Are you looking for things to do on New Years Eve with kids this year? These are fun activities for the whole family!
As parents, our New Years Eve celebration can look a little different but that doesn’t mean they have to be any less fun. As a mom to three littles, I am giving you the best things to do on New Years Eve with kids, that the whole family can enjoy.
You will read all about activities from New Years interviews and a picture slideshow to games, resolutions and more!
These fun things to do on New Years Eve with kids are perfect for your night at home.
This post is all about the best things to do on New Years Eve with kids and is packed full of free printables.
Things To Do On New Years Eve With Kids
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure for more information.
1. Games
Games are a fun way to spend New Years Eve at home. You can play cards and board games or spice it up with New Years themed games like New Years Bingo or a New Years scavenger hunt.
I created this New Year’s Eve scavenger hunt for my kiddos to do this year. If you would like to download and print this free printable to try with your kids just check out my New Year’s Scavenger Hunt Post.
I also made a scavenger hunt that uses pictures instead of words which makes it perfect for kids who are too young to read. You can download and print this free printable from my New Year’s Scavenger Hunt post as well.
{RELATED POST: 31 Top Family Board Games For Your Next Family Game Night}
2. Balloon Pop Countdown
Kids love a countdown balloon pop. All you need is 12 balloons, a sharpie marker and some tape.
Blow up all the balloons and label them with the numbers 1-12. Then, tape them to the wall in a circle like a clock.
Start your countdown at noon and let them pop one balloon each hour until midnight.
If your kids are really young like mine, and you don’t want them staying up until midnight just move the countdown to earlier in the day.
You could also set ALL your clocks forward 3 hours the night before. This way it will feel like they are getting to stay up until midnight because they will be tired but really it’ll be 9:00 when you finish your countdown.
3. Interviews
Interviews are a great way to document the year with your kids. I love doing birthday interviews with my children so I created a New Years Eve one as well. If you’d like to download this free printable interview just check out my New Years Interview Post here.
You can either have them fill it out or you can ask them the questions and then write down their answers. It’s fun to also take videos of the interviews to look back on in years to come.
On the printable below, I included a spot for a wallet sized picture so you can either take a picture of them on New Years Eve or just attach a school photo.
These make such great keepsakes so I like to laminate these afterwards and store them in their memory bins.
{RELATED POST: Adorable New Years Interview For Kids – Free Printable}
4. Picture Slideshow
This is one of my favorite things to do on New Years Eve with kids. Put together a slideshow with all the pictures and videos you took over the past year. Then, sit down and watch the video together as a family.
It is such a great reflection of all the fun memories your family has had over the past year, as well as, seeing just how much your children have grown.
5. Family Goals
New Years Eve is a great time to sit down as a family and discuss all the things you want to do together in the coming year. Write out the adventures you want to go on, activities you want to do, and the new things you want to try.
If you’d like, you can download my free printable family goals sheet below and fill it out as a family. Go around the table and let everyone voice their ideas.
When you are finished, hang it on the refrigerator so that you are more likely to work towards completing your family goals.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS FREE PRINTABLE
6. Resolutions
Make sure to add resolutions to your things to do on New Years Eve with kids. You can do a year in review where they write a few things that happened in the previous year and what they are looking forward to in the coming year.
Your kids can include a few goals to work towards as well as places they want to visit or things they want to try.
They can write these out on paper or you can check out my year in review post where you can download my free year in review printable.
Once my kiddos are finished I like to make a copy of them so they can keep one and I can laminate the other and store it in their memory bins. Then, I pull it out the following New Years Eve so they can see what their goals were from the previous year.
{RELATED POST: FREE Year In Review Printable For Kids}
7. Memory Jar
Go through your memory jar and read all the happy memories you have had as a family over the past year. If you didn’t do a memory jar then get one setup for the coming year.
To create a memory jar you just need to find a jar or container and cut up some small sheets of paper to set next to it. Each week during the year write down 1 or 2 happy memories from the week.
On New Years Eve, dump out the jar of memories and read them all out loud. It is such a great way to look back at all the happy memories from the previous year.
8. Decorate
There is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than having some fun decorations like streamers, balloons, noise makers and confetti. You could even get some New Years photo booth props like these to take some fun, silly pictures.
New Year’s Decorations
9. Food
With a countdown celebration that goes all day it’s a good idea to have snacks on hand. Here are a few fun New Years Eve food ideas you can make and enjoy with your family.
- Crescent dippers that are shaped into the numbers of the new year
- Puppy chow using white chocolate and gold sprinkles
- Pizza in the shape of the new year
- White chocolate dipped pretzels
10. Fancy Drinks
Make some fancy mocktails for the family. You could put them in your glassware or pick up some plastic champagne flutes like these.
This year I plan to make some cookies so my kiddos can do a milk and cookies toast at “midnight.” Here are a few other fun kid-friendly drinks for New Years Eve.
- Rootbeer Floats
- S’mores Milkshake
- Cotton Candy Mocktail
- Shirley Temple
- Sparkling Cranberry Punch
11. Science Experiments
Science experiments are always a hit with kids so try some New Years Eve themed science activities. These are a couple of our family’s favorites.
- Fireworks in a jar (pictured above)
- Fill a jar 3/4 of the way with water. In a separate bowl add a few tablespoons of oil. Then, using a fork mix in some food coloring droplets to the oil. Finally, add the oil mixture to the water jar and watch the colorful display.
- Confetti eruption
- Baking soda and vinegar experiments are so easy and always a hit with kids. To do a confetti eruption, mix some baking soda with confetti in a plastic champagne flute. Slowly add some vinegar and watch the confetti erupt.
{RELATED POST: 6 Insanely Fun And Simple Science Activities You And Your Kids Will Love}
12. Dance Party
Crank that music up and have a dance party with your kids. To make it even more fun, put together a playlist of the top songs that came out during the past year!
13. Piñata
This one is SO much fun. Sometime in the days leading up to New Years Eve, make a New Years ball piñata.
To make the piñata you’ll need a balloon, flour, water, newspaper cut into strips, and paint for decoration. When you’re finished, fill the piñata with treats, confetti or both.
Then, use it as decoration on New Years Eve. When the clock strikes “midnight” let the kids break open the piñata. It is guaranteed to be a hit.
If you don’t have time to make a paper mache piñata yourself, you can also pick up a New Years piñata like this one and then fill it with confetti or candy. Either way, your kids will love this fun New Years Eve activity.
This Post Was All About Fun Things To Do On New Years Eve With Kids
What activities does your family like to do on New Years Eve?
Other Posts You May Like:
How To Create An Epic Family Time Capsule Your Future Self Will Thank You For
25 Free Printable New Years Bingo Game Cards
19 Special Birthday Traditions Your Child Will Never Forget