New Years is a fun holiday that kids can really get excited about. They will love making their own New Year’s resolutions and dreaming about all of the fun things they plan to do in the year to come.
The best part is that it doesn’t take a lot of money to throw a great New Year’s party for you kids. There are so many fun activities that you can do without spending much money at all.
Whether you celebrate on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, it is a special occasion to celebrate with your loved ones. We have put together a great list of great ideas and activities to celebrate the upcoming year.
Here is the scoop on the best New Years activities to enjoy at home!
1. Scavenger Hunt
A game of Scavenger Hunt is always fun. Have the kids go on a treasure hunt to find special objects and items that are associated with new year’s eve. Things like party hats and confetti work well for this activity. You could also hide some New Year’s eve themed stickers or party favors.
2. Play Board Games
Another great idea is a board game competition! You could let all of the kids take turns playing any board game that they like. They can play in teams or individually, depending on how many people you have at your party.
This is a great activity to do while you watch the ball drop. The best thing about playing board games is that there are so many fun ideas to choose from, you will find something for everyone to enjoy.
3. Photo Booth
Photo booths are always fun, but you could make it even crazier by having props on hand to use as accessories in photos. Things like party hats, crazy glasses, and picture frames make great props for photo booth fun.
You can even print them out on sticker paper so that the kids can use them in their own pictures and yearbooks!
4. Dance Party
Put some of your child’s favorite music on, grab a few glow sticks or light-up toys and have a dance party! Turn the lights down low and gather everyone together for a family dance party.
You can even make it more festive by having some new year’s eve themed music playing in the background! This is one of the best ideas for any celebration with young kids who have a lot of energy to get out before bed.
Little kids will love dancing and going wild as part of their new year celebrations.
5. Balloon Drop
A fun activity that kids will love is a balloon drop! It is simple to do, but it looks really cool. All you need are some balloons and a long rope or string.
You can hang them from the ceiling or make it even more special by hanging them from the chandelier! Having a balloon drop in the comfort of your own home is going to be so much fun
6. New Year’s Eve Bingo
If you want to keep the kids busy for a little bit, try this fun activity called New Year’s Eve Bingo! All you have to do is print out a few sheets of paper and cut them into squares.
You can use markers or crayons to mark off the spaces when certain things show up on TV. The winner can be treated to a small snack or prize. This is one of the best, easy games for celebrating one of your favorite holidays.
7. New Year’s Day Brunch
If you want to create a tradition in your home, start it with a New Year’s day brunch. The kids will love getting up early in the morning to make eggs, pancakes and more before everyone heads out for an exciting day of playing!
Kicking off the new year with a brunch surrounded by loved ones is a memorable way to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. New Year's day is the perfect time to start the year off right!
8. Make It A Movie Night
What better way to end the night than with a family movie marathon? Gather up everyone’s favorite snacks and some cozy blankets to get ready for a great sit-down movie.
You can even make it more fun by having the kids pick out a few of their own choices so that they will really enjoy the movie! You are sure to have a great time!
9. Go Ice Skating
Ice skating is always a fun activity that the entire family will enjoy. If you have a large property with a small pond or lake, you are able to go ice skating at your own house.
If you have access to an indoor ice skating rink, a great New Year’s activity for the whole family is to go ice skating together! You can rent skates and even bring your own snacks so that you can spend some quality time as a family.
10. Make It A Stay-At-Home Night
If the weather is too cold or if you just want to stay home, a fun New Year’s activity you can do with the kids is to make it a stay-at-home night. Getting cozy around the Christmas tree is an easy way to spend time with your loved ones and enjoy your time together to celebrate new beginnings.
11. Make A Memory Jar
An awesome activity to do before the new year is to put together a memory jar! Have the kids decorate their own mason jars and then help them fill it with little slips of construction paper that have special memories or things they want to accomplish in the coming year.
It’s a great way to reflect on your past and set goals for the future!
12. Make A Time Capsule
Another great activity is to create a time capsule for the new year. The kids can help you gather all their favorite things from the previous year and pack them into a box or container that they can use to store it in. They will love looking back on everything when they are older and can compare it to what they enjoy now.
13. New Year’s Eve Countdown
To keep the kids entertained and excited all night, consider doing a New Year’s eve countdown. Grab some paper plates, confetti and fun stickers for everyone to use to mark off the minutes until midnight!
You can even make it more festive by having some new year's eve themed snacks or drinks for your guests.
Watching the ball drop during the new year's countdown in Times Square is an iconic celebration in American culture, so it is one of the best new years eve celebrations!
14. Eat Black-Eyed Peas
One popular New Year's tradition is to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve. These little legumes are thought to bring good luck, so they make the perfect food for your family's celebration. You can cook them from scratch or use canned black-eyed peas if you're short on time.
Serve them with rice and your other favorite New Year's foods, like ham or greens. Or mix them into a hearty black-eyed pea salad for an easy and delicious meal! No matter how you eat them, black-eyed peas are sure to be a crowd-pleasing addition to your family's New Year's celebration.
15. 2 Resolutions and 1 Lie
To make the night even more fun, you can play a game called 2 Resolutions and 1 Lie. Each family member will share two resolutions for the new year and one lie about themselves that no one else knows.
It is a great way to get to know each other better while also having some laughs along the way! This is another one of the best New Year’s eve games that are loads of fun for everyone.
16. Have A Bonfire
If you live in a place where the weather is cold on New Years, one great activity to do with your family is to have a bonfire! Gather some logs and firewood, get out the marshmallows and have yourself a fun night filled with stories.
You can even wrap up warm and make it into a real camping night experience by sleeping under the stars. It is sure to be a memory that your family will never forget! This is the perfect time of year to stay warm with your loved ones.
