New Year’s Eve is all about celebrating the new year coming. A display of excitement and hope that the next year will be joyful and better than the last. (Can I get an amen?)
Celebrating New Year’s Eve with Kids
When we were younger, we went to the bar, a party, or a concert. We drank too much, danced too hard, and had too much fun. And then we married and became (step)parents and now we’re old and boring. and even if we wanted to go out and party, we can’t just leave the kids at home alone!
If you’re without childcare and are celebrating New Year’s Eve with kids, I have 5 secrets to make the night a raving success for your family!
Refreshments
Special snacks and drinks are an amazing way to celebrate with kids. They love to feel like grown-ups.
Grab some plastic cocktail glasses from the dollar store and mix up mocktails with juice, soda, and ice cream. Add some fun snacks and a pizza dinner, and your kids will make some great memories of their own New Year’s party.
Entertainment
Having a relaxing movie marathon is always a good idea for a cold winter night. Plan a relaxing movie marathon to end out the old year. Pro Tip: As the night gets later, switch to movies your children know well to encourage them to drift off to sleep.
Or, break out the board game stash and have the wildest game competition of their little lives. The winner of the Yahtzee face-off plays the winner of the Sorry! face-off in the next bracket of Battleship. When someone is crowned the ultimate champion, have everyone join in on a game of Watch Ya’ Mouth and laugh until your bellies ache.
Countdown
Do your kids want to stay up for the midnight countdown? Netflix has a full selection of New Year’s countdowns featuring popular children’s characters to make the countdown exciting!
Pro Tip: You can play the countdown earlier than midnight and get the kids to sleep on time. No one wants to start the new year with a cranky, fussy kiddo!
Drama
Plan a balloon drop, sparkler lighting, or confetti gun shooting for the moment the clock strikes 12 (whether it’s the real midnight or your fictitious midnight). Kids go nuts over the drama, so don’t hold back.
We did a balloon drop from the living room ceiling one year using a garbage bag, and my stepdaughter thought it was the coolest thing in the entire world. Another year, we used feathers, rhinestones, and a hot glue gun to liven up some cheap sunglasses to wear all evening. Her diva came out that night.
Company
Hosting a sleepover to celebrate New Year’s Eve with your kids is a great way to have fun and help friends by giving them a night off. My kiddo asks me every single week if she can have a sleepover, but we reserve them for special occasions. Does it get more special than New Year’s Eve??
Plus, if you’re lucky, one of the other parents will host a sleepover the next year so you can go out. Make a party of it and have fun with your child while they make lifelong memories.
That’s it! Easy-peasy. It may not be boozy until the kiddos are in bed, but I bet you’ll still have a fantastic time New Year’s Eve with kids at home.
What did I miss?! Tell me how you’ve celebrated New Year’s Eve with kids in the comments below!
PS: Just a thought – but could you use NYE to create new savings banks with your kids to use in the new year?!