I fondly remember my pre- mama New Year's Eve celebrations but am also really excited to celebrate the holiday as a family! There are so many fun ways to celebrate New Years Eve with kids! Now that the the new year is almost here I am planning how we will celebrate this year and in the years to come.
Here are twenty fun ways to celebrate the New Year with kids!
Watch home movies and reminisce- Cuddle up with some pop corn and look over your favorite moments from the past year together!
Set up a balloon drop- you can make your own balloon drop using a drawstring trash bag. Fill it with balloons and hang it upside down. Then undo the drawstring at midnight (or earlier for younger children) and let the balloons shower down on the kids! You can also purchase a Balloon Drop Kit
very inexpensively.
very inexpensively.
This one is $7 on Amazon and comes with balloons
Fun party supplies- horns, hats, silly glasses, and confetti can all be purchased at The Dollar Tree and are so fun for the kids!
Get crafty and make your own party supplies- set up a table with all the supplies needed and let kids make their own hats, horns, and shakers. You can find more on how to make your own shakers here.
Dress up and have a dance party- this one is so fun for the kids! Let them dress up in their best attire, decorate the living room, and dance the year away! Little ones get a kick out of playing adult roles so if your little one has a tuxedo or fancy dress (perhaps from a wedding) that would be great! Or even boas, tutu's, silly hats, and such!
Make time capsules- gather photos and other fun keepsakes to commemorate the year and place them in a time capsule. You could keep this simple and use an old mason jar or similar container or you could craft a time capsule together! A few examples are this simple time capsule from a box and this time capsule made from a coffee can. Open them next New Year's Eve, in ten years, or when the children are grown!
Bake a good luck cake- this is a fun Greek tradition in which you bake a cake with a lucky coin or other trinket hidden inside. The recipient of the coin is said to have good luck for the upcoming year. More on the history of Vasilopita or the good luck cake can be found here.
Pop balloons full of confetti- fill balloons with confetti and then pop them at midnight (or earlier for younger children) Older kids can pop them themselves using scissors or parents can pop the balloons for the kids. Turn it into a fun game like this dart balloon game from Martha Stewart
To fill the balloons with confetti simply use a funnel or similar object. Please be careful with balloons, especially around small children. They are a choking hazard and balloon fragments should be handled with care.
Celebrate Midnight in another country- if your children are younger and not able to make it until midnight or you simply don't want them up that late, you can celebrate the New Year earlier in the day alongside another country in another part of the world. If you are in the United States for example, you could celebrate alongside Paris which would be 6 PM here on the East Coast of the states.
Let them be part of the midnight toasting- give your little ones sparkling cider and let them cheers to the new year! They will love this and feel so grown up!
A pinata- fill a pinata with candies and other fun surprises and let the children break it open at midnight (or earlier)
Bang pots and pans- set out all the pots and pans and let your little ones bang on them at midnight and make lots of noise! March around the house. Celebrate the new year!
Set all the clocks, alarms, and cell phones to go off at midnight- we did this for Rosie last year and she really got a kick out of it only we set ours to go off at 8 PM. Then we celebrated with Rosie for a half hour before getting her ready for bed.
Put together a scrapbook of the year together as a family
Celebrate with a wish release- This is an idea I just recently thought of and I can't wait to do it this year! Write your wishes for the upcoming year on a helium balloon. Create one balloon for the whole family or one for each family member depending on ages of kids. Then release your wishes into the world and let fate (or wind) carry them onward and upward! I just love this idea and look forward to beginning this special family tradition this year!
Craft count down cards- Make count down cards with the kids using whatever materials you have on hand. You could make them using construction paper and glitter glue like we did last year, for example. As you count down to the new year, hold up the cards. Not only is this fun but a great way to sneak in a little number recognition for younger kids.
Throw a New Years Eve kids party for your little ones and their friends- there are lots of fun things you could do for a kids New Years Eve party. We are getting together with a few friends to celebrate this year and I am so excited! Lots of great ideas for throwing a kids New Years bash
Host a sleepover- invite your child's favorite friends over for a slumber party and let them bring in the New Year together. This is especially fun for the older kids who get to stay up til midnight!
Create a special kids table- set up a fun kids table giving them a fun place to sit. Decorate it with garland and other Christmas stuff you already have around. Make it gaudy and fun!
Family Share Time- sit around the fire or on the couch and talk about the year. What were your favorite things? What things would you like to work on or change? Reminisce and share your dreams together as a family
Make glowing lanterns or luminaries- make glowing lanterns or luminaries to decorate. Making them is fun for the kids and anything that glows is sure to be a hit!
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I hope you found some fun ideas here! If your family has any other fun ways of celebrating New Year's Eve I would love to hear them. Please share in the comments below.
No matter how you celebrate I wish your family a year filled with laughter & love!
~~~ Happy New Year! ~~~
We share fun kids activities several times a week!
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