New Year's Eve with kids doesn't have to mean a boring night at home. Keep the night at home but lose the boring with these 15 fantastic family-friendly activities to help celebrate New Year's Eve with kids at home. From balloon pops to ball drops, discover how to ring in the New Year – or Noon Year! – in the most festive and memorable way.
For more New Year's Eve fun with kids with an international flavor, check out our guide to 23 Family-Friendly New Year’s Traditions from around the World. Chair leaping or grape eating, anyone? Also, there are tons of activities and things to do on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day on our local event calendars.
However you celebrate, from all of us at Mommy Poppins: Happy New Year!
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It's like bubble wrap popping on a really big scale! Photo courtesy of How Does She
New Year's Eve or NOON Year's Eve?
For many families, midnight is way too late for everyone, even parents! There are a couple of ways to have a countdown that's meaningful and not just picking a time near their actual bedtime. One way that's great for families with the littlest kids is to have a Noon Year's Eve - countdown to 12pm, not 12am. Local museums often have balloon drops at noon, but you can do your whole celebration at noon!
Another way to do it is to pick another time zone to use as your countdown time. For families who live in the Pacific time zone, this is easy; you can watch the ball drop in New York! But you can pick any time zone celebration that works for your family bedtime or nap schedule – how about London, or Sydney?
Get dressed up for the photo booth! Photo courtesy 5 minutes for mom
What Are the Best New Year’s Eve Activities To Do With Kids at Home?
The best activities for kids are ones that you can do any time of the day and incorporate into your other celebrations and activities.
1. Dress Up with a DIY Photo Booth
Who doesn’t love to dress up for a special occasion? Break out the feather boas, top hats, or exaggerated plastic glasses. Anything goes! Try these printable photo booth props or spend the day crafting with the kids to make your own unique props, using this tutorial.
Whatever you choose, make it fun, make it silly, and make it memorable to mark the end of the year. Set up a little corner with a camera (or phone), a tripod, and a backdrop. That's all you need! Here's a charming tutorial on how to set up a photo booth for any kid party.
Inside Tip: Put kids in charge of running the “photo studio” and manning the camera.
2. Make Your Own Party Poppers & Noise Makers
Crafty families may not want to buy their party hats and noisemakers—instead, make crafting part of your celebration. Try making holiday crackers, confetti poppers, noise-maker shakers, glitter slime, or even party hats.
3. Glow-in-the-Dark Dance Party
Put on your favorite tunes, pull up a kid-friendly playlist, or get a free Just Dance app for some family-friendly booty shakin'. Add in glow sticks and turn the lights out, and now you’ve got a Glow-in-the-Dark Dance Party.
Toddler Tip: Play “freeze dance” to make it more fun for toddlers.
How Can Families Do a New Year’s Eve Countdown With Kids (Even Early)?
You don’t have to wait until midnight to do a countdown! You can do a countdown to noon with toddlers or leading up to bedtime for bigger kids.
4. Balloon Pop Countdown
There’s something exciting about popping balloons at the top of the hour, every hour, until midnight—the biggest pop of the year! Of course, you don't have to keep popping until midnight. Start at noon, start after dinner, do a dozen, or do just a few; one of the best things about this activity is that it can be tailored to the ages (and bedtimes) of the kids in the family.
Make it even more special: Before putting helium or air into colorful balloons, try stuffing them first with sequins, confetti, or glitter and a slip of paper with an activity for that hour written on it.
For bigger goodies, there are bags! Photo courtesy of Simple Easy Creative
5. Hourly Countdown Bags
For goodies that won't fit in balloons, opt for simple paper bags filled with treats and activities, one for each hour of the night. Kids can help decorate the paper bags, but make sure to keep what's inside a surprise.
Inside Tip: The bags can be filled with an array of things, like a new game to play or book to read, special treats to eat, or even fun things to help celebrate, like noisemakers or party hats.
6. TV/YouTube/Streaming Kids’ Countdowns
Sure, every year families gather to watch the ball drop in Times Square on TV (or online), at least those who can stay awake that long. But now that everything is streaming, there are a million (give or take) countdowns and celebrations to choose from. Two of our favorites that are great for even the youngest kids are the family-friendly Netflix New Year’s Eve Countdown Collection and the annual PBS Kids Countdown.
To see one of the first major fireworks shows to ring in the new year, check out the Sydney Harbor Fireworks (just remember that they're 16 hours ahead of the East Coast, though families can catch it replaying online at any time).
What Are Fun New Year’s Eve Party Themes for Kids?
7. Pajama Party + Movie Marathon
Curl up in those new holiday PJs, build a fort out of pillows, and put on a movie (or three) that the whole family will enjoy.
We have instructions for six different kinds of indoor forts you can build together here, and we’ve also rounded up 75 of the best movies for family movie night, complete with age recommendations.
8. Around-the-World Countdowns
Celebrate each time a country hits midnight! Pick one of that country’s NYE traditions from our list of 23 New Year’s traditions from around the world, like eating grapes, smashing plates, or even getting tapped with an onion.
Keep It Simple: It doesn’t have to be a New Year tradition. You can simply pick a song or snack from that country, like eating pizza at the Italian New Year, or dancing an Irish jig when the clock strikes in Ireland
Board games keep everyone from getting bored. Photo by Lisa Mancuso
9. Camping Indoors
No need to go outside, just gather up sleeping bags, a tent, board games, and s'mores right in your living room.
More indoor fun ideas are on our list of 75 Favorite Indoor Activities for Kids.
What New Year’s Eve Crafts Can Kids Make at Home?
10. DIY Noise Makers
This is the easiest craft, using staples you probably have around the house. Make a paper plate noise maker by filling two plates with dried beans or pasta, stapling or taping the edges shut. Kids can decorate the outside with crayons, markers, and stickers.
