New Year’s Eve with kids isn’t a phrase many people would put together. Late bedtime, strange traditions, and all right after the hustle and bustle of Christmas. But it can be done and be fun.
Would you like my 5 tips for New Year’s Eve with kids?
Last year was one of the first years I actually involved my children in the New Year’s festivities and celebrations. We had so much fun with it, I thought this year I would research and round-up 15 of the best ideas for celebrating New Year’s Eve with your kids, while including my tips and ideas from last year.
1. It’s Midnight Somewhere
Your children won’t actually know if you stay up until midnight. One of my favorite tips is to set the clock to Midnight SOMEWHERE.
My best friend is actually throwing a Rio New Year’s party. Since Rio de Janeiro sees the New Year at 8pm her time. Just in time for little bits’ bedtimes.
This is a great way to explore geography and time zones depending on the age of your children.
I love these tips for celebrating and exploring the costumes and traditions of Brazil.
2. Make Memories
New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to create some fun by adding in some of your favorite indoor activities. Keep it simple by only doing one or two activities so you don’t overwhelm or overstimulate your kids.
If you have older children and plan on staying up later, you might want to pick a few of these.
Last year, we built forts in the living room, played a minute to win it game, and had a movie night.
Keep it simple with a Mini New Year’s Eve Party, kid sized decorations, family oriented plans, and simple activities for kids.
Remember, it isn’t about the biggest and the best when it comes to kids. It is about making memories as a family and enjoying your time together, no matter when that might be in the day.
3. Involve the Kids in Kid-Friendly Eats
My children love helping in the kitchen. Involving them in the cooking and planning of a meal helps with the excitement that comes along with a big celebration.
I have included some recipes that I think would be fun to try with kids for New Year’s eve.
Last year our menu consisted of funny face homemade pizzas, sparkling grape juice and glittery cupcakes.
You might like this collection of 10 simple kid friendly recipes for New Years Eve.
4. Reflect on Last Year and Set Goals for the New Year
Helping your children set goals can start at any age. When I was in the classroom, I had the students set their own goals and biannually have student led conferences with their parents. I did this with children ages 3-7. The key is to make the activity age appropriate and fun for them.
There are so many great printables already made from other bloggers, or you can make your own.
Last year we did 20 questions during our New Year’s Eve dinner. I put 20 different questions in a jar and we took turns pulling them out to answer them. It was a lot of fun, but we don’t have anything tangible to remember the answers.
Setting goals can be simple and achieved with a printable of 5 short questions, a time capsule , a guide for New Year’s resolutions, or even a nice goal setting printable.
5. Make Sure EVERYONE is Having Fun
The truth is, not all kids can handle the excitement of a countdown. Not all kids can handle the anticipation of waiting for one moment in time. In fact, if your child is anything like my Legoman, New Year’s Eve can turn hairy fast as the anticipation and excitement builds.
My tip is to anticipate overstimulation. Make a schedule of events so everyone knows what to expect for the evening. Provide calm down activities and spaces for when overstimulation occurs.
If you have a child who struggles with Sensory Processing, you might want to think about having some sensory tools on hand such as Calm Down Jars, Sensory Backpacks, or some of these simple fidgets that you can make yourself.
More Ideas for Celebrating New Year’s Eve with Kids
Follow Dayna | Lemon Lime Adventures’s board Holiday | New Year’s Eve on Pinterest.
These 10 recipes are perfect for involving the kids in holiday treats.
You might like this printable and video to remember the year and get ready for the New Year.
What are your favorite tips for celebrating the New Year with your kids? I would love to see them and hear all about them! Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email in the sidebar. I can’t wait to hear your ideas.
I love this list! You found some really cute snacks for New Year’s- we always do tapas (or “goodies” as my kids call them), and I love the ideas for kid-friendly eats.
I am really happy you like it. I love the multicultural ideas on your blog as well. I hope to use it more for social studies ideas this year 🙂
Wishing you a very Happy New Year! Looking forward to all the ideas you’ll be sharing in 2014! Thanks for sharing all these great resources for celebrating with Kids. We’ll be doing Questions every hour this year to add something fun to our day on top of the Interview we shared on our site. So fun to see their answers!
Thank you so much. Happy New Year to you as well. I love your site and look forward to checking it out more in the coming year as well. Your new plan sounds so fun:)
Great round up! We are still figuring out our New Year plans – ideally, we would like to celebrate with friends, but their kids have been sick, so we are “winging” it until the last minute.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Can’t wait to hear what you come up with! You have such great ideas!
Such great ideas! I especially like #1. I always let my kids stay up until midnight, and it backfires every year. Tired kids = nobody having fun. 🙂
Thank you! I agree. It is no fun to have tired kids. Are you doing anything special for New Years.
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I love the idea of having my son set goals for the new year. That would be something new and fun to have him think about.
I would love to know about your son’s goals. Can’t wait to hear!
Great ideas- the “it’s midnight somewhere” idea is brilliant! Pinned 🙂
Thank you so much! I actually have to thank my friend for the Brazil inspiration. We have been celebrating early for the past few years, though. Thank you for sharing.
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Great post! January is a great time to revisit your school plans and see if you’re still on track. It’s a great time to look at your goals and see what has been accomplished and what is still lingering in the shadows
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