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New Year’s Eve Countdown for Kids [+20 Activities To Do Together!]

I have always loved ringing in the new year! However, as a new parent, I felt a little lost on how to spend this once wild night with my little ones and make it special for them.

You have probably switched bottles of champagne for bottles of pumped milk (the most valuable kind of house white, right?), but that doesn’t mean you have to tone down the fun. New Year’s Eve can still be an absolute blast at home with the people you love the most. Below are our 20 favorite activities to make ringing in the New Year extra special with little ones!

And here’s a New Year’s Eve parenting hack you don’t want to miss: You can stream the ball drop or a New Year celebration video early and still put your little ones to bed on time!

20 New Year’s Eve Activities To Do with Kids

Here are a couple of fun activities to do together to welcome in the New Year!

  1. Get dressed up and have a fancy dinner.
  2. Create a fun hourly countdown. You could pop a confetti balloon every hour on the hour or make goodie bags to be opened each hour.
  3. Create a family slideshow and cuddle up on the couch to watch it together.
  4. Have your little ones write out a toast.
  5. Of course, you need mocktails to toast with! There are tons of great mocktail recipes out there. We are big fans of anything including gummy bears.
  6. Make some glittery slime.
  7. Learn about different New Year traditions around the world.
  8. Put what you learned into practice by eating grapes for good luck.
  9. Create a New Year’s Eve sensory bin.
  10. Make a countdown paper chain.
  11. Bake NYE-themed cookies.
  12. Have a special snack each hour to countdown with.
  13. Help your kids do a year in review to look back on. Get a printable here with prompts.
  14. Make confetti poppers.
  15. Play New Year’s Eve games. You can grab printable games here!
  16. Create a DIY photo booth.
  17. Have a family slumber party.
  18. Build a family fort.
  19. Have fun with sparklers.
  20. Make a bucket list for the upcoming year!

Click to Shop NYE Essentials!

new years eve essentials

Here’s My #1 NYE Parenting Hack

Usher in the New Year in a couple of different time zones. No, I don’t mean jet-set in your private plane to multiple destinations (although I wish!). I mean let your kids think that the ball has dropped at 9 PM. Do the whole shebang with the countdown and confetti poppers, then put your little angels to bed! I call this “mock midnight”.

This works extremely well if you are located on the West Coast because you can actually watch the ball drop when it is midnight on the East Coast. But, there are also great options that you can stream at any time! There is the PBS Kids New Year’s Eve Countdown or A Classic Countdown on YouTube. Netflix also has a whole New Year’s celebration for those with a premium ad-free subscription.

Once they are tucked in, the parents can have a little alone time. Drink a fun NYE-inspired cocktail, catch up on a TV show, and bring in the New Year with a little romance.

How are you spending New Year’s Eve? Let me know in the comments!

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Amber Mamian
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