Want to plan a New Years Eve party for kids? Whether you need New Year’s Eve activities for toddlers, New Year’s Eve party ideas for kids and adults, or New Year’s Eve party ideas for family at home, you’ll find something on this easy list of party ideas! Here’s how to have a Happy New Years 2022!
How To Plan A New Years Eve Party For Kids That Totally Rocks!
Here’s how to make a new years eve party ideas kid friendly, including surprise activity ideas for an awesome New Years party with children!
What can I do with my kids on New Years Eve?
What can a family do on New Years Eve at home?
- Have a glow dance party.
- Create a countdown chain, adding a link each hour leading to midnight.
- Have a NYE countdown scavenger hunt, with clues leading to surprises like party hats and noisemakers to use at midnight.
- Host a learn and play night where kids can learn about the history of New Year’s traditions while participating in crafts or activities related to them.
- Have a make your own new year’s hat station.
- Have a craft station where kids switch to different stations each hour until midnight.
- Pop confetti countdown balloons each hour!
- Have a NYE pinata party.
- Host a mock countdown and balloon drop at home with little ones so they can get to bed early.
- Host a pajama dance party, with glow sticks, mini strobe lights, and fun NYE music.
- Make a new family-friendly tradition each year to add to other family traditions.
- Make goodie countdown busy bags that are opened each hour until midnight.
- Make homemade noisemakers and have a parade around the neighborhood to celebrate the new year. (Get your neighbors involved!)
- Host a movie night with New Year’s Eve themed movies for kids – don’t forget the festive snacks and PJs!
- Have a family game night with board games or charades, where the games change every hour until midnight.
- Watch the ball drop on TV.
- Have a mock-cocktail party for kids, with sparkling cider, fancy glasses, and fun garnishes like fruit slices or candy.
- Brainstorm family goals or a family bucket list for the upcoming year and create a vision board to display in your home. (One of my favorite New Year’s Eve activities for family!)
- Have a family photo shoot, dressing up in festive attire and taking pictures each hour until midnight.
- Set up a hot chocolate bar with toppings like marshmallows, candy canes, and whipped cream.
- Decorate gingerbread houses (and transform them into NYE houses with fun sparkle sprinkles and clock decorations).
- Decorate New Year’s Eve themed cookies or cupcakes. (You can even do a different cupcake decorating theme each hour until midnight.)
- Have a family talent show, where each member gets a turn to showcase their talents and skills.
- Want to do something super special? Book a New Years Eve family party hotel room for the night and enjoy a getaway night!
- Search: family and kid friendly New Year’s Eve events near me or family events for New Years Eve [your city] and see what’s happening in your area!
KEEP SCROLLING for more how to have a themed party with decorations, food, and games for kids and family fun! Here’s how start planning for New Year’s Eve that your entire family will love!
New Years Eve Party Themes For Kids
These ideas are great for a family New Years Eve party with just your immediate family, a family friendly New Years Eve party for all ages, New Years Eve birthday party, or if you need New Years Eve party for kids ideas so your kids can have their friends over for New Years Eve!
Fun things to do for new years…
Kiddo Countdown
Decorate with clocks, countdown timers, and balloons in the colors of midnight (black, silver, gold).
Serve midnight snacks cutout finger sandwiches, mini cupcakes, and chocolate covered strawberries.
Countdown to 12 o’clock with a balloon drop or confetti cannons.
The great thing about this new year’s eve for family idea is that you can do it at any time of the day — a noon New Year countdown or even a 9 p.m. countdown.
Around the World Before Midnight
Decorate with globes, flags, and passport stamps.
Serve international snacks like sushi, tapas, and mini sliders.
Play music from different countries and have a dance party.
Play games like pin the flag on the country or pinata.
Use these passports and world flags for this party!
This is one of my all-time favorite unique New Year’s Eve fun ideas!
ALSO TRY: Noon Years Eve Party Ideas For Kids
Future Fairytale
Decorate with fairy lights, sparkly streamers, and cutouts of famous characters, photo backdrops, or favorite fairytale scenes.
Play games like Cinderella shoe hunt or have a dance party with Disney themed music.
Bonus points for dressing up as your favorite fairytale or Disney character!
Sure to be popular ideas for New Years Eve for kids of all ages!
Under the New Year Sea
Decorate with seashells, blue streamers, and inflatable ocean animals.
Serve seafood appetizers and drinks with umbrellas.
Play games like a treasure hunt, have a water table for the kids to play in (with proper supervision), and sand party favors like this.
Unique party on new year’s eve!
Glow Party Countdown
Decorate with glow sticks, black lights, and neon balloons.
Serve colorful snacks and drinks (like fruit skewers and glow-in-the-dark mocktails using these).
Play glow in the dark games or have a dance party with black lights and glow sticks.
This makes a fun New Years birthday party idea too!
Teens love this for New Year’s ideas!
(Honestly? This is one of those new year party events that all ages, even adults, love!)
GET FULL IDEAS FOR A GLOW PARTY HERE
New Year Winter Wonderland
Decorate with faux snow, glittery white streamers, and twinkle lights.
Have a hot chocolate bar.
Play winter-themed games like an indoor snowball fight or have a family movie night with a cozy blanket fort by the fire.
This is one of those NYE parties for families that all ages will enjoy! This is one of those cool New Year plans ideas that can be formal or casual.
LEARN HOW TO HAVE A FULL WINTER WONDERLAND PARTY HERE
Carnival Countdown
Decorate with colorful streamers, balloons.
Use a circus tent like this for a DIY photo booth backdrop and cool carnival decoration.
