15+ Gold Coin Activities for Kids

Gold coins are one of the most exciting parts of St. Patrick’s Day for kids. Whether they’re imagining a leprechaun’s hidden treasure, filling sensory bins, or creating sparkly art, those shiny little coins instantly turn playtime into something magical and hands-on.

In this collection of 15+ gold coin activities and crafts for kids, you’ll find fun, easy ideas that work for toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary kids. From fine motor games and sensory play to creative art projects and simple STEM challenges, these activities make it easy to bring a playful St. Patrick’s Day theme into your home or classroom. Many use inexpensive or everyday materials — plastic coins, foil, paper, paint, and things you likely already have on hand.

If you’re looking for festive ways to keep kids engaged, learning, and creating this March, these gold coin activities are the perfect place to start. Get ready for treasure hunts, sparkly crafts, and plenty of imaginative play — because everything is more fun when a little gold is involved.

Gold Coin Activities for Kids

1. Pot of Gold Sticky Wall Craft

This colourful pot of gold craft is an amazing activity to do this St Patrick’s Day. Create a fun sticky wall kids both big and small can enjoy!

Materials:

• Contact paper
• Painter’s tape
• Foam Shape
• IKEA colour bowls
• Markers or sharpie in all the colours of the rainbow
• St. Patrick’s Day plastic gold coins
• Black construction paper
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Grab your contact paper and masking tape. Tape your contact paper up on the wall with the sticky side facing out.
2. Cut out a pot for the pot of gold out of the black construction paper. Stick the pot of gold up in the corner of the sticky wall.
3. Using the markers or sharpies in all the colours of the rainbow and draw lines for the rainbow coming from the pot of gold. Make sure to leave a little room in between where the rainbow will start and where the pot of gold is. 
4. For this activity you can either sort your foam shapes into colourful bowls by colour or you can let your little one sort them on the rainbow. Finally, add the gold coins to a bowl and place everything in front of the contact paper.

2. Name Sorting Activity for St. Patrick’s Day

Name Sorting Activity is a fun and easy St. Patrick’s Day! Practice and learn your name this with this easy to set up activity!

Materials:

• St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Gold Coins
• Dot stickers
• Cardboard box
• Scissors
• Sharpie
• Paint Sticks

Instructions:

1. Grab your dot stickers and gold coins. Write each letter of your child’s name on one dot sticker. Attach the dot stickers to the gold coins. I wrote out each letter on a different coloured sticker. This colour matched the colour on the box (next step).
2. Grab a cardboard box and write your child’s name on the bottom. Colour them the same colour as the dot sticker you used in the step above. 
3. Above each letter use a pair of scissors or box cutters to cut a slot large enough to slide a gold coin through.
4. Sort name into the box.

3. St Patrick’s Day Sensory Activity

Check out this St Patrick’s Day sensory bin that your toddler or preschooler will absolutely love! It’s also a great way to learn and talk about colours and shapes!

Materials:

• Sensory Bin
• Green foam shapes
• St. Patrick’s Day plastic gold coins 
• Green Party necklace
• Green IKEA colour bowls
• Spoons
• Measuring Cups
• Jugs
• Dish Rack 
• Funnels

Instructions:

1. Fill your sensory bin with water and add your green foam shapes. The foam shapes come in a big pack of every colour of the rainbow.
2. Next, add gold coins \ and a green or gold party necklace. Finally, add your tools such as spoons, bowls and measuring cups.
3. Play.

4. Leprechaun Play Dough Activity

Here is a fun play dough activity for St. Patrick’s Day using DIY St. Patrick’s Day stamps, gold coins and items you already have around the house!

Materials:

• Green play dough (here’s my favourite homemade no-cook play dough recipe)
• Multicoloured pony beads
• Green buttons
• Green straws
• Gold pipe cleaners
• Cardboard
• Wine Cork
• Pencil
• St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Gold Coins
• Hot glue gun

Instructions:

1. For this St. Patrick’s Day Play Dough activity I uses a plastic appetizer tray to hold and organize all the loose parts. I purchased ours from a dollar store. But you can also use a few bowls to hold all the loose parts
2. Grab your green play dough. Here’s our favourite homemade no-cook play dough recipe.
3. Finally, grab all a bunch of green and yellow straws and cut them in half.
4. Grab your cardboard and cut it into small squares.
5. Take a pencil and draw a few classic St. Patrick’s day symbols such as a pot of gold, shamrock, leprechaun hat, cloud and rainbow and a horseshoe.
6. Take your hot glue gun and trace your drawing with the hot glue. Allow it to dry.
7. Grab wine corn and use the hot glue gun to attach it to the back of the cardboard stamp.

5. Dot Sticker Pot of Gold Math

Dot Sticker Pot of Gold Math is a fun and colourful counting idea for St. Patrick’s Day using dot stickers! And a great fine motor activity!

6. Gold Coin Slime

This sparkly gold coin slime is a fun sensory activity that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or anytime kids want a stretchy, squishy play experience. The coins add a fun treasure hunt element while they play.

Materials:

• Clear school glue (1 cup)
• Baking soda (½ teaspoon)
• Contact lens solution (1–2 tablespoons, must contain boric acid)
• Warm water (optional, 1–2 tablespoons for stretchier slime)
• Plastic gold coins (small toy coins)
• Gold glitter (optional for sparkle)
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon or craft stick

Optional:

• Yellow food coloring or liquid watercolor
• Small container for storage

Instructions:

1. Add the clear glue to a mixing bowl.
2. Mix in gold glitter and a drop of yellow coloring if you want a golden tint.
3. Mix well until fully combined.
4. Add contact lens solution a little at a time while stirring. Keep mixing until the slime begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Use your hands to knead until smooth and stretchy. If sticky, add a few more drops of contact solution.
6. Press the plastic coins into the slime and fold them in.
7. Stretch, squish, and dig for treasure!

Storage Tip:

Store slime in an airtight container to keep it soft and stretchy for several days.

7. Gold Coin Minute to Win It

If you’re kids are fans of minute to win it games then you should definitely give this one a try!

8. Addition Game with Gold Coins

Use your gold coins to create an additional game for your preschooler. It’s an easy way to serve up a little math this St Patrick’s Day.

9. Pot O’ Gold Coin Toss

Are you feeling lucky? Got some tossing skills? take your try at this coin toss game. Its a great gross motor activity.

10. Gold Scavenger Hunt ABC Activity

Go on a letter scavenger hunt with your goin coins with this easy letter matching activity. Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

11. Gold Coin Flip

A DIY St Patricks Day game you and your child can make together and play with together? A winning idea for this March!

12. Gold Coin Jello Dig

Green jello anyone? Love this messy sensory play idea where you can dig for gold in jello.

13. St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bag

14. Pot of Gold Rainbow Shaker for Sensory Play

2. St Patricks Day Ice Melt Science Activity with Coins

Freeze your gold coins in this glittering ice STEM activity! Free the gold coins my melting the ice!

15. St. Patricks Day Shamrock Math Sensory Bin

16. Gold Coins in a Rainbow

Looking for more St Patricks Day Crafts & Activities? Check out these amazing posts:

• St. Patrick’s Day Activities
• St Patrick’s Day Crafts
• Shamrock Crafts
• Leprechaun Crafts
• Gold Coin Activities
• Rainbow Crafts & Activities
• St. Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages (with free printables)
• Leprechaun Trap Ideas