How to Celebrate NYE with Kids

Oh, we know what it’s like. By the moment when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, you run out of celebration ideas, while your creativity limits reach critically low levels.

Chin up, fellas!

Hosting an exciting kid-friendly event is doable with a bit of effort, time, creativity, and the tips given below. Even if you’re sure busy toddlers will tire out early, it’s still a good idea to celebrate this holiday as a family to get motivated for the year to come. So, roll those sleeves up, and let’s get this party started!

New Year's Eve Traditions with Toddlers

Ready to initiate some fun NYE traditions? Basically, it is just like any other celebration. It’s about laughter, getting together, love, and a festive mood with only one difference – it marks the end of the holiday season that, in turn, precedes new beginnings. Whether you're keeping it small or throwing a larger-than-life party, it’s a great chance to start a yearly tradition or two. With top essentials like a table bursting with treats, staying up late, fun New Year’s Day toddler activities, countdowns, and kissing at midnight, your next NYE with kids will be a blast.

• #1 Add a Touch of Glam by Interviewing the Kids

Those parents, who don’t know how to celebrate NYE with kids, get your cameras on! Let toddlers in your house feel like red-carpet stars by interviewing them in front of the Christmas tree. This activity will not only help you hold the glitz of the moment, but it will also give children something glamorous to do while they enjoy the bash. Plus, it’s a fun way of helping them become more social and even closer to you. Make sure you prepare a special list of questions in advance! Here are some of our inspiring (and silly!) ideas to get you started:

• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• What is the funniest noise you can make?
• What is your biggest dream?
• Is there a movie/cartoon/comic book that you’d like to be like?
• What makes you happy?
• What makes you feel loved?

There are dozens of questions to get little stars talking, choose what works for you to have a real treasure trove of sweet and fun memories. Both kids and those young at heart love looking back and revisiting memories, and that’s a fact.

• #2 Get a Memory Jar!

Officially, one of the sweetest things to do with toddlers on New Year’s Eve. Bring your family together to record your wishes, hopes, and dreams. Take a look back to the outgoing year, and recall all those special moments to preserve them in a memory jar. Feel free to turn on your creativity to decorate your jar with kids in advance. You will thank yourself for your effort when reading through memories that last a lifetime.

• #3 Fantasize about Your Next Big Journey

They say a dream about traveling is a good thing mainly because it suggests that sooner or later some movement will take place in your life. Plan a solo or group trip. Mind travel to the closest cities or a very distant location. Together with children, find the North Pole on an Enjoy The Wood map and ponder whether polar bears would be welcoming and friendly to having unexpected visitors. Seriously, enjoy this special moment to plan your summer vacation to warm and sunny Ibiza. The best thing here is that the youngest guests involved in the process magically take away the stress of planning!

New Year's Eve Games for Kids

Saying goodbye to the outgoing year is usually associated with festive dishes leaving you with a gazillion of calories. After all, who cares if the piece of cake is of moderate size or not on a night like this? Still, if holiday weight gain bothers you, ensure to incorporate New Year’s Eve games for kids into your party checklist. Doing some type of physical activity like dancing, games, or making and breaking a snowman will not only get your mind off food but will keep the youngest guests entertained. Games are popular options.

• Charades. A hilarious game for those who spend NYE at home with kids! The rules are pretty clear to all ages: one player is required to ‘act out’ (no speaking!) a word or a phrase while the rest of the gang tries to guess it. The more a word is grotesquely illogical, the funnier the acting will be!
• Hot and cold. Get your toddler to close their eyes tightly, while you hide a particular object somewhere in the room. The game gets the crowd going as your tot tries to find a hidden object, saying ‘hot’ when the little explorer is close to it. At the same time, ‘cold’ means the child is on the wrong track. The game is a 2-in-1 entertainment actually! Not only will you all have fun, but you will also help your kids learn the concept of opposites and refine their listening skills. If at some point, you lack ideas of what items to hide, wooden stacking toys will save the day.
  
  
  
  
  
• Marshmallow toss. If you’re looking for something fabulously fun, you’re welcome! This icebreaker game requires players to divide into teams. Now it’s time to throw marshmallows to your co-players as they do their best to catch as many yummies as they can with their mouths. The winner? The camp that managed to catch the most marshmallows!
  
  

New Year's Eve Movies for Kids

When stuck with today’s outfit choice, go for black. When run out of ideas for a perfect NYE celebration, include movie time in your plan to make memories together at home. Family-friendly films are a win-win-win, whatever the occasion. Below, we’ve compiled a list of New Year’s Eve movies for kids that will entertain both kiddies and those who chose a home party over noisy bars and kissing strangers at midnight.