Serve carnival snacks like cotton candy, animal crackers, and mini corn dogs.
Play carnival games like ring toss or bounce the ball in the fish bowl.
Fun if you want different stations of activities in your New Year’s Eve plans.
Outta Time Outer Space
Decorate with star and planet cutouts, silver streamers, and glow in the dark stars on the walls and ceiling.
Serve out of this world snacks like astronaut ice cream and alien fruit skewers.
Play games like a scavenger hunt or have a dance party with galactic themed music.
Bonus points for dressing up like astronauts or aliens!
Masquerade Escape Room
Decorate with masks, feathers, and sparkly streamers.
Have a craft station to decorate your own mask to wear.
Have a kid-friendly escape room game to escape before midnight.
Fun new years eve games for families to compete against each other!
Need more new year’s eve games for families? Check out these things to do on New Year’s Eve at home with family and more fun New Year’s activities:
Best Party Games With Questions
Dice Games For A Holiday Party
(Holiday party games that are also fun games for New Years Eve, too!)
Game Clock Countdown (Sports Mania Theme)
Decorate with streamers in team colors, balloons shaped like sports balls, and cutouts of famous sports players or teams.
Serve game day snacks like mini sliders, mini pizzas, or football desserts like this.
Play popular sports games like a family basketball tournament, sports theme obstacle courses, or sports themed minute to win it games.
Ask guests to dress up in favorite team’s jerseys or colors.
Super fun for New Year’s Eve family activities for sports fans!
ALSO CHECK OUT MORE NEW YEAR FUN (How To Throw A NYE Party With Teenagers):
Party and Food Ideas Teenage New Years Eve Party
Ideas for Celebrating New Years Eve with Toddlers
If you need toddler New Year Eve ideas or need NYE for younger children, add these into your plans for New Years Eve!
What can toddlers do on New Years Eve?
New Years Eve Activities For Kids and Toddlers (things to do on NYE at home with little kids):
- Have a mock countdown to midnight (fake countdown), where you countdown with toddlers or young kids way before midnight so that they can go to be at their bedtime
- Have a noon New Year’s Eve party and move the festivity to daytime!
- Set a toddler timer to help toddlers understand the countdown time
- Make paper party hats
- Finger paint fireworks (messy happy new year ideas so be sure to grab these)
- Have healthy finger snacks and sippy cup drinks
- Offer New Year busy bags filled with things to keep toddler kids busy
- Have a toddler song dance party
- Create a NYE sensory bin corner for toddlers and younger children
- Have toddler-friendly New Years Eve crafts like these
- Play at a New Years Eve bubble table or water table
- Have fun with bead threading with a New Years Eve theme items
- Need outdoor toddler activities for New Years? Go on a nighttime nature walk or play in the snow at night! (I love this for simple nature-inspired ideas for NYE at home to give toddlers exposure to different sites and sounds.)
- Have a puzzle table or a train table
- Offer New Years Eve printables that toddlers can color or sticker
- Have holiday felts like this to play with (simple new years eve ideas at home for toddlers activity)
These are also fun for New Year’s activities for preschoolers, too!
Here’s the full list of DIY New Year’s Eve party ideas for kids…
How can I make New Year’s Eve fun at home?
Try these for at home New Years Eve ideas with kids…
Kid Friendly NYE Dinner
For children’s New Years Eve party food, keep it simple!
Fun ideas new years eve food ideas for kids:
- Sliders with mini buns
- Fruit skewers
- Veggie platter with dip
- Mac and cheese bites
- Pizza rolls or mini bagel pizzas
- Chicken tenders and dipping sauces
- Mini tacos or taquitos
- Antipasto skewers
- Mini quiches
- Pigs in a blanket
- Grilled cheese bites
- Mini muffins
- Indoor s’mores
- Cupcakes
- Sparkling cider
- Juice
- Fruit infused water
- Hot chocolate
Food Bar Ideas for a Kids Party
Ideas for a New Year’s Eve party bar:
- Ice cream sundae bar with toppings (Great New Years Eve birthday ideas!)
- Cupcakes with colored icings and different toppings to make your own DIY cupcake (Also super fun New Year’s Eve birthday party ideas!)
- Fruit kabobs with dipping sauces and chocolate
- Hot chocolate bar (perfect for New Year’s Eve in ideas)
- Mocktail “bar”
- Taco bar
- Nacho bar
- Sparkling fruit infused water bar (different fruits and vegetables so kids can make their own water drink)
Creative New Year Party Decoration Ideas For Kids
Easy New Years Eve ideas for party decorations and fun New Years Eve party ideas at home:
– Create a time capsule for the kids to fill with their favorite memories and items from the year. This can be buried in the backyard or saved to open next New Year’s Eve. (So fun for New Year ideas for families!)
– Set up a photo booth area with fun props and a backdrop for the kids to take memorable pictures together.
– Hang colorful streamers and balloons throughout the party space. Leave some balloons on the floor to play with.
– Create a festive atmosphere by playing upbeat music and serving snacks and treats in the shape of countdown clocks, fireworks, etc.
– For added fun, set up a mini countdown station for the kids to count down to midnight before enjoying a mock midnight toast with sparkling cider or juice.
– Close to midnight, hand out goodie bags filled with noise makers, hats, New Years glasses, and other celebratory items for the kids to bring in the new year.
What are your favorite New Years Eve at home party idea, New Years party ideas for family party, or New Year birthday party ideas?
Let us know your ideas for New Years at home and we’ll add them to our list!
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Happy New Year! Have fun with your New Year party celebration!
