For teachers, parents and anyone with a curious child
Activity library
71 free activities built around real, sourced Irish sayings. Filter by who is taking part, the kind of activity, age and time. Every activity has a worksheet for the children and a one-page instructions card for the adult.
71 activities
A letter to my future self
Write a private letter to open in a year, with a few guesses about what time will tell.
9–12, 12+ yrs · At home or classroom
A poem from a meaning
Write a short poem in English about a time when tomorrow brought another chance.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
A story that proves the saying
Write a short story in which a character learns that there is no success without effort.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
A thank-you note
Draw a picture for someone who helped you, and add a thank-you sentence underneath.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home or classroom
A welcome card for a new neighbour
Make a welcome card together for someone new to the street, the class or the club.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home or classroom
Agree or disagree line
Stand on a line from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree" for statements built from sayings, then explain where you stood.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Another day bedtime chat
A short bedtime chat: one good thing from today, and one thing to try again tomorrow, because there will be another day.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home
Ask an older relative
Interview a grandparent or older neighbour about sayings they remember and what home meant to them growing up.
9–12, 12+ yrs · At home
Class story chain
The whole class writes one story, a sentence each, about a job that goes well because it started well.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom
Colour the road ahead
Colour a winding road and draw where you hope it will take you, for a trip, a new school or a new year.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Colour the safe voyage
Colour a little boat setting off and draw someone on the shore wishing it a safe journey.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Colour the shelter tree
Colour a big sheltering tree, then add the people, pets or toys you would want under it.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Colour the welcome table
Colour a table laid with a teapot, cups and scones for visitors, then draw who you would welcome in.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home or classroom
Colour your own front door
Colour a house and make it look like your own home, with the details only you would know.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home
Draw something you made
Draw a thing you made or built carefully, and talk about how good work speaks for the person who did it.
9–12, 12+ yrs · At home or classroom
Drink before news at dinner
At the dinner table, the child plays host: they look after everyone first, then ask each person one question about their day.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home
Everyone welcome door poster
A small group designs a poster for the classroom door that shows everybody is welcome, whoever they are.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Four corners
Four meanings, one in each corner. Hear a short situation and walk to the meaning that fits.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom
Four corners saying vote
Each corner of the room holds a saying. Walk to the one you would most like to live by, then talk it over with the others who chose it.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom
Freeze frame a saying
In small groups, make three still pictures with your bodies that show a saying in action: before, during and after.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom
Friends again comic
Make a four-panel comic about two friends who fall out and then make up.
7–9, 9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Good bit, hard bit diary
Keep a short diary for a week, writing one good thing and one hard thing each day.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · At home
Handprint shelter tree
Everyone adds a paper handprint leaf to one big tree for the wall, showing how we all shelter one another.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Hot-seat the fine horse
One person sits in the hot seat as a fine horse who was once a ragged young colt, and answers questions about growing up.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Kim’s game with sayings
Look at the cards, close your eyes, and spot which one has gone missing.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Kindness week
For one week the class keeps a tracker of small kind acts, given and received.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom
Knock knock, welcome!
A circle game where one child knocks on a pretend door and the group finds a new way to make them welcome each time.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Mime the meaning
Pick a meaning card and act it out with no words. The others point to the saying card that matches.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Newspaper report: an ill wind
In a small news team, invent an event where bad luck for some turned out well for someone else, and write it up as a front-page report.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Odd one out
Each card shows three short situations. Two fit the same saying. Find the odd one out.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
One story leads to another
Sit in a circle and build a story one sentence at a time, then notice how each story sparks the next.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Our family motto
Read a few sayings together, choose the one that fits your household best, and write a family motto of your own beside it.
7–9, 9–12, 12+ yrs · At home
Paper tower challenge
Build the tallest tower you can from paper, first on your own and then as a team, and talk about what changed.
7–9, 9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Partner pull-together
Gentle partner movement challenges that are hard alone and easier together, like standing up back to back.
5–7, 7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Pass the meaning
Pass a bag of meaning cards while music plays. When it stops, pull out a card and give a real example.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Pass the praise circle
In a circle, each person says one specific, kind thing about the person next to them, then talk about how praise helps people grow.
5–7, 7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom
Persuasive paragraph: skill or gold?
