13 Simple Ideas for New Years Eve with kids

My husband’s birthday is on New Years Eve and my Mom’s is on New Year’s Day.  (I know…..WHAT THE HECK?!  Annnnd..my brother’s is on Christmas DAY to make things even more insane at this time of year!)

So, anyway, we always have a party on the 31st!  But, no one is really interested in coming to birthday party on New Year’s Eve, so I disguise the birthday fun as a Rocking New Year’s Eve party.  (every party has to have a theme, and my husband’s and mom’s birthday party is always New  Years Eve themed!  hahaha)  Kids are always welcome and we have so much fun!  We just end our party by singing Happy Birthday a few times!  🙂   Here are some of the things we do.   13 Simple Ideas for New Years Eve with kids.

1.  I made a SUPER Simple Wreath for $2.00

Make a sparkly wreath to welcome your guests with supplies from the Dollar Store and around the house.  I made a simple tutorial, check it out.

2.  Turn our Christmas Tree into a New Year’s Tree.

Just take your ornaments off, and replace them with some crepe paper streamers, paper hats and balloons!  (from the Dollar Store!)  The kids love to help with this.  It’s time to put your Christmas stuff away anyway!  Might as well make it fun!

3.  Made my own festive plates and paper goods by using a clock stamp and a colorful stamp pad!

I’m a teacher, so I have the stamp and stamp pad on hand, but you can get them anywhere.  I’ve even seen them at the Dollar Store!  This is really shaping up to be a Dollar Store party!

4.  We always have Hour-by Hour Count Down Bags

This is a highlight every year.  Hour-By-Hour Countdown Bags are a fun and inexpensive way to ring in the New Year, especially when kids are at the party!  Just print the colorful clocks and the coordinating paper that Amy made for us.  Each hour,  the  kids get to open one bag labeled with that hour.  Inside each bag is a different note or activity for them to do (and to keep them awake until midnight!)   Write your instructions on the pretty paper and put it inside the bag.  Some of the things and instructions that we’ve  put in our bags…..

• Play a board game.
• Do a craft.  Make shakers or noise makers to use at midnight.  (include beans and empty water bottles and pretty papers.)
• Put on jammies and watch a holiday show.
• Write New Year’s Resolutions or Goals. (include markers and stickers to jazz them up.)
• A new coloring book and crayons.
• Make brownies.
• Dance party time.
• A bunch of glow sticks. (good for the Dance Party)
• A joke book. (or joke balloons)
• Play Charades.
• Do a puzzle.

5.  Joke balloons.

This was probably my kid’s favorite part of our party last year.  I looked up silly family-friendly jokes on the internet and printed them out.  I rolled them up and put them in the balloons before I inflated them.  Then when the “Count Down Bag” instructions for the hour told us to read jokes, we just popped the balloons to get them out.  HILARIOUS + fun and festive.

6.  Balloon Drop

My kids LOVED the balloon drop so much.  I was planning on waiting till midnight to do it, but they REALLY wanted to play with the balloons, so we did it early.  I bought a bag of balloons and plastic table cloth at the Dollar Store.  I spread the table cloth out, filled it with inflated balloons and rolled it up.  I taped it shut with a few strategically placed pieces of tape and then when it was time, the kids stood under it and I pulled the tape off.  It was perfect.  I have seen that some people do the same thing with an upside down drawstring garbage bag.  But, this filled my space better.

7.  Glitter Felt Star Garland

Check out Emily’s tutorial for this sweet glittery garland.  It’s super festive and you can use it every single year.  I love it!

8.  Re-purposed Glittery Wine Bottles

Look at the awesome blinged out bottle in the picture above.   I love LOVE love it.  Emily painted her old wine bottle with Mod Podge and glitter.  What a perfect New Year’s Eve decoration.  And it’s FREE!  (which is better than the dollar store!)  I am going to make a few of those this weekend.  (I am sure that I happen to have some empty wine bottles laying around, somewhere!!)

9.  Noise makers and bead necklaces

You have to have some noise makers and necklaces at the party!  Classic.  They’re pretty cheap at party stores and of course your friendly local dollar store has them too!  😉   (They double as a party decoration if you put them in a pretty bowl.)  And the necklaces can even go home with the guests as a party favor!

10.  Decorations and hats.

There are all kinds of cute decorations you can buy to make the place look festive.  The dollar store (I swear if you take ten bucks to the dollar store, you can get everything you need to throw an AWESOME New Year’s Eve Party!) has sparkly garland with stars, and I just hung it up everywhere.  It’s whimsical, festive, colorful and fun!

11.  Sparklers.

These are so inexpensive and are a classic must have for ringing in the New Year with kids.  I bought them at the grocery store that day, so they are even easy to find.  They were a huge hit!  We did them at midnight and then everyone went home!    🙂  A nice end to a fun party!  Just look at their faces.  Priceless.

12.  Time Capsule

I love having the kids (and adults) write a note to their future self.   ”All about me in 2013.”  We include things like favorite color, food, tv show, movie, toy.  When I grow up I want to be.  Shoe size.  Grade in school.  Goals for the new year.   There are a lot of cute printables out there to use for this exact purpose, or you can just have them write it out on paper.  We love re-reading them the following year to see what has changed.  I have some printables pinned on my New Year’s Eve Board, if you would like to check them out.  

13.  Snack-y Food on a Stick

We like to keep it simple and just have easy snacks.  (and obviously a birthday cake!!)  But really, there are all kinds of tasty appetizers that I’d like to try.  (I would rather eat appetizers than a real meal any day of the week!)  I think that this year I would like to make a bunch of food on sticks!  I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to food on sticks.

I am thinking about frozen grapes on sticks in champagne glasses (or sparkling grape juice for the kids).  And caprese salad on sticks.  And antipasto meats and olives on sticks.   And tortellini pasta salad skewers.   Doesn’t that sound like fun party food?!    I’m getting so excited!

Happy New Year!!