Family Life

20 Ideas for a Kid-Friendly New Year’s Eve At Home

If you’re a parent with a toddler or young children, New Year’s Eve parties are probably off the table, right? To be honest, once I hit my 30s, even if I could have I didn’t want to. With two kids who I know will be up far earlier than I’d like the next morning, I’d rather not stay up to the wee hours anyway.

Besides, nobody’s going to be heading out to a New Year’s party this year. So is all the fun over then? No! Here are 20 ideas for celebrating a kid-friendly New Year’s Eve at home.

1. Celebrate Earlier

This one’s a bit of a cheat, but most of the younger set won’t be able to make it to midnight anyway. How about a countdown to 8:00pm instead? (After all, it’s midnight somewhere in the world!) The kids still get to count down, and there’s plenty of time to put them to bed afterward and ring in the New Year with your spouse at midnight. (I’ve also seen this done as Noon Year’s Eve.)

2. Count Down with Netflix

Let Netflix help you count down to “midnight” on demand. As in years past, Netflix is streaming a selection of 2-3 minute NYE countdowns featuring characters from favourite kids’ shows like All Hail King Julien, Spirit Riding Free, Skylanders Academy, Beat Bugs, Tales of Arcadia, and Fuller House. Search for “countdowns” to find their collection of fun character countdowns for December 31st. This way you can count down to the New Year at any time and tuck the kids into bed early.

3. Dance Party

Grab your favourite tunes and cut loose! Add a Bluetooth-enabled disco ball for the best party ever.

4. Juice Bar

Set up a juice bar with fruit juices, sparkling water, orange slices, frozen sherbet, maraschino cherries, and whatever else you can think of for some mixology fun. Serve your drinks in plastic champagne flutes from the dollar store for an extra touch of elegance.

5. Make Some Noise

Go outside and bang on those pots with a wooden spoon at the stroke of midnight! This was my favourite part of New Year’s Eve as a kid. When else is it perfectly acceptable for your offspring to be as loud and obnoxious as possible?

6. Pajama Party

Send the night in your favourite pajamas. That way even if the kids pass out before midnight, they’re already dressed for bed and all you have to do is carry them there.

7. Family Sleepover

Better yet, have a family sleepover in the living room. Lay out your sleeping bags and eat s’mores. Leave them where they are when they fall asleep.

8. Watch a New Year Movie

Here are some kid-friendly suggestions:

New Year movies for kids

9. Party Like It’s 1999

Dig out that old maxi skirt or slip dress and throw a retro New Year’s party. Party like it’s 1999 or like it’s the 80s! Or whatever year, really. Dressing up is fun at any age.

10. DIY Party Hats

Make your own New Year’s Eve party hats. Get the kids to decorate a sheet of blank paper or construction paper with markers, crayons, stickers, and/or glitter then roll it into a cone. Glue the edges together and trim the bottom. Tape some ribbon on each side to tie it on and voilà!

11. Game Night

Have a card game or board game night, complete with pretzels and ginger beer!

12. Sundae Bar

Set up a make your own banana split or sundae bar – ice cream, bananas, caramel and fudge, nuts, gummy bears, dried fruit, whipped cream, and all the fixings.

13. Black Tie Dinner

Just because you can’t go out, doesn’t mean you can’t still have a fancy New Year’s Eve dinner. Dress up in something sparkly and eat dinner off the good dishes. (If you’re like me they’re probably still out from Christmas dinner anyway.) Sparkling cider makes a fantastic mocktail.

14. Create a Time Capsule

Fill a shoebox with various items, photos, and drawings chosen by each family member to remember the passing year. Opening it back up can be part of your celebrations next year!

15. Glow

Pick up some glow sticks and let the kids light up the night!

16. Confetti Balloons

Make some confetti balloons! No need to buy them. Just use a funnel to fill some balloons with a couple of handfuls of recycled confetti then blow them up with helium or a hand pump (you don’t want to inhale the confetti). Let the kids pop them at midnight for some indoor fireworks!

17. Video Game Night

Older kids can join in on some video game fun. Mario Kart or Mario Party are great family-friendly games that just about anyone can pick up and play.

18. Make New Year’s Resolutions

Write down your New Year’s resolutions and save them for next year. Younger children might need help with this but they can still think of things they’d like to do in the new year.

19. Sing in the New Year

Karaoke, anyone?

20. New Year’s Eve Scavenger Hunt

Hide small treats like gold chocolate coins (symbolizing good fortune for the New Year) around the house then set the kids loose to find them all.

Happy New Year!

I hope you find some of these ideas helpful in planning your New Year’s celebration at home with the kids. But most of all, I wish you a happy and healthy new year!

Happy New Year!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This West Coast Mommy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. This income helps pay for the operating costs of my website – thank you for your support!

Leave a Comment

4 Comments