1. “Klaus” (2019). A very old story with a stunning twist that little viewers love! What makes “Klaus” truly amusing is the perfect balance that Sergio Pablos and Carlos Martínez López achieved by blending a hilarious comedy and genuine sentiment. The story shows a mail carrier that finds himself at a far-and-away frozen outpost. Jesper (the postman) befriends a bearded toymaker that seems vaguely familiar. You can probably guess who this stranger is…
2. “Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year” (2002). Beloved characters just make this Hollywood work the other gentle classics from the aww category. Join Pooh and his adorable friends as famous forest folks celebrate Christmas.
3. “The Star” (2017). Something soul warming for adults and entertaining enough to capture kids’ imagination. “The Star” takes us back to the birth of Jesus. This story is told by a young donkey who, by fate's will, witnesses the most significant event of all time.
4. “Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas” (2011). Remember Sid, Diego, and Manny? Time to introduce these adventure seekers to the smallest group of your guests, if they don’t know them yet. This time, screen friends try to have the best festive season possible. The find-Santa-Claus quest starts! But…is a well-known trio actually on a nice list?
5. “Happy New Year Charlie Brown” (1986). You know the feeling when you’ve been invited to a party but all of a sudden you get sucked into a black hole of household chores? Charlie Brown does. He is obliged to attend the New Year's Eve party that Peppermint Patty throws but there’s a book that his teacher assigns him to read. Charlie feels like this celebration is totally ruined…or not?
   
   

Granted, together with cookies, sweets, and eggnog, good old or the latest fun-filled cartoons are perfect to make cozy memories without getting up from your sofa. Don’t forget to turn on a cute night light with a name or light a couple of candles to delight your special company. They say warm glow candlelight goes well with a mulled wine.

New Year's Eve Food for Kids

Busy in the kitchen? You've got a little helper out there! Boys and girls love being in the middle of a festive routine, especially when it comes to the yummy part of it. With a cute cook’s cap, festive apron, and a Montessori knife set, the next MasterChef winner is equipped to give you a hand with New Year’s Eve appetizers kid-friendly and sure to dazzle guests. Use our creative snack ideas to have a never-to-be-forgotten celebratory dinner.

• Apple jelly gummies. Made of natural ingredients, these delicious lollipop alternatives are absolute New Year’s Eve favorites. A bit of gelatin, water, juice, and voilà! After only two hours in a fridge, you’ve got a set of healthy and glam snacks. It's impossible to have just one!
• 4-ingredient banana ice cream pops. Little energizers would love this super easy yet fancy dessert! All you have to do is simply blend bananas, coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pop it in the freezer and sooner than you know, kiddos will be asking for more.
• Marshmallows dipped in chocolate. Could be there anything simpler than that? Nah. Besides, who said that New Year’s Eve food for kids must be a Michelin-star recipe? Children love making these lollipops that they enjoy chewing. To add an extra dash of cheerfulness, decorate chewy sweets with cake sprinkles and melted chocolate. Let toddlers be creative here!
• Sticky hoisin sausages. Meet the ultimate New Year’s Eve food, guys! You can have an NYE party without a Christmas tree but you can’t ring in the year to come without cocktail sausages. The little ones and adults are absolutely addicted to this simple snack – yummy eaten cold or hot. Cover sausages with a glaze made of soy sauce, honey, Dijon mustard, sesame oil, and balsamic vinegar. For 25 minutes, bake them in an oven, and don’t forget to top them with sesame seeds. Yummy!
• Twisty puff cheese straws. These mouthwatering crispy twists will save you when you’re stressing out over a festive menu. First, kids seem to love crunchy food. Second, this pastry food is easy to make even if your cooking skills leave a lot to be desired. Two ingredients – cheese and puff pastry – should be baked until they’re golden brown. You can do it!

From serving up non-alcohol and kid-friendly fizz to creating art-inspired treats, it’s always a good idea to have a little taste-tester around.

We all know what December 31 is about. Santa’s about to leave the town and a dull routine will be back into place sooner than we know. However, not all is lost! You still have a chance to have a fabulous bash and make a countdown celebration special for the little ones. With store-bought and homemade meals, garland, and gifts that materialize from thin air in kids’ eyes, and the loved ones at the festive table, you can start New Year's Eve traditions with toddlers and draw a line under the most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season isn’t over just yet, so there’s time to kick off the upcoming year!