There is so much to love about New Year's Eve. Who doesn't enjoy the sparkly clothes, the anticipation, the resolutions, the countdown, the dancing, the bubbly, the kisses, the sense of a brand-new beginning and, of course, the snacks? New Year's Eve can be fun for people of all ages, but let's be real: New Year's day can be A BEAST for parents who are dealing with both the aftereffects of some bubbly and with younger kids who didn't get enough sleep the night before. The fun tax is real when it comes to dealing with kids who still wake up at 6 a.m. no matter what time they went to bed!
But the fear of losing sleep doesn't have to mean missing out on the fun of ushering in the new year as a family. The key is to find ways to start and END the celebrations earlier in the day. The good news is that there are a lot of ways (we've rounded up 15 of our favorites) to make this easy and fun for parents to pull off and to keep kids from getting celebration FOMO. The best part is that once the littles are in bed, the parents can still break out the bubbly and enjoy a grown-up celebration of their own.
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Decorate
Nothing says "festive" for kids like homemade decorations. On the day of New Year's Eve, enlist the kids in making decorations for the party using markers and construction paper, glitter, and glue. They can stencil "Happy New Year," draw pictures of favorite memories from the year that's ending, or write down wishes and resolutions for the one that's about to begin. Then decorate the house with their creations using wall-friendly painter's tape. It's easy.
Dress-Up Time
Break out their party clothes, the ones they only wear on "special occasions," or even give that flower girl dress a second wearing. Or break into the Halloween costumes, dress-up box, or the grown-ups' closets and get all gussied up. Feather boas, rhinestone necklaces, satin scarves: Why not pile it all on? It's not a real New Year's party unless there is sparkle and shine!
Set a Festive Mood
Turn the lights down low and put on some music. Maybe light a few candles for a warm, soft glow or even head outside to light a few sparklers once the sun goes down.
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Have a Movie Marathon
Choose a series of movies (somewhere between two and four movies is the sweet spot, depending on kid ages) and time it so that the last movie ends around bedtime. When the credits roll, it's the new year. Kids will love getting lots of screen time and snacks along the way.
New Year's Dance Party
Put on something with a beat that gets you moving (vintage disco, old R&B, current hits) and cut the rug with the crew. Break out the limbo stick. Play some freeze dance. Get crazy! This is a fun option for inviting some friends over too, the more the merrier.
Celebrate With a Different Country
A fun idea is to find a country that is in a desirable time zone (where midnight hits at our 7 p.m., for example) and make that country the theme of the day. Maybe eat snacks or meals inspired by that cuisine, find some kids' shows from that country to watch online, and then hop online to watch their ball drop at "midnight.".Haven't we all wanted to be Australian at some point in our lives?
Puzzle It Out
Some kids (and adults too) might find all the noise and celebration of a typical New Year's Eve party to be overstimulating and overwhelming. For families that want a little more chill way to ease into the new year, consider creating a family puzzle night. Some snacks, some chill music, and a fun new puzzle could be just perfect.
Break Out the Bubbly For All
What is a party without some festive drinks? Just because kids are too young to drink champagne doesn't mean they can't enjoy festive fizzy drinks. Pop open a bottle of nonalcoholic sparkling cider and let the kids drink from champagne flutes. (Disposable options exist if breakage is a concern.)
Game Night Fun
A super fun way to spend New Year's Eve with kids is to have an all-ages game night! Invite some friends and neighbors for games and designate one game as the "first game of the new year." Start playing that game to wrap up the party. When it's over, the winner gets to shout Happy New Year and have the first glass of bubbly juice.
Balloon Countdown
A fun way to count down to faux midnight is to get some balloons and label the outside with a time (5 p.m., 6 p.m., etc.) and put a slip of paper with a fun activity in each one (have snack, dance party, play a game). Figure out when "midnight" is going to be and start popping the balloons on the hour (the "5 p.m." balloon at 1 p.m., for example). After the balloon is popped, do whatever activity was printed on the slip.
Set a Countdown Clock
Pick an hour – maybe 7 or 8 p.m. because we like the feeling of celebrating at night, when it's dark, but any hour will do – and count down the minute preceding. Then hooray! Jump around, toot party horns, bang pots, and make noise.
Best of Slideshow
One of the best things about New Year's Eve and New Year's Day is the time to reflect on the best parts of the year coming to a close. A special way to do that is to create a family slideshow of all the best memories. Everyone gets to choose 10 to 20 pictures from the year before that mean the most to them. (Little ones might need some help with this.) Load them into a Google Slides or PowerPoint, and then the family can watch a slideshow of everyone's favorite memories.
Do a Balloon Drop
Kids will love having a big "Happy New Year's!" moment that includes an at home balloon drop. This is simpler to pull off than it sounds, and kids will have a blast dancing in the balloons afterward. Pro tip: Drop the balloons at least an hour before bedtime because they might get all excited and need some play time to calm down.
Family Slumber Party
A family slumber party in the basement or in the living room can feel special and fun for kids. Everyone can put on their best pajamas, set up air mattresses or sleeping bags on the floor, and settle in for movies and snacks. Lights go off a little later than normal to give the slumber party a New Year's Eve vibe, but there's no rule that the parents have to go to sleep. Once the kids are down, sneak out for some grown-up snacks and fun.
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Soak in the Love
Hug and kiss the little ones and wish them a happy year ahead. Try not to get too misty when thinking about all the new year has in store for them – and how much they'll grow before we do this all again next year.
