New Year’s Eve shouldn’t just be a fun time for grown-ups who can go to big parties!
It should also be a lot of fun for kids and their families!
Unfortunately, a lot of New Year’s Eve celebrations forget kids entirely, and just want to focus on champagne and activities for adults.
Kid-Friendly New Year’s Eve Ideas
For those of you with kids, who want to find a fun way to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home, you’ll love these fun ideas for New Years Eve celebrations for kids.
So get your party hats ready for a fun New Year’s Eve countdown your little guests won’t soon forget!
New Years Eve Events
A great way to keep energetic kids busy during the wait until midnight is to give them something different to do for each hour!
Plan ahead, and stockpile different things your kids can do throughout the night.
- Coloring
- Dress Up
- Board Games
- Set up a Photo Booth
- Make crafts
Dance
Nothing tires kids out faster than moving around!
So to ensure your kids are bit mellow as the clock ticks closer to midnight, why not have a dance party or dance contest!
Include lots of fun noisemakers too and allow them to be the live entertainment for the night.
Make a Time Capsule
A fun kid-friendly New Year’s Eve idea is to spend some time making a time capsule!
Your kids can put all sorts of things in it, like photos of things they like, little toys that represent their interests, or a list of things they enjoyed this year.
Store the capsule away (or bury it!), then wait until next New Year’s Eve to open it up!
Make Good Food
Kids love yummy treats, and baking takes time, so why not find a delicious New Year’s Eve treat you can make together!
Or make a kid friendly buffet using appetizers, finger food and treats that kids will love.
- Ham and Cheese Pinwheel Sandwich
- Grape Jelly Meat Balls Instant Pot Recipe
- Fruit Flavored Popcorn Recipe
- Strawberry Dunkaroo Dip Recipe
- Biscuit Pizza Bread Recipe
- Edible Brownie Batter Dessert Dip Recipe
- Cheesy Chicken Ranch Dip Recipe
- Walking Tacos Recipe
- Strawberry Yogurt Fruit Dip Recipe
- Mini Fruit Pizzas Recipe
Have a Scavenger Hunt
A kid-friendly New Year’s Eve idea your kids are sure to enjoy is a scavenger hunt!
Hide things around the house, and give your kids a list and clues to help them find everything.
This is even better if the scavenger hunt is related to the New Year, or to the year that has passed.
Set Off Fireworks
Fireworks are a New Year’s tradition for many people!
Rather than just waiting to see some on TV or outside your window, why not set off some small fireworks in your own yard.
Or if that seems to be too much, everyone could just light sparklers (while wearing gloves or using a plastic cup as a hand shield, to be safe).
Watch a Movie
This one is a classic! While it may not be the most exciting way to spend New Year’s Eve, it can be a lot of fun, especially if your kids are too young to do more involved activities.
Add to the fun by serving different popcorn flavors, or set up a hot chocolate bar!
Make a Mess
You may not usually like your kids making big messes, but New Year’s could be an exception.
Consider making a homemade confetti popper, or filling balloons with confetti and then popping them.
Add in some glitter for more messy fun!
Re-Decorate Your Tree
Unless you took your Christmas tree down right away, it’s very likely that it’s still up.
If the Christmas ornaments are still on, take them off.
Then work with your kids to redecorate the tree for New Year’s!
You can make some quick homemade ornaments to add to it, or put up silver and gold ornaments you got in the after-Christmas sales.
Make Resolutions
When you’re a kid, making resolutions can be a lot of fun!
So for a fun and kid-friendly New Year’s Eve activity, sit down with your kids to help them make their own resolutions!
They can draw them out, or make a resolutions scrapbook!
Watch the Ball Drop
You can watch the ball drop at Times Square on TV together.
We always did this when I was a kid and we continued the tradition with our own kids.
You could even have your own balloon drop or use party poppers to celebrate the beginning of the new year with your whole family.
New Years Eve Toast
You can’t forget the traditional NYE champagne toast.
You can recreate your own family-friendly toast using sparkling juice or cider.
There are so many different ways to ring in the New Year with your kiddos too!
How do you celebrate the New Year with your kids?
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