Want to find kindergarten-friendly videos that hit the mark in March? Here is a list of teacher-recommended videos for St. Patrick's Day.
It can be fun to change up our normal routine in the classroom on a holiday and add a video or two into our lesson plans.
For example, you just might need a learning video that can help bring the level of excitement down from a holiday party or a brain break video that can help get the wiggles out.
Whatever you need - here are St. Patrick's day-themed books read aloud, brain break videos and some learning videos that can help you teach.
St. Patrick's-themed stories
These stories are good read-alouds for St. Patrick's Day. They are fun and keep the holiday light.
The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School
This cartoon-style book features the famous Gingerbread that gets loose in the school. This sequel is a great rhyming story of a leprechaun who makes a mess and is caught by the class with the help of the Gingerbread Man.
This book is a little bit longer, so choose this one if you have 10 minutes to spare.
How to Catch a Leprechaun
If you like to decorate your classroom for St. Patrick's Day - or make traps - your students will like this story. Follow a leprechaun through his mischief as he challenged kids to make a better trap next year.
This story is a short one - pick this if you have less than 5 minutes to spare.
Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase
We all love Pete the Cat. Here is his St. Patrick's Day story version. He meets Clover, the leprechaun only to find out he is already a lucky cat.
This is a good lesson-learned story to talk about how the choices we make can create our own good luck. Read this is you have at least 7 minutes.
The Night Before St. Patrick's Day
In this story, a brother and sister set up to catch a leprechaun and have his gold only to be tricked. This is a simple rhyming story that takes students on a St. Patrick's Day adventure.
Pick this story if you only 5 minutes.
Ten Lucky Leprechauns
Keep adding one more leprechaun in this quick rhyming story - all the way to ten. They find the gold and that the true treasure is having friends.
This story is just right if you have less than 5 minutes.
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover
There Was an Old Lady books are pretty much a classic in the world of kindergarten. This St. Patrick's Day-themed version features a clover, daisy, butterfly, bird, fiddle, pot of gold and she giggles out a rainbow.
This book is quick - just under 5 minutes.
So, after looking at this list, it seems like every book out there for St. Patrick's day is pretty much a rhyming book. Good thing you got a lot of practice reading rhymes during Read Across America week {wink}
Brain breaks
Brain breaks give students the opportunity to break from focusing by moving to music in order to recharge.
I Said a-Boom-Chicka-Boom
Students get up to move to this watch-repeat-style video. Students try to catch a leprechaun, pick a four-leaf clover, dance an Irish jig, draw a shamrock, play with green slime and find a pot of gold.
The end gets a bit silly but it'll help get the wiggles out in just under 5 minutes.
Hula Hoopy St. Patrick's Day
This video features dancers dressed in green doing moves with hula hoops.
While it's not your typical repeat-after-me brain break - I think kids would enjoy watching this first, then trying out some of their own moves with your school's recess stash of hula hoops for an extended brain-break outdoors.
Play the video again once you're outside (no watching - just listening) and see what they come up with inspired by the music.
Learning videos
These videos are meant to help you teach mini-concepts in the classroom.
The Month of March
Learn about the month of March with Jack Hartmann - how many days there are in March, when St. Patrick's Day is and that it ushers in spring.
St. Patrick's Day Counting
What would a video series be without a Harry Kindergarten video? {wink}
Help a lucky leprechaun count his gold to 20 by ones, to 30 by twos, to 100 by fives, and to 100 by tens.
I'm a Little Leprechaun
Need a poem or song to teach shared reading? Try this little leprechaun song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot."
Here are the words to print out for your shared reading:
I'm a little leprechaun, dressed in green. The tiniest man that you have seen. If you ever catch me, so it's told, I'll give you my big pot of gold.
I'm a little leprechaun, imagine that with my little green boots and my big green hat. At the end of the rainbow, so it's told, you will find my pot of gold.
Or get this printout of a slightly different song version.
Green Color Song
Since St. Patrick's day is all about the green, use this classic Frog Street Press song to help your students learn to spell green independently.
Find more: Ten color songs to teach how to spell color words >>
G-R-E-E-N St. Patrick's Day Song
This is an alternative version of learning how to spell green using a St. Patrick's day-theme. It repeats just like the song BINGO and kids clap on the missing letters.
Kinder-friendly version
Do you want to make this list available to your students in a kinder-friendly way?
Use this St. Patrick's Day videos page on CoolKindergarten that links to most of these videos and three bonus St. Patrick-themed free games online.
Let's wrap it up
There you have it - videos that teachers are using for St. Patrick's in their kindergarten classrooms.
I hope that these books read aloud, exercise videos and learning videos are helpful as you teach.
Thanks to all of the kindergarten teachers who chimed in to share their favorites on the KindergartenWorks facebook page!
Are you ready to explore kindergarten freebies for St. Patrick's Day?
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