Five Ways to Catch a Leprechaun

Leprechauns are one of the most elusive creatures, second only to Santa's elves. According to legend, the night before St. Patrick's Day is notorious for leprechaun trouble, and mischief is one of their favorite things to create. Contrary to popular belief, the original sprites were mean and unpleasant creatures, who allegedly didn't even wear green. The fairy-folk with their greedy nature serve as the perfect opportunity to teach your children important lessons, like how to share and not take from others—the opposite of how these individuals operate.

No need to hide your gold—this year, you and your family will be ready for them with these creative traps. Lead them to the set-up of your choice with a trail of footsteps that are easy and enjoyable to create with the help of our printable templates. Entice the small bearded mischievous beings into a mason jar trap with a mouthwatering colorful rainbow cake. The chocolate covered pretzel ladder will help them reach the cake before you seal the lid, trapping them inside. Or, lure them into a warm and welcoming faux bed and breakfast. Appropriately named the "Gold Coin Inn," this trap is for the leprechaun with discerning taste. Tempt the sneaky magical beings with a warm place to rest the night, while confining them to their newfound snare.

These innovative leprechaun traps are so entertaining to make, that it will leave kids wondering if the creatures are real. Here, whether or not you believe, find five ways to catch a one this St. Patrick's Day—or, at the very least, get some gold chocolate coins for your trouble.

"Gold Coin Inn" Leprechaun Trap

Catch a sneaky leprechaun by luring him in to this welcoming inn, aptly dubbed the "Gold Coin Inn." Blinded by greed, the leprechaun will have no idea there's no floor inside and he'll be trapped in your box.

Rainbow Cake Mason Jar Trap

You've followed rainbows to get to your pot of gold, but you've never been tempted by a mouthwatering edible rainbow like this. Attract an unsuspecting leprechaun with the sweet layers—and don't forget to add a chocolate-covered pretzel ladder to help them reach the top.

Classic Leprechaun Trap

Will our simple-to-create leprechaun trap help you and your family capture the troublemakers? Craft it the night before to see.

A Trail of Footsteps

These teeny-tiny footprints lead to a rainbow that no leprechaun could resist. Use our free printable template to set up your own makeshift trail.

To make a leprechaun trail of your own, print the template directly onto green cardstock and cut out each footprint. Then transfer the template onto the back of glitter cardstock and cut out each footprint. Set up the footprints in a trail around your house using small pieces of double stick tape to secure if necessary. At the end of the trail, leave a pile of golden coins and chocolate. Kids will love following the footsteps around the house and finding treats at the end.

Lucky Surprise Balls

These crepe-paper crafts may look innocent, but they lure in leprechauns with a few lucky tokens. Kids will love unwrapping them as much as the toys they find inside.

Print clip-art labels onto 8.5-by-11-inch adhesive paper and cut around the circles before scrunching crepe paper into a Ping-Pong-size ball. Then place the end of a crepe-paper roll on the ball and wind the paper around it. As you go, add in trinkets so each is trapped between the layers, switching colors for an extra surprise. We suggest cutting the first color and wrapping over it with a second hue. Once the ball has reached softball size, finish with a charm label printed on adhesive paper and give it to the lucky recipient.