechaun gold is pretty straightforward:
- Punch letter circles or tear paper to make “gold coins.”
- Glue a little bit on the paper and stick a few coins down.
- Repeat. I found it easiest to fill the pot left to right and then add coins on top after that. However, I’d let kids work as they see fit.
- Finish off by coloring the leprechaun and drawing on a rainbow!
Download the Free Template
Ready for the free printable that makes this craft so easy?
To get your very own copy, you can sign up right here:
I’ll add you to my weekly-ish newsletter too – it’s full of ideas and more free printables. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.
You May Also Like
If you’re planning early literacy activities for March, then you may also like these editable March Name Activities & Worksheets (that’s a link to my own little store. You can also get them from me over on TPT.)
Happy Teaching!
I have never seen a paper punch like that! Brand? Where came from? All the ones I’ve seen are hard to press and punch comes out the bottom so hard to center.
It’s a 1-inch punch made by Fiskars. I don’t see it anymore on their website, but it looks like resellers have it up on Amazon and eBay. As a reference point, I bought mine for about $12 a few years ago. I love it!!