Kid Friendly New Year’s Eve Planning Ideas

If you’ll be ringing in the New Year with children this year, you’ll definitely want to hone in on these kid friendly New Year’s Eve tips for celebrating, contributed by Jennifer Carver, of Spaceships and Laser Beams.

With New Year’s Eve babysitter shortages, adult-only menu pricing, and the traditional late night celebrating, Jennifer is sharing great ideas for including children in the festivities for an at-home party.

First, gather all of the noise makers you can!  From party horns, to pots and pans, whistles and firecrackers…children love to make noise!  And fortunately for them, New Year’s Eve is a totally acceptable time to do just that.

Set a timer (10 minutes is probably sufficient) and let them go crazy. They will feel elated at being able to freely express themselves and you will love watching them use up that stored energy before bed time!

Next, add party hats and crowns, silly glasses, feather boas and inexpensive bead necklaces.  If parents enjoy getting dressed up and decked out to celebrate, then kids do too!  Put together a fun dress-up station that the children can visit throughout the night.

Decide on your party timeline.  Will you celebrate the New Year on your local time zone, or will you plan a more child friendly celebration by hopping time zones and ringing in with neighbors in other parts of the world?  Many families even enjoy celebrating the “noon year” by doing their countdown at noon, local time, allowing them to put children to bed at their normal bed time.

Involve your children in fun and festive activities throughout the night!  Fill up helium balloons and insert small folded pieces of paper with child-friendly activities.  Every 30 to 60 minutes, have them pop a countdown balloon and participate in the activity.  This will give the children something to look forward to, build lasting memories and keep them entertained while adults visit and socialize. Ideas can include having a dance off, lip synching, making a party craft, playing a game or eating a treat.

Speaking of eating, plan and prepare kid-friendly appetizers, desserts and beverages.  Finger foods like cheese and crackers, chicken tenders, brownie bites and mini cupcakes are perfect for little hands.  Individual cups of pudding or Jell-O are also fabulous and can be prepared ahead.

Fruits and vegetables can be served in small dishes with dip in the bottom.  Let the kids toast with juice or sparkling apple cider when the clock strikes midnight.

If the children are old enough, help them make a few New Year’s resolutions.  Small notebooks and pen sets can be used to record goals, both written and drawn.  This may even be a great time to make some family resolutions and talk about plans for the New Year.

Celebrating the New Year as a family can be filled with fun and memorable activities for everyone.  Take a few of these ideas and build a celebration your children will love!