Search for a Pot of Gold: An Easy St. Patrick’s Day Game for Kids
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If you are looking for a simple way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without turning it into a full production, this Search for a Pot of Gold game is an easy win. Think Easter egg hunt style fun with a St. Patrick’s Day twist. There are no gifts, no elaborate setup, and no pressure to buy a bunch of themed supplies. It comes together quickly, works for a wide range of ages, and fits easily into a day that already feels busy.
The concept is intentionally straightforward. Parents hide small “pots of gold” around a space, and kids search until they have found them all. Each pot can hold a tiny surprise or simply mark another successful find. The focus is not on prizes or rewards, but on giving kids a playful, low effort way to move around, stay engaged, and enjoy the holiday. Once you understand the basic setup, it is easy to adapt the game based on age, space, or setting.
How the Search for a Pot of Gold Game Works
At its core, this game works exactly like an Easter egg hunt, so it takes minimal effort to set up. This is perfect for a holiday like St. Patrick’s Day that has no real emphasis on gifts.
Gather a few small black cauldrons
Add a small item to each one if you want
Hide them in one room of your home
Let kids search until all the pots are found
You can make this as quick or as involved as you like. For younger kids, it may take ten minutes from start to finish. For older kids, you can stretch it out by spreading the pots farther apart or adding a a few twists to make them harder to find.
What to Put Inside the Pots of Gold
This game is not about filling the pots with expensive or elaborate prizes. The fun is in the hunt itself, so small treats or trinkets are all you really need. Sticking to St. Patrick’s Day colors can make even the smallest treats seem more special. Here are a few simple ideas to use as inspiration:
Edible options
• Chocolate gold coins
• A few jelly beans or rainbow candy
• Mini snack packs (think goldfish crackers or fruit snacks)
Non edible options
• St. Patrick’s Day stickers
• Small fidget toys
• Temporary tattoos
• Mini erasers with a shamrock theme
You can also choose to leave the pots empty and simply count each one as a win. That approach works especially well for classrooms or younger kids who are more excited about the searching than the reward.
Adjusting the Game by Age
This easy activity can be adapted for kids of all age levels with just a few quick tweaks. You can even make the game harder each year so the challenges grow with your kids.
For younger kids
Limit the game to one room or a clearly defined area. Place the pots at eye level or lower and keep them easy to spot. Keeping them relatively out in the open works best for younger kids; they really just need to concentrate instead of searching behind curtains or underneath tables to find the pots of “gold” in the room. Limiting the number of pots to just a few can also keep the game fun without it becoming overwhelming for toddlers.
For older kids
Expand the search to multiple rooms or levels of the house. Older kids can handle more of a challenge, so this is your chance to get creative with where you hide everything. Just make a note of all the hiding spots so you don’t forget any!
Optional Scavenger Hunt Variation
Make the hunt for pots of gold more competitive for older kids by adding a scavenger hunt element to the game. You can give out verbal clues one-by-one, or you can write down clues on sheets of paper. Have the kids grab one clue at a time or divide the clues between the kids so they each have their own pots to search for.
Examples of easy clues include:
• Look near something green
• Check where books like to rest
• Search where we keep the sweetest snacks
• Walk to where we keep the shoes
You do not need to print out cards with clues on them. Scraps of paper work fine, and they make the game easier to adapt when needed.
A Classroom-Friendly Version with No Food
This game also works well in classrooms or group settings where food is not allowed. Fill the mini cauldrens with classsroom-friendly treats, such as stickers, erasers, or St. Patrick’s Day mini bubble wands. Make sure there are enough pots for each child to find one (you can set a limit so once each child finds a pot, they sit down with a coloring page and crayons to rest and relax). Because the setup is simple and flexible, it fits easily into a short classroom celebration without disrupting the day.
Reusing the Cauldrons for Other Holidays
One added bonus of using small black cauldrons is that they are easy to reuse. The same containers can come back out for Halloween candy hunts, party games, or themed activities later in the year. This makes this game feel less like a one day novelty and more like a reusable holiday tradition, plus it means the money you spend on this year’s activity can stretch further for future celebrations.
Beyond holidays, the same cauldrons can be reused for simple indoor treasure hunts or mystery games throughout the year. Fill them with small toys, notes, or coins and hide them around a room for a quick boredom buster that takes almost no setup.
Why This St. Patrick’s Day Activity Works
St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the type of holiday that requires a huge celebration, but small activities like this one turn the day into something kids can look forward to each year. The focus is on having fun and starting a new tradition that helps kids make memories with their families.
More Easy Holiday Fun for Kids
If you are looking to build a full St. Patrick’s Day celebration around simple, low effort ideas, pairing this game with an easy treat can be a fun way to round out the day. These easy St. Patrick’s Day cake mix cookies with white chocolate chips are a great option because they keep the same theme of minimal prep while still feeling festive.
And if your kids love this style of game, the concept adapts perfectly to other holidays too. This hide and seek Easter egg hunt uses the same basic idea with a seasonal twist, making it easy to reuse what you already have and carry the fun into spring.
