Easy Preschool Leprechaun Trap

My 4-year-old son was so excited to make his first leprechaun trap this year! We found the cutest idea that was super easy and perfect for his age. This preschool leprechaun trap comes together quickly, which was great since preschoolers have short attention spans. DIY leprechaun traps are the prefect time to let your imagination and creativity flow. For this leprechaun trap we used cardboard, bright colored stock paper, scissors, hot glue gun, paper straws and a free printable.

Be sure to grab your free preschool leprechaun trap printable at the bottoms of this post!

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Preschool Leprechaun Trap Supplies:

• Cardboard – a flat piece to use as the base (or you could use cardstock paper)
• Glittery cardstock
• Cardstock or construction paper (ideally bright rainbow colors)
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Paper straws
• Free leprechaun trap printables (download below)

How to make a Preschool Leprechaun Trap

Step 1: Cutting

First, cut 1 -2 inch strips out of brightly colored cardstock or construction paper. Leprechauns love all bright colors, so anything you have on hand to make a rainbow pattern will work. You could also go with all green paper too! Let your preschooler practice cutting with this step, or you can have strips prepared ahead of time.

Next, you’ll want to cut the glittery construction paper to be the same size as the piece of cardboard. This is good tracing and cutting practice for your preschooler.

Step 2: Fold

Next, select your first colored strip and fold both ends of the strip inwards (about 1/2 – 1 inch). You can show your preschooler and then let them practice folding the paper.

Step 3: Glue

First, use a hot glue gun to attach the glittery cardstock to the cardboard paper. Once secured, you can begin to glue the rainbow down. Use the folds your preschooler made as the anchoring point and hot glue the paper down to form an archway. Repeat this process to make a fun colorful archway to attract a leprechaun!

Step 4: Add the signs

Download the free preschool leprechaun trap printable below to make fun signs for attracting leprechauns! Leprechauns love gold and anything shiny. These fun signs let the leprechauns know where to go.

The leprechaun signs will be sturdier if you use cards talk while printing. However, regular paper will also work if that’s all you have. We cut paper straws to hold up the leprechaun signs. You could also use popsicle sticks, toothpicks or even q-tips!

DIY preschool leprechaun traps are so much fun! Get creative and use what you already have around the house. Don’t overthink it- and most importantly- have fun!

What to use to attract a leprechaun to a trap?

Leprechauns love shiny things! Use shiny pennies, toy coins, fake gold, confetti, glitter or gems to attract the leprechauns to your trap. It’s all about creatively, look around the house with your preschooler for something shiny or colorful that would attract a leprechaun. Anything they choose will be perfect! If you want to go shopping, check the dollar store or target dollar corner for St. Patrick’s Day gold or decorations.

What does a leprechaun leave behind after he gets trapped?

When a leprechaun gets trapped, he usually doesn’t stay in the trap for long. But he will leave behind clues that he was there, such as a hat, footprints, gold coins, shamrocks, or sweet treats. The possibilities are endless! Catching a leprechaun is very exciting for your preschooler, any little token left behind will be greatly appreciated!

3 Free Preschool Leprechaun Trap Printables

To download on your mobile device, click and hold down on the images below. Print on cardstock for best results (or use regular printer paper too).