St. Patrick’s Day Speech Therapy Activities
St. Patrick’s Day might be one of my favorite therapy themes of the year.
There’s something about leprechauns, rainbows, and tiny pots of gold that instantly pulls preschoolers in. And when kids are engaged? Language explodes.
If you’re looking for meaningful, playful St. Patrick’s Day speech therapy activities that target real goals (not just cute crafts), here are some of my go-to ideas.
1. Start With a Book: How to Catch a Leprechaun
One of my favorite jumping-off points is How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace. (affiliate link)
This book is PERFECT for:
Predicting (“Do you think this trap will work?”)
Inferencing
Describing materials
Problem-solving
Sequencing
“Why” questions
After reading “How to Catch a Leprechaun”, we talk about all the different traps in the story and what worked… and what didn’t.
Then we make our own.
2. Leprechaun Trap Sensory Bin (Language Gold)
I fill a sensory bin with:
Plastic gold coins
Green feathers
Cut-up straws
Popsicle sticks
Small boxes
Pipe cleaners
Anything green from my therapy closet
Students dump everything out and design their own traps.
While they build, I naturally target:
Verbs (build, stack, tape, push, pull)
Prepositions (under, next to, inside, on top)
Describing words (shiny, tiny, slippery, tall)
Problem-solving language
Requesting (“I need more tape.”)
Expanding utterances
You can scaffold from single words all the way up to full explanations:
“Why will your trap work?”
“What will happen if he jumps?”
It feels like play. It’s actually rich language therapy.
3. Catch the Leprechaun Digital or Whiteboard Activity
If you want something structured and repetitive (which preschoolers love), use an interactive, no-prep activity where students attempt to trap the leprechaun in different locations. My Digital St. Patrick’s Day Bundle will check off all the boxes below!
These are great for targeting:
“Where” questions
Sentence expansion
Repetitive phrasing
AAC modeling with sentence strips
Multisyllabic words
Articulation targets embedded in play
The repetition builds confidence, especially for students with language delays or ASD. I’ve had entire groups chanting, “We missed!” right along with me.
Engagement = participation. Participation = progress.
4. 10 Green Shamrocks Countdown Story
Countdown stories are gold for early language.
A simple repetitive story like “10 Green Shamrocks” can target:
Counting and number concepts
Plurals
“Where” questions (hide a gold coin on each page!)
Rhyming
Sentence strips for emerging communicators
Predictable phrasing for verbal participation
Repetition reduces cognitive load so students can focus on language production.
5. Rainbow Prepositions Obstacle Course
Turn your therapy room into a rainbow-themed obstacle course:
Crawl under the table
Jump over the rainbow mat
Sit between two chairs
Put the coin inside the pot
You’re targeting spatial concepts while keeping bodies moving (which preschoolers desperately need in March).
Bonus: Add articulation practice at each station.
6. Pot of Gold Describing Game
Fill a small container with random mini objects.
Students pull one out and describe it using:
Category
Function
Size
Color
Parts
For articulation students, choose objects with target sounds.
7. Articulation Crafts and Activities
Take-home articulation crafts are perfect for parents to see what their children are working on in speech and to provide some home carry-over for speech sound targets. Try my CH and SH Articulation Freebie as a sample!
St. Patrick’s Day Articulation and Craft Activity targets 20 speech sounds and includes a pot of gold craft to take home
Another fun, play-based activity is making a St. Patrick’s Day Drink with step-by-step visuals. Children use real cups and spoons to make “Clover Crush” and bring a paper “drink” craft home.
Mix some play-based language learning into speech therapy
Why St. Patrick’s Day Works So Well in Speech Therapy
The theme naturally supports:
Predicting
Inferencing
Problem-solving
Rich descriptive language
Spatial concepts
Narrative skills
Repetition and engagement
And best of all? It feels playful.
You don’t need luck to have a successful St. Patrick’s week in therapy. You just need intentional activities wrapped in something magical.
If you’re planning your March sessions, start with one strong book, add hands-on play, layer in repetition, and watch the language grow.
May your sessions be calm, your leprechauns mischievous, and your therapy plans already done. ☘️✨
