30 November · for ages 5 to 10

St Andrew's Day for kids

St Andrew's Day is Scotland's national day. Learn the story of the Saltire flag, take Nessie's quiz, print a colouring page and a word search, then explore the town of St Andrews in 3D.

📅 30 November

Take the quiz Free printables Play St Andrews in 3D

Happy St Andrew's Day in Gaelic:Là Fhèill Anndrais sona dhuibh!

Easy facts

10 St Andrew's Day facts for kids

Short facts for children aged 5 to 10. Read them together, then try the quiz.

30 November

St Andrew's Day is on 30 November every year. It is Scotland's national day.

Andrew the fisherman

Andrew lived about 2,000 years ago in Galilee. He caught fish with his brother Peter, before they became two of Jesus's 12 disciples.

Scotland's patron saint

A patron saint is a special saint for a whole country. Andrew is Scotland's patron saint. He is also a patron saint of other countries, like Greece and Romania.

The Saltire

Scotland's flag is called the Saltire. It is a white X on a blue background. The X is called St Andrew's cross.

A flag from the sky

A very old story says a king saw white clouds make an X in a blue sky. That is how Scotland got its flag. Read the story below!

The town of St Andrews

The town of St Andrews is named after him. Its cathedral was once the biggest church in Scotland. You can explore it in Nessie's 3D St Andrews.

A unicorn for Scotland

Scotland's national animal is the unicorn! Look for the golden unicorns hidden in Nessie's 3D games.

The prickly thistle

Scotland's national flower is the thistle. A story says an enemy soldier stepped on one in the dark and yelled "Ouch!", which woke up the Scots just in time.

Ceilidh time

Lots of people celebrate with a ceilidh (say KAY-lee). It is a party with Scottish music, bagpipes and fun group dances.

A holiday in Scotland

Since 2007, St Andrew's Day has been an official holiday in Scotland. Many schools and shops still stay open, so ask a grown-up what happens near you.

Story time: how Scotland got its flag

Long, long ago, King Angus and his army were about to fight a much bigger army. The king was worried, so he prayed for help.

Then he looked up. White clouds had made a giant X across the bright blue sky. It was the shape of St Andrew's cross! King Angus promised that if they won, St Andrew would be Scotland's saint forever.

His army won. And that is why Scotland's flag is a white X on a blue sky.

This is a legend: a story people have told for hundreds and hundreds of years. People say it happened near the village of Athelstaneford, in East Lothian.

Quiz

Nessie's St Andrew's Day quiz

8 quick questions. Every answer comes with a fun fact. Great on a classroom whiteboard too.

Question 1 of 8

Loading the quiz...

New question order every time. Free, with no sign-up, no adverts and nothing saved.

Free printables

Colouring page and word search

Print at home or in class. Each one prints on its own A4 page, with no logos or adverts.

🖍️ Colour the Saltire

Colour the four triangles blue and leave the X white. Then colour the thistle and Nessie.

🔎 St Andrew's Day word search

Find 10 words. They only go across → or down ↓, so it is just right for younger children.

St Andrew's Day word search

Find the words. They go across → or down ↓

Name: ____________________

For teachers and parents

St Andrew's Day ideas for the classroom

Quick, low-prep activities for Primary 1 to Primary 6. No sign-up needed for anything on this page.

Make a Saltire
Fold a square of paper corner to corner, both ways. Draw along the folds to make a fat X, then colour everything else blue.
Have a mini ceilidh
Clear the hall and try an easy dance like the Gay Gordons or Strip the Willow. Lots of noise is part of the fun!
Learn the Gaelic greeting
Say Là Fhèill Anndrais sona dhuibh! together. Find more Gaelic words and phrases on our Schools page.
Visit St Andrews on the whiteboard
Open St Andrews in classroom mode and press "Watch the tour". Nessie walks to each place and reads out a fact.
Thistle art
Draw or paint a thistle with purple and green, then tell the story of the prickly thistle that saved Scotland.
Postcard from St Andrews
After exploring the 3D town, children write a postcard about their favourite place: the castle, the cathedral or the beach.

Need more? Our Schools page has free learning packs, Gaelic words and phrases, and help planning a real school trip.

Go to Schools

Nessie's St Andrews Adventure: the 3D town with the cathedral, the castle and West Sands

Free 3D game

Explore St Andrews with Nessie

Visit the cathedral, the castle, the Old Course and West Sands beach. Win stars, find the golden unicorns, or press "Watch the tour" and let Nessie show you round.

🎮 Play St Andrews All 9 adventures