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Plan Ahead

Don’t wait until the last minute to make spring break plans because it can blow up in your face. While you might find a great last-minute deal on your travel or accommodations, it’s also possible that you won’t. So if your family has its heart set on going to a particular place, it’s much better to make plans in advance.

Try Alternative Destinations

The beach can be extremely crowded (and rowdy) during spring break. Other destinations might be a better choice for families. Amusement parks are popular among kids, and while there will probably be more people there than most other parts of spring, they still shouldn’t be terribly crowded.

Nature activities are also great for spring break. Spring is a beautiful time of year to go hiking or boating. Road trips are also nice but it’s important to make frequent stops, especially if you have younger children.

Look for for Discounts and Reviews

By planning ahead, you give yourself more time to find good deals. Just because you’re not snatching up cancellations doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get a good price. Doing some searching online and off could get you a great price on your trip.

When you do find a great deal, it’s wise to look up reviews on the carrier or hotel if you’re not familiar with it. Sometimes it’s true that you get what you pay for. Travel websites have reviews of lots of hotels and transportation providers that you can learn from.

Pack Smart

Instead of waiting until the night before you leave to pack, start a few days ahead of time. Clothes can be packed a few days ahead of time without causing any shortages. Then when it gets closer to time to leave, all you’ll have left to pack is toiletries and personal supplies.

Making a list of the things you need to take ahead of time will help ensure that no essentials get left behind. It will also come in handy when it’s time to gather things up and come back home. Encouraging the kids to make their own lists will take some of the burden off of you.

Spring break is a great time for families to take trips together. By being prepared, you can make the most of this opportunity for family fun.

PS – Looking for ideas on how to make Spring Break enjoyable for the kids? Download this free – Spring Break Guide.

Costumes

Many children love to dress up at Halloween. There’s no reason they cant dress up as leprechauns or fairy-folk for the party. Encourage the children all to wear green, whether they choose to wear a costume or not. Have a contest for the child that shows the most St. Patrick’s Day spirit by what they are wearing.

Decorations

Shamrocks, pots of gold, rainbows, green and gold balloons, and Celtic crosses can all be used as decorations. Ask the children to begin making decorations for the party so you don’t have to do all of the work. They can trace each other on large pieces of paper, and then dress up their drawings to look like leprechauns.

Games

Who hasn’t played Pin the Tail on the Donkey at some point in their life? Use the same idea but give it an Irish twist by having the child pin the hat on the leprechaun. You may want to find a picture of a leprechaun in a coloring book or on the internet and print it out. Then make a hat out of black construction paper.

Music

Find Irish songs to play in the background during the party. Many Irish songs can be found online as free downloads. Make a compact disk of Irish songs you can enjoy during your St. Patrick’s Day children’s party and at all other times of the year.

Clear a space for the children to dance. They may not have the moves for a correct Irish Jig, but they’ll enjoy themselves. If you know someone who actually does Irish step dancing, you may want to bring them in to teach the children.

Food

Serve plenty of foods which are green. Dye hard boiled eggs green, vegetables dipped in green dip (add food coloring to a white dip), cut up green apples, green grapes, or kiwi. You may also want to add some traditional Irish foods to the party menu such as Colcannon (mashed potatoes, cabbage, onions, and bacon), Irish stew, or Irish soda crackers with green dip.

Using ideas like these make the planning process of a Kid’s St. Patrick’s Day party easier. You do not have to make it elaborate; do what you can to make it festive by using traditional Irish motifs and lots of green. Remember to make the party full of fun activities, music, and food, and the children will enjoy themselves. Take lots of pictures and videos and most of all ENJOY!

PS – Looking for recipes for your St. Patrick’s Party? Just download – this FREE St. Patty’s Day Recipes.

March 17 falls on a weekday this year so I’m not sure if you want to celebrate it on that exact day. As an option, you can either celebrate on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day or the Saturday after. By doing so, you can guarantee to have more people come to your party.

Why is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated March 17 each year rather than another day? It is said that the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, died on this date in either 460 or 493 A.D. Although not much is known about the life of St. Patrick and he has not been officially canonized, he is thought of as being very important for Roman Catholics the world over. You don’t have to be Irish or Roman Catholic to celebrate, however.

Not everyone can go to Ireland to celebrate this holiday … not that you can’t celebrate it where ever you are. Just for fun, you could make a Blarney Stone out of styro-foam or paper mache. Legends say that anyone who kisses the Blarney Stone is supposedly given the gift of eloquent speech.

Create your own pot o gold filled with chocolate covered in golden foil. Have a child dress up as a leprechaun and guard the pot. Suggest they ask people wanting candy to sing a verse of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, Danny Boy, or another Irish song.

Decorate your home with shamrocks, rainbows, gold or orange and green flags. Prepare St. Patrick’s Day games or activities for children to enjoy while the grown-ups chat. Plan to have Irish music playing in the background to help with the ambiance.

Of course, you’ll want to offer up Irish or at least green cuisine. This could be as simple as using food coloring to dye various dishes such as cupcakes with green icing, green grapes, or chips with guacamole. You could actually prepare corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, or Shepherds Pie. Offer green-dyed beverages as well.

These are just a few ideas to kick-off your St. Patrick’s Party. Try one idea or all of them and tell me how that made your party turn out. Enjoy!

PS – Looking for recipes for your St. Patrick’s Party? Just download – this FREE St. Patty’s Day Recipes.

A couple of thoughts pop up instantly as I realize that Spring is just around the corner – first, St. Patty’s Day is coming up soon (gotta get ready for that!) and most importantly – “Spring Break”. My kids will be home for a couple of weeks – am I ready for that?

Last year, I remember giving a couple of freebies to my readers. I still have them available and wanted to share with you those goodies. The information is still good and helpful plus – you can just download – no strings attached. Feel free to tell all your friends about it too.

First treat – St. Patty’s Day Recipes – just right click on the link and save it in your hard drive. Give one or all the recipes a try and then, let me know how you like them.

Next treat – Spring Break Ideas for Kids of All Ages – again, just right click and save in a folder in your hard drive. With the ideas on this short report, you can make sure that the kids enjoy their spring break and that you can do something together that they will never forget.

In the next few days, I will be blogging about St. Patrick’s Day and share some ideas on how you can make it fun for the family and friends. I will also share more Spring Break ideas with you.