New Year’s Eve is the perfect chance to round off a magical festive season and spend quality time with your family. As the excitement of celebrating Christmas with the family winds down, it’s easy to feel a little stuck for fresh ideas to keep the kids entertained. However, with a little creativity, you can make New Year’s Eve really special for your little ones, perhaps creating new traditions they’ll have fond memories of for years to come.
This guide is packed with our top tips and inspiration to help you end the year on a high.
Although New Year’s Eve can often seem more of an adult celebration with late-night parties, there are so many ways your children can get involved. Below we’ve created a list of some fun activities you can do with your kids to ring in the New Year.
Why not turn New Year’s Eve into a family costume party? You can set a theme - such as something sparkly, winter wonderland or a character from their favourite book or film of the year - and everyone can get creative with their outfits. This can be a great arts and crafts activity during the daytime as the kids make their costumes. Later on, you can have a fashion show so everyone has a turn walking down the catwalk before deciding on this year’s winner.
Get the whole family involved in making New Year’s resolutions. This activity is not only fun but also teaches kids about goal-setting and reflection. You can help younger children come up with achievable ideas, such as ‘I’ll tidy my toys every evening’ or ‘I’ll try a new food each month.’ You can make this an annual tradition, revisiting the goals you made each New Year’s Eve to see how many were successful.
This can be a really fun activity for the whole family as you look towards the year ahead and any changes that could be coming, e.g. starting at a new school. Encourage your kids to imagine what they’d like to tell their future selves. They can write about their favourite moments of the past year, their hopes for the next or even funny things they want to remember. Seal the letters in envelopes and decide on a date to open them - perhaps next New Year’s Eve!
Nothing says New Year’s Eve more than a firework display. If you have older children who can stay awake past midnight, you can venture out in warm clothes and wellies to a local display and enjoy the fireworks, perhaps with a hot drink in hand. A fun way to include younger children who might not stay awake for midnight is to stream New Year’s fireworks in different time zones, such as in Hong Kong or Australia. It’s an exciting way to let them join in the festivities without keeping them up too late.
A key part of New Year is reflecting on the year you’ve had and a great way to do this is to create a time capsule. You can find items that represent your year - such as drawings, photos, souvenirs from a holiday - and put them in a box. Label it with the date you’ll open it, whether that’s next year, in five years or in ten, and either store it in a cupboard or bury it in the garden. When you come back to open it, your family can have a nice trip down memory lane together.
Whether your little ones invite some friends over or you make it a family sleepover, this can be a cosy way to see in the new year. You can lay out sleeping bags, blankets and pillows in the living room and let the kids stay up a little later than usual. They can pop on their favourite slippers and pyjamas, enjoy some tasty snacks, play some games and watch films together.
Add some fun to the evening with a mocktail-making session. Let your youngsters experiment with colourful juice, fizzy drinks and maybe some fruit slices or candy canes. You can even give them mini umbrellas or special straws to make their drinks feel extra festive. It’s a great way to toast the New Year together while keeping it child-friendly. Plus, they’ll love having their very own ‘grown-up’ drinks!
Help your children create a memory board that showcases all the fun they’ve had over the past year. You can print out photos, collect ticket stubs, or ask them to draw pictures of their favourite moments. Arrange everything on a large piece of paper or corkboard and let them decorate it with glitter, stickers or other craft supplies. Displaying the board in a communal area like the kitchen or living room can serve as a lovely reminder of the year gone by - and it’s a fantastic keepsake to look back on later.
Looking for more festive inspiration? Find more fun-filled December activities with kids in our recent post.
Author: Click, published 19-12-2024.
