5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. ZZZZZZ!
This is what New Year’s Eve sounds like at my house. As much as the girls try to stay awake until midnight each year, they always end up falling asleep before midnight on the couch. That being said, we have found our own twist to celebrating New Year’s with the little ones throughout the years. Whether you’re staying at home or going out, here are some fun ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve with your kiddos.
# 1 Have a countdown at noon
If you’re in those early toddler years, try having a fun countdown to noon as an alternative to midnight. You can set up your own version of a ball drop or toss around confetti at noon for fun. There are also kid museums that do this countdown where you can take your little ones. Maybe even eat your grapes and Welch’s sparkling cider in plastic flutes at noon. This can also include almost everything you would normally do at midnight like party favors and dressing up.
# 2 Family slumber party
Get all the cousins together in their sleeping bags or a couple of air mattresses and have a slumber party. We all know staying up late is the name of the game with slumber parties anyways; this gives them an actual excuse to do it. You can bring in the new year in PJs by watching movies or playing board games together.
# 3 Pop a balloon every hour
Great a balloon wall clock and have the little ones pop a balloon for every hour of the day until midnight. Every hour on the hour, have your kiddos pop a balloon. You can start at noon or any time you’d like. If you have multiple kids, they can take turns popping balloons at the top of each hour. Make the midnight balloon the biggest, maybe even fill it with confetti.
# 4 Dress up and have dinner
If your littles go to sleep before midnight and you’re staying home, why not get all dolled up and have one last fancy dinner to end the year? This way, your littles can still participate in the normal festivities before midnight. We like to buy fireworks and have the girls see home fireworks after dinner since they don’t usually stay up till midnight. Dressing up is also fun for the entire family. You can make the dinner menu fancy or just fun foods the kids like.
# 5 Cooking dinner
Another fun activity to do with kids on New Year’s Eve is having them cook with you. This gives you a chance to spend some time with them and maybe even teach your kids Grandma’s secret ingredient apple pie or some traditional New Year’s dishes from your culture. This could be a perfect opportunity to create some core memories and perhaps even some traditions they can later pass on to their kids.
Let me know if you have any New Year’s traditions that you’d like to add to the list. Happy New Year, Mommas! And as always don’t forget to share and tag @miamimomcollective.