Tip for Sensory-Sensitive Kids: Swap the beans for pom-poms or cotton balls to create a soft, shakeable “quiet maker” that still feels festive without the loud noise.
11. Confetti Poppers
All you need is a balloon, tape, and confetti to make a homemade confetti popper.
What New Year’s Eve Games Are Easy for Families to Play Together?
12. Minute to Win It Games
Minute to Win It games are perfect for family game nights and holiday gatherings: They're great for all ages, can be scaled for groups, and can be prepped on a budget. Many Minute to Win It games are also easy to customize to a theme, like ringing in the New Year. We rounded up 50 fun Minute to Win It games to play with kids.
13. Family Trivia Night
We rounded up 100 trivia questions for kids, including everything from animal facts and history trivia to Disney and sports trivia. Once you've gotten through this list, find even more cool trivia for kids in our Ultimate Collection of Fun Facts and Mind-Blowing Trivia for Kids.
Gaming Tip: You can make this game as competitive as your family likes. You can simply ask the questions and try to figure out the answers together, or you can keep score
14. Indoor Scavenger Hunt
Make a New Year's Eve-themed scavenger hunt. There are so many ways this could go: you could have kids find hats and fancy items to dress up in, so at the end of the fun, they're dressed and ready to party. Or you could have them find things that remind them of the past year, like "Find a picture of the best thing you did this year" or "Find an object that has the number of how old you turned this year." For more ideas, check out our Guide to Having a Scavenger Hunt With Kids.
How Can Families Start Meaningful New Year’s Traditions at Home?
15. Annual Family Interview
While these 101 questions were written to ask grandparents, they’re really great discussion questions for everyone in the family. Select ones that speak to your crew, and ask each other. Don’t forget to record the answers!
16. Family Time Capsule
Box up a favorite shirt they've outgrown, maybe an old favorite toy, printouts of today's news, a letter to your future selves, and lists of some of your favorite pop culture things from today. (This comes from our article called 100 Things for Your Family Bucket List. Check it out for more ideas!)
Hot Tip: Be sure to hide it or bury it somewhere you'll have access to in the future!
17. Year-in-Review Photo Slideshow
Hook up this year's photos and put them on a loop for a year-end slideshow. Have your kids narrate the show; it's always funny to hear what they remember from specific events.
Inside Tip: Record their narration to play back next year!
18. Make Family Resolutions
Making New Year's resolutions is a tradition ingrained in American culture. It's a great way to get kids to think and talk about everything they experienced in the past year. Give everyone their own sheet for individual resolutions, or opt to have one big family resolutions page.
19. Make a Family Bucket List for the New Year
On the flip side of making resolutions is making a bucket list of things you hope to do in the coming year. A great way to generate excitement for the future is to make a wish list together of the adventures and new experiences you want to have next year. If you're not sure where to get started with making your list, check out our Ultimate Family Bucket List of 100 experiences you'll remember forever.
What Special New Year’s Eve Treats or Snacks Work Well for Kids?
20. Mocktails (with Cocktail Pairings for Parents!)
Serve up these 5 fancy mocktails for a kid-friendly party to welcome the new year. We've even included the accompanying adult cocktail recipes.
Short Cut Tip: Any Kid Beverage + Fruit Garnish + Cool Cup = Mocktail!
21. Snack & Dessert Boards
Grazing is a popular way for kids to eat, so let them snack on an array of favorite foods! Pick a theme, like a charcuterie board or waffle board, or just load up a tray with all their favorite foods! If you’re stuck for inspiration, we created 7 popular dessert boards for kids. https://mommypoppins.com/kids/irresistible-easy-dessert-board-recipes-f…
22. “Lucky Foods” for Kids
Serve up snacks of dishes made with lucky foods for luck in the new year. Here’s a sampling from our favorite traditions around the world:
Grapes: For prosperity and good fortune. (Spain)
Marzipan pigs: Helps you root or move forward into the year. (Austria)
Soba noodles: “Year-crossing noodles” are slurped up to melt away the hardship of the last year. (Japan)
Black-eyed peas: To bring prosperity in the upcoming year. (Southern US)
How Do You Celebrate New Year’s Eve With Toddlers Without Keeping Them Up Late?
There is absolutely no reason to keep little ones up late on NYE. They can’t tell time, and they just like a reason to celebrate. Plus, celebrating early means parents can relax, unwind, and have their own toast at midnight (or earlier!).
Try one of these toddler-friendly ideas:
Sensory play station (bubbles, ice cubes, pom-poms).
Early bedtime countdown with a bedtime story.
Bedtime balloon drop.
NYE With Kids FAQ
Q: How do I celebrate New Year’s Eve with kids at home?
You can have NYE-themed snacks, crafts, or games. Countdowns and movie nights are always fun, too!
Q: What time should kids celebrate New Year’s Eve?
The truth is, there’s no “right time” to celebrate New Year’s Eve with kids. You can celebrate at midnight, noon, or at their usual bedtime! West Coast families may choose to celebrate when the ball drops in New York.
Q: What are fun New Year’s Eve activities for toddlers?
You can adapt almost any activity or celebration for toddlers, but some of our favorites include: sensory bins, dance party, quiet countdown, and crafts.
Q: What New Year’s Eve traditions work well for families?
All our favorite New Year’s Eve Traditions for families include talking together. Try making a memory jar, setting goals together, making a time capsule, or conducting annual interviews.
Q: What should we eat on New Year’s Eve with kids?
Try eating “lucky” foods, mocktails, or dessert boards/charcuterie platters.
Q: How can I make New Year’s Eve feel special without staying up late?
Play games, get dressed up, have a pajama party, and countdown to bedtime (whenever that is!) not midnight.
3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!