Agree or disagree that a handful of skill is better than a bagful of gold, and argue your side in one strong paragraph.
12+ yrs · Classroom
Practice tracker
Choose one skill and practise it for a few minutes every day for a week, keeping a simple record.
7–9, 9–12, 12+ yrs · At home or classroom
Quiet listening walk
Walk slowly and silently around the school grounds, a garden or a park, then draw what you heard.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Ragged colt comic
A three-panel comic about yourself or a character who starts out clumsy at something and gets good at it.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Relay match
A walking relay: each player fetches a saying card and the meaning card they think goes with it.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Saying bingo
The caller reads or plays a saying; players find its meaning on their board and cover it.
7–9, 9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Saying chain
A dominoes-style chain: lay meaning cards end to end, and explain how each one links to the last.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Saying debate
Two teams argue for and against a saying, such as "health is better than wealth", in a short, kind, structured debate.
12+ yrs · Classroom
Saying match-up
A solo puzzle sheet: listen to six sayings, then match each one to its meaning from memory.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Saying memory pairs
A turn-over memory game: find each saying and the card with its meaning.
7–9, 9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Saying of the week
A family routine: pick one saying for the week, put it on the fridge, and tick it off each time someone spots it happening.
5–7, 7–9, 9–12 yrs · At home
Saying quiz show
A three-round team quiz: listen and match, real example or not, and invent your own.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Saying snap
A quick card game: call snap when two cards that belong to the same saying land together.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Saying treasure hunt
Meaning cards are hidden around the room. Each team hears a saying and walks off to find its meaning.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Sayings radio show
Make a short radio advice show: a caller shares a problem and the host offers a saying and some kind advice.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
Show spotters
A family game for film night: each person watches for a moment that fits one of their meaning cards.
9–12, 12+ yrs · At home
Situation charades
Act out an everyday moment where a saying fits, with no words, while your team works out which saying it is.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Slow colouring: the long road
A detailed colouring page for older children and adults, coloured slowly and quietly while thinking about a journey ahead.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Sock puppet make-up show
Make two simple puppets and put on a short show where two friends fall out and then make up.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home or classroom
Sort the meanings
Sort ten meaning cards into groups that belong together, then explain your groups.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Spot it in real life
A home scavenger hunt: find a real example of each meaning on your board as you go about your day.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · At home
Spot, count and colour
A looking puzzle for young children: find and count things in the shelter tree picture, then colour them in.
5–7 yrs · At home or classroom
Story bookmarks
Decorate a set of bookmarks with sayings about stories, time and practice, keep one and give the rest away.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Strength in unity paper chain
Everyone decorates one paper link with their name, and the class joins them into a single long chain.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
Thank you lettering
Decorate the big outlined letters of a thank you and give the finished page to someone who helped you.
5–7, 7–9, 9–12 yrs · At home or classroom
Thatch on a calm day
Teams build a paper-strip roof on a small box twice, once in a strong breeze and once in calm, and compare.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom
The praise tree
Each child colours a tree, then the class fills a shared tree with paper leaves of kind words for one another.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom
Then and now
Interview a partner or family member about something they struggled with once and are good at now.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Traveller's tale car game
On a car, bus or train journey, notice things along the way, then tell the tale of the trip at the end.
5–7, 7–9, 9–12 yrs · At home
Twenty questions
One player secretly picks a meaning card. The others ask yes or no questions to work out which it is.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Two sides of the story
In pairs, act out an everyday disagreement from both sides, swap roles, then choose the saying that helps you understand it.
9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Welcome role play
Act out ways to make someone feel welcome: a new classmate, a visitor at home, a neighbour knocking at the door.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · Classroom or at home
What does the cat want?
Colour a purring cat and draw the thing it is really purring for.
5–7, 7–9 yrs · At home or classroom
Which saying fits?
Read a short everyday situation and decide which saying fits it best, then explain why.
7–9, 9–12, 12+ yrs · Classroom or at home
Who is glad of the wind?
Colour a windy day and fill it with people and creatures who are pleased with the wind.
7–9, 9–12 yrs · Classroom or at home
Preview edition. Ages and timings are suggestions for adult-led use, not curriculum levels. The activities are in English and explore what each saying means; the Irish on every page comes from a published, cited record. We welcome feedback from trying them.