Kids of all ages will love decorating and setting their DIY leprechaun trap with these cute signs. I hope you have so much fun making and using your trap! This post may include affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
What is a leprechaun trap?
A leprechaun trap is a small trap to catch a leprechaun. (Obviously the point of a leprechaun trap isn’t actually to catch a leprechaun - it’s about the fun of setting the trap and what you decide to do with it the next morning!) A leprechaun trap is placed and baited on March 16, on the evening before St. Patrick’s Day, and can be a great way to liven up this holiday for young kids. Leprechaun traps can be elaborate or simple and budget-friendly. There are so many different ways to make your own leprechaun trap! Here are a few fun ideas to get your creative juices flowing: A simple way to make an easy leprechaun trap is by decorating a small box, or wrapping it in green construction paper, and propping up the front of the box with popsicle sticks to create a trap. Make sure to add bait inside and a few decorations outside, like these printable trap signs, to catch the attention of any pesky leprechaun that happens by! Another easy trap idea is to cover a toilet paper roll in green paper, or use paint to paint it green, then use pipe cleaners to make a ladder to the top. Do your kids love Legos or magnet tiles? Why not use them to make a trap? Instead of making the trap fall, put a ladder to the top and make a secret trap door or a floor that will fall way. Your child can make a rainbow path leading to the trap and add other embellishments to welcome leprechauns into the trap. It’s up to you to decide what leprechaun fun occurs after the trap is set. There is no one “best way” to do it.
Lucky Charms Skittles Chocolate gold coins Plastic gold coins Paper coins like these printable free gold coins Pots of gold
Some parents like to leave a little surprise inside the trap. Others leave a leprechaun letter or a clue for a scavenger hunt. Some people like to leave leprechaun footprints leading up to the trap. Some parents like to delight their small children by dropping a bit of green food dye in the toilet! If you give this a try, go easy on the food dye so you don’t stain your toilet bowl or create a whole lot of scrubbing for yourself. My daughter set up her leprechaun trap in her play area and spent the entire afternoon hiding under her table trying to catch little leprechauns. She made a variety of arrows and homemade signs to try to catch a leprechaun’s attention and baited her trap with a huge pile of plastic coins.
How to print and use Leprechaun trap signs free printables
Using these leprechaun trap signs is super easy. First, download your free PDF file from the download area lower down on the page. Here’s a look at what you’re getting: Next, print the pages you want. There are two pages in the digital file. One page has six printable card-style signs. The second page has arrow signs, including wood-look arrows. As you can tell from the previews, these signs are large. This makes them easier for little hands to cut out. If you want smaller signs, print the pages to scale or print both pages on the same page. This is easy to do with the multi-up function in Acrobat Reader. You can use regular printer paper, but for best results I recommend using card stock or, my favorite, bright white 32# paper. Cut out the signs you want to use. They can be glued to popsicle sticks or adhered directly to your leprechaun trap project with tape, glue, or hot glue. Set your trap and wait to catch an (un)lucky leprechaun! My daughter is very proud of herself for cutting out these signs:
PDF file download area
Like other free printables here on The Artisan Life, these are licensed for personal use and single classroom use. You are not licensed to sell or redistribute the files or print outs, even for free. Please refer friends and colleagues to this post so they can download their own copy. I hope you enjoy and that these free printable leprechaun trap signs and that they’re the perfect way to catch a sneaky leprechaun! Make sure to check out these additional St. Patrick’s Day printables while you’re here:
