St. Patrick's Day was originally a religious holiday inaugurated to honor Saint Patrick, long considered to be one of Ireland's patron saints. The initial focus was to celebrate the arrival of the Christian faith in Ireland as well as Irish heritage and culture. Today, the holiday has grown far beyond its religious roots into a worldwide day of festivities that center around wearing green, eating festive foods, drinking tasty green beverages, listening to Irish music and celebrating with gatherings both small and large.

St. Patty's Day is also a great day to celebrate as a family, with the adults enjoying a taste or two of "adult" beverages (dyed green if at all possible) and the kids playing fun games that educate as well as entertain. If you’re planning a festive family St. Patty's Day party, these great free apps can help your kids get in the Irish spirit!

1. Leprechaun Name Generator

The Leprechaun Name Generator is great fun for kids at parties—you can set it up on an iPad or iPhone and have each child generate their own name, then decorate a hat or nametag with their St. Patty's Day title.

2. A St. Patrick's Day Quizzle

This fun and free app is packed with interesting trivia about St. Patrick's Day, making it another fun party app for both kids and parents!

3. St. Patrick's Runner

This app is a running game that challenges players to nab as many clovers as they can while evading obstacles and heading for the goal line.

4. St. Patrick's Recipes

This free app is great for parents who are in party-planning mode—especially when the special menu includes tasty treats kids and parents can prepare together! Learn about the most popular St. Patty's Day recipes and decide what to make for family and friends.

5. St. Patrick's Day Ducky Tube

This parent-approved, free app will stream a selection of safe, holiday-themed videos for your kids to watch–also an excellent way for you to get a little free time to plan while the kiddos are otherwise entertained! While you prepare for the festivities, your kids will be watching the popular Irish-themed cartoon, "Grabby," Riverdancing bears and other videos you can select for them to view.

6. St. Patrick's Day Coloring / Coloring St. Patrick's Day

These two apps are very similar—both offer a number of free templates your kids can color in using a smart device or tablet. Both apps also allow you to save and share completed templates.

7. Bubble Blast St. Patrick

There are Bubble Blast versions for many major holidays and with this version kids blast open shamrocks, Irish hats, pots o' gold or a green balloon to progress towards winning the game.

8. Memory St. Patrick's Day

This great memory-boosting game uses memory skills by matching cards with the same images with three levels of ever-increasing difficulty.

 

 

8 Free Apps to Make St. Patty’s Day Fun for Your Kids