There are so many fun ways to celebrate the new year with kids. Here are 20 ideas that the entire family is sure to love!
CELEBRATING 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.
- 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! Make it silly and wear boas, tutu's, silly hats, and more.
- 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 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. Young kids can pop them using a skewer and older kids could throw darts at them.
- 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. Another great idea is a milk and cookies toast.
- A piñata- fill a piñata with candies and other fun surprises and let the children break it open at midnight.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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- 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!
- A New Years Eve Party Bath- this bath was simple to put together and so fun for my girls last year. Complete with a balloon drop, horns, party paint, & MORE! Get creative, have fun, and use whatever you have on hand.
- 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 including fun themes, games, and food can be found here.
- 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 until 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.
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No matter how you celebrate the coming year I wish your family one bursting with laughter & love!
Happy New Year!
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