What’s better than a fun scavenger hunt? A scavenger hunt that teaches children about sharing the Gospel! This month, as we teach preschoolers about St. Patrick’s mission to tell others about Jesus, we’re adding a simple and engaging activity to help little ones connect the lesson to their own lives—the Shamrock Hunt!
How to Play the Shamrock Hunt
This game is easy to set up and a fun way to get kids moving while reinforcing an important truth: just like St. Patrick went on a mission to share Jesus, we can go on a mission to share Him too!
What You’ll Need:
- Paper shamrocks (printed on green construction paper)
- A classroom, living room, or play area with plenty of (easy) hiding spots
How to Play:
1. Scatter the shamrocks around the room in places that are easy for little eyes to spot.
2. Tell the children they are going on a mission! Their job is to find the shamrocks, but they can only take a certain number (for example, 3-5 each) so everyone has a chance.
3. Once they’ve found their shamrocks, have them sit back down.
Connecting It to St. Patrick & Missions
After the children gather their shamrocks, tie it back to the story of St. Patrick and his mission to share the Gospel with others.
- Ask them, “Did you have to look around to find the shamrocks?” Just like we went searching, St. Patrick searched for people who needed to hear about Jesus.
- Say, “Jesus loves all people, and He wants us to share His love with others—just like St. Patrick did!” (Mark 16:15)
- Show them the three leaves of the shamrock and explain how St. Patrick used it to talk about the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!
Take It Further
- Have children give one of their shamrocks to a friend and tell them “Jesus loves you!” This is a simple way to help them practice sharing God’s love.
- Play again, but this time let the children hide the shamrocks for their friends—just like missionaries share the Gospel with others!
- Download our full St Patrick’s Day Lesson to take this further!
This is such a fun and simple way to introduce kids to the idea of missions and remind them that they can be little missionaries too! Try it out and let us know how your preschoolers enjoy it!