17. Have A Fun Themed New Year’s Party
Another great way to ring in the new year with your kids is to have a fun themed party! If you have older kids, they would probably love it if you had a black and white themed party, complete with decorations like party poppers or pom poms, food, drinks, games and music.
18. Have Your Own Parade
Another great option is to have your very own New Year's parade in your own home. A fun New Year’s activity for the whole family is to have your own parade!
Get out all of the wagons, bikes, scooters, and anything else you can find and parade around the neighborhood, ringing in the new year. This is a great opportunity to break out any creative ideas and fun New Year’s eve crafts to make your parade fun.
19. Have A Karaoke Night
Another great way to ring in the new year with your kids is to have a karaoke night! Get out all of your favorite songs and let everyone sing along as you welcome in the new year. It will be an evening that everyone remembers for years to come!
20. New Years Toast
As we ring in the new year, let's remember to be grateful for all that we have and all of the amazing experiences that are yet to come. Raise a glass or champagne or sparkling grape juice and toast to another fantastic year ahead!
This is one of the most classic new year’s eve ideas that is sure to make the evening a special time for everyone.
21. Have a Confetti Bar
Get lots of different types of glitter and confetti, then have all of your party guests make their own concoction. Then, they will have something fun and beautiful to throw at midnight!
22. Guess the Resolution
Take turns having everyone write their New Years' resolutions on index cards or a piece of paper. Then, go around the party reading the resolutions and guessing who it belongs to.
23. Camp-In
Instead of a camp-out, have a camp-in! Roll out sleeping bags in your living room and spend the evening telling stories, playing games, and watching movies. As midnight approaches, drape streamers and confetti all over the room to make it extra festive!
24. Do a Craft Project
Get out all of your craft supplies and make something fun together as you count down to midnight. You can make holiday-inspired decorations or just use your imagination to create something unique and beautiful. No matter what you choose, it will be a great way to spend time together as a family.
25. Hot Disco Ball
Instead of Hot Potato, play with a disco ball! Your guests will love the fun and unique twist on an old classic.
Have your guests sit in a circle, then toss the disco ball around to music as you countdown to midnight! Whoever is holding it as the bell rings gets a prize!
26. Potluck Dinner
One of the best ways to ensure that everyone gets the food they want is to have a potluck dinner at your New Year's Eve party. Ask everyone who is coming to bring a dish of their choosing and make sure you have plenty of options for everyone.
The good thing about a potluck dinner is that whether everyone brings some easy snacks or yummy entrees, there will be something tasty for everyone.
27. Word Scramble
Make your own New Year's themed word scramble, or find free printables online to use for your party. This is a fun and interactive way for your guests to stay entertained as you count down to midnight!
To solve the word scramble, simply unscramble all of the letters to reveal hidden words related to New Year's celebrations. Possible words might include confetti, countdown, toast, fireworks, champagne, celebration, or resolution. This is a great idea for a New Year’s Eve celebration.
28. New Years Mad Libs
Another fun activity to try at your New Years party is mad libs! Write different prompts on slips of paper and have everyone fill them out.
Then, read the prompts aloud and have someone act out the story that you create by combining all of the words in a random order. This will surely make for an entertaining evening with lots of laughs.
29. Pin the Hands on the Clock
Another great New Year's Eve party game is pin the hands on the clock! Print out pictures of clocks and cut out different arms with various times written on them.
Then, blindfold your guests one-by-one and see if they can place the hands in the correct spots. Whoever ends up closest to midnight wins a prize!
30. Play Video Games
If you have video game consoles at your party, make sure to set up some fun New Year's-themed games for guests to play. No matter what age group you are celebrating with, there are lots of fun games to play with!
You can try dancing or trivia games that are appropriate for all ages and are a fun way to keep everyone entertained as the clock counts down. Just be sure to have extra controllers on hand so that everyone can join in on the fun!
31. Make New Year's Resolutions Jars
Encourage everyone at your party to write down their New Year's resolutions on small pieces of paper and put them into jars.
You can have one jar dedicated to resolutions for the new year, or separate jars by theme, such as health, family, career, etc. It is a fun way to look forward to the next year.
32. Make a Photo Collage
Gather photos and mementos from the past year and put them together into a New Year's themed photo collage. You can use pictures of friends, family members, significant moments, or anything else that is important to you.
Print out copies of your collage and hang it up at the party so everyone can remember the events of the past year as you celebrate the new one! This is one of the best new year's eve events because everyone will get to take home pictures from the night.
33. Make New Year's Party Favors
One fun way to get into the New Year's spirit is by making your own party favors that guests can take home with them. You can make everything from custom fortune cookies, stickers, and temporary tattoos, to cute goodie bags filled with confetti poppers and noisemakers.
Get creative and have fun coming up with great party favors that everyone will love!
34. Play Charades
Charades is always a great game for any party, but it's especially fun at New Year's since you can use your favorite movies and TV shows as inspiration. Set up a "New Year's" category in the game, and have everyone try to act out their favorite moments from the past year.
35. Have a "Guess Last Year's Resolutions" Game
One fun way to ring in the new year is by encouraging everyone at your party to share their resolutions from last year, as well as how they did at accomplishing those resolutions. This can be a fun way to reflect on the years past while also getting excited about what the new year has in store!
Final Thoughts
That is the scoop on the best New Years' activities to do at home! Whether you are planning a party for yourself or your whole family, there is something here that everyone will love. From games and crafts to food and decorations, these ideas will help make your New Year's Eve celebration the best one yet!
No matter who you are hosting, there are so many fun new year’s eve activities to celebrate and bring a fresh start and good fortune to the new year.
Any of these activities will be lots of fun at a New Year’s Eve party! So go out and have a happy new year!
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