So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye 2021!! As we happily say goodbye to this crazy year, let's look hopefully to 2022! Why not start with some fun, safe at home ideas for New Year's Eve! We’ve rounded up some activities to make it a memorable New Year’s Eve with these tips for a kid-friendly celebration. Who says New Year’s Eve is only for grown-ups? Just because we are grown-ups doesn't mean we can't have some good ol' fashion fun and enjoy a New Year's celebration with our kids. This party idea countdown is all about ringing in the good times with the kiddos. The great part is you don't have to stay up late to make it a great party with your younger kids. Many of the ideas below can be done on the hour for an hour and then move on.
If you have really young ones, start the day with a great New Year's themed breakfast and count down to noon!
Yes, some may call be a glitter party-pooper, but you will NOT find anything below that requires glitter. I rarely use it for my own DIY crafts, and will especially not let my kids around the stuff unless absolutely necessary.
Special New Year Family Dinner or Lunch
Whether you are celebrating at noon or midnight, make an effort to have a special family dinner together. Make your family's favorites or order out (#supportlocal) for a special treat. Remember, the most important thing is sharing a meal together as a family.
New Year Countdown Dessert
For dessert, make a cake that has each slice represent a clock and a countdown or make cookies and decorate each one as a clock. On the hour you can share the piece of cake or take turns with the cookies!
New Year's Eve Party Games
1. Board Games
Dust off those board games you don't get to play much during the year and enjoy family game night, or here are some unique games. These ideas for kids’ party games and activities are designed to entertain guests of all ages at your celebration.
2. Best of 2019 Printable Game and Conversation Starter Printable
Have the family get together to reflect on some favorite memories, vacations, movies, and much more from the past year. Just drop these prompt cards into a bowl and have each person take turns picking one out.
3. New Year's Charades
Fill a party style top hat with notes that contain New Year's prompts for the kids to act out to their teammates. Suggestions for hat fillers include:
🎉New Year’s Eve
🎉Noisemaker
🎉Ball drop
🎉Countdown
🎉Party dress
🎉Confetti
🎉Clock
🎉Midnight
Players take turns choosing a note from the hat and trying to get their teammates to guess the answer by acting it out with gestures (no talking allowed). The team that guesses the most correctly wins. These same prompts could also be used to play a game of New Year’s Pictionary.
4. New Year's Eve Karaoke
What better way for kids to make some of their own New Year’s noise than with a microphone? Plugin the karaoke machine, turn up the volume and let them “sing” in the New Year!
5. Photo Memory Timeline
Print out a collection of pictures that depict memories from the past year (try to have at least one for each month). Hide them around the house or scatter them on the floor. Have the kids hunt for and gather all of the pictures. Once they have retrieved them all, ask them to arrange them in order to create a timeline of memories.
They can hang them on a wall or a clothesline strung across the room. Make sure to snap a picture of them hanging the pics or ringing in the new year, to have one final image to hang at the end of the timeline.
6. Find the Clock
Hide an alarm clock someplace in the room. Set it to ring in five minutes. Challenge the kids to find it before it does.
New Year's Eve Mock Countdown
If the kids at your celebration are too young to stay up until midnight, you can have a mock countdown at a more suitable time. Simply change the clocks so that they will strike 12 when it is only 8 or 9 p.m. Hand out noisemakers, party hats, and confetti to toss when the countdown ends. This is a great way for kids to be a part of the celebration but still get to bed on time.
Many of the ideas below you can turn into Countdown Bags with hourly activities and special treats. Let the kids open them each hour to reveal the task inside. Some ideas include: decorate Ice Cream Cone Party Hats, Take photos with a disposable camera, make a craft, celebrate with traditions from around the world, etc.
Party Favors
Party Hats- Find a variety of party hats for any age here or keep it simple by buying Dollar Tree party hats and add your own flair to them (tinsel, pom poms, etc.)
Glow Sticks- Kids love glow sticks at any party. Dollar Tree has a great selection!
Celebrate With Balloons
Maybe you can’t have a ball drop in your home, but you can have a bunch of balloons drop as you ring in the New Year. Use a balloon drop kit or make your own by filling some netting or a plastic tablecloth with inflated balloons. Tape the balloon-filled net to the ceiling in the party room and release them when guests reach the end of their midnight countdown.
Another fun idea using balloons is to have each child write a resolution or wish for the New Year on a piece of paper. Have them each fold their paper and place it inside a balloon. Then fill the balloons with helium, tie them with ribbon, and have the kids release them into the air as the clock strikes 12.
Balloon Clock- I love this idea for any age and a great way to do the countdown. It also doubles as a great New Year decoration.
Disco Ball Pinata
How fun would this be as a party feature or part of the Countdown? The tutorial is for a Halloween costume but can be easily adapted for a pinata!
New Year Snack Bags
Making snack bags with trail mix, popcorn, or your kiddos' favorite snack will help pass the time as well.
Kid-Friendly Toast
Kids want to be a part of the New Year’s Eve toast, too. Why not let them indulge with a fancy champagne flute or wine glass–made of plastic filled with hot cocoa, cold milk, ginger ale or kid-friendly mock champagne (ginger ale, white grape juice, and raspberries) or what about a fun cotton candy mocktail!
New Year Tree
If your Christmas tree is still standing, why not redecorate it for the occasion? Remove the Christmas ornaments and invite kids to a celebration that includes trimming the tree with New Year’s decorations such as silver tinsel, noisemakers, balloons, and streamers. Don’t forget the shiny top hat as the tree-topper!
Countdown Cookies and Cake
This may be one of my favorite party ideas. One, it is a dessert that should last most of the night. You can bake a cake or have your local bakery make one and decorate the top to look like a cake. On the hour, you get to cut a slice to help countdown to the New Year. If you want to do cookies, make 12 cookies and arrange them in a circle. Same concept, every hour you get to each one cookie!
Take it a step forward and make a video! What a great family tradition to start each New Year!
No matter what you do to celebrate, your children will be so happy to spend New Year's Eve with you, it will be memorable and fun! You can even continue celebrating by watching the Rose Parade on New Year's Morning or take in a Free Hike at your local State Park.
