Our Favorite Things to Do on New Year's Eve with Kids

Shila:  Every year growing up, one of the kids' favorite things to do on New Year's Eve at family gatherings was to sip sparkling apple cider out of glass champagne flutes (the bubbly juice contains no alcohol). It's not as sophisticated as what adults drink on New Year's Eve, but it makes clinking "cheers" so much more fun for kids!

Kelly R:  Indulge in a fun dinner of appetizers and finger foods for a fancy-feeling New Year's Eve with kids from the comfort of your own home! Don't feel like cooking? Pick up an assortment of Trader Joe's favorites in their freezer to heat up for a fun spread.

Kelly R:  Banging on pots and pans was always one of our favorite things to do on New Year's Eve at home when I was growing up. If you want to preserve your cookware, grab a few noisemakers to help ring in the new year. Kids love an excuse to get loud!

Kelly R:  Dress everyone in their PJs and spread out sleeping bags and pillows on the living room floor. Enjoy a movie and leftover Christmas cookies, and see who stays awake to watch the ball drop! If anyone falls asleep early, no problem. They're already set in their sleeping bag!

Kelly R:  Reminiscing about the previous year is always a meaningful way to celebrate New Year's Eve with kids. Collect your favorite photos from the past year and cast them onto the TV for a fun family slideshow that