This Pot of Gold Craft is an easy St. Patrick’s Day activity for kids that combines creativity with learning. Children can color, cut, and glue a pot, rainbow, gold coins, and shamrock, then complete a short writing prompt to practice thinking and writing skills. It’s a simple, low-prep project that works well in classrooms, homeschool settings, libraries, or at home.
You may enjoy pairing this St. Paddy’s Day craft with our Leprechaun Card Craft!
Why You’ll Love This Pot of Gold Craft
This activity offers several benefits for both kids and the adults guiding them:
- Fine motor skill development – Cutting out the pot, rainbow, coins, and shamrocks strengthens hand muscles and improves scissor control needed for writing.
- Color recognition and sequencing – Coloring the rainbow reinforces color names and the order of rainbow colors.
- Creative expression through writing – The prompts give kids a chance to use their imagination and practice writing in a low-pressure way.
- Social-emotional learning – The “I am lucky because…” prompt helps children think about gratitude and what matters to them.
- Minimal prep required – Simple materials and straightforward directions mean less setup time and more doing.
- Works for multiple ages – Easy to adapt for preschoolers just learning to cut or older elementary students who can write longer responses.
- Great for display – Makes a colorful bulletin board or classroom hallway display that showcases each child’s unique answers.
- Hands-on activity – Offers a tactile alternative to screens that keeps kids focused and engaged.
Supplies You’ll Need
This Pot of Gold Craft uses basic materials you likely already have on hand:
- Pot of Gold Craft Template (free with email subscription)
- White cardstock
- Washable paint, crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- Paintbrushes (if using paint)
- Scissors
- White school glue
- Gold glitter (optional)
How to Make the Pot of Gold Craft
This color, cut, and glue activity is simple for kids to complete and easy to prep.
STEP 1: Download and print the template. First, download and print the free printable Pot of Gold Template onto white cardstock. Each child will need one copy.
STEP 2: Color the pieces. Color the pot (black), rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, and blue), gold coins (yellow or gold), and shamrock (green). Kids can follow traditional colors or make their own choices.
STEP 3: Cut out the shapes. Have children carefully cut along the outlines. Younger kids may need help with this task.
STEP 4: Glue the pot, rainbow, and cloud together. Assemble these pieces as pictured below to form the base of the craft.
STEP 5: Glue the coins, shamrock, and text box to the craft. Arrange the gold coins in the pot, place the shamrock, and attach the writing prompt text box so kids can complete their sentences. If desired, glue gold glitter to the coins.
STEP 6: Complete a writing prompt. Choose from prompts like:
- If I found a pot of gold…
- If I were a leprechaun…
- I am lucky because…
STEP 7: Share and display: Have children share their completed crafts and what they wrote with classmates or family, or put them up on the bulletin board, wall, or refrigerator.
Take It Further: Extension Ideas
This Pot of Gold Craft is easy to extend into other learning areas:
- Literacy extension – Create a “Pot of Gold Story Map.” After completing the craft, children can use their writing prompt answers to outline a short story. They can label the beginning (finding the gold), middle (what happens with the gold), and end (how they feel lucky or what they do next). This encourages sequencing, story structure, and expanding vocabulary.
- Math connection – Count the gold coins, add numbers, or create simple addition problems.
- Art exploration – Add glitter to the coins, collage the rainbow with tissue paper, or add cotton balls to the cloud.
- Book pairing – Read a St. Patrick’s Day book about luck or leprechauns and discuss connections.
- Social-emotional learning – Talk about what makes us feel lucky and share responses as a group.
- Classroom display – Use the finished crafts to create a colorful March bulletin board.
- Home connection – Send the craft home as a St. Patrick’s Day keepsake or gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to common questions about this Pot of Gold Craft:
This craft works well for ages 4–11 with some adjustments. Preschoolers can focus on coloring and simple cutting with help, while older elementary students can write longer responses and do more detailed cutting.
Most children finish in 30–45 minutes, though this depends on age, ability, and whether you complete it in one sitting or break it into parts.
Younger children or beginning writers can tell you their answers for you to write down or use inventive spelling. The goal is to share their thoughts, not to write perfectly.
Absolutely. It’s flexible and works well with mixed-age groups.
More St. Paddy’s Day Crafts for Kids
Looking for even more fun? These St. Patrick’s Day crafts for kids are easy, festive, and hands-on:
- Shamrock Suncatcher Craft – Let sunlight shine through colorful shamrocks! Perfect for preschool or elementary kids.
- St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Wreath – A cheerful wreath that kids can make and hang at home or in the classroom.
- DIY Macrame Gnomes – Tiny gnomes with big personality! A great project for older kids or family crafting sessions.
- St. Patrick’s Day Hedgehog Craft – Quirky, cute, and perfect for fine motor practice while decorating for the holiday.
- Paper Cup Leprechaun Craft – Turn a plain cup into a fun leprechaun! Ideal for storytime or classroom fun.
- Popsicle Stick Leprechaun – Quick, easy, and hands-on. Perfect for keeping little hands busy.
- Popsicle Stick Leprechaun Hat – Tiny, playful, and great for decorations or party props.
Save This Craft
Save this Pot of Gold Craft for St. Patrick’s Day activities, storytime, or a simple seasonal art project that kids will love year after year.
Pot of Gold Craft
Ingredients
- Pot of Gold Craft Printable
- White cardstock
- Paint, crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- Paintbrushes if using paint
- Scissors
- White school glue
- Gold glitter optional
Instructions
- Download and print the template. Print the Pot of Gold template on white cardstock. Each child needs one copy.
- Color the pieces. Kids color the pot, rainbow, gold coins, shamrock, and cloud.
- Cut out the shapes. Carefully cut along the outlines. Younger children may need help.
- Glue the pot, rainbow, and cloud together. Assemble these pieces to form the base of the Pot of Gold scene.
- Glue the coins, shamrock, and text box to the craft. Add the gold coins to the pot, attach the shamrock, and glue the writing prompt box in place.
- Complete a writing prompt. Children can write, dictate, or draw to complete their response.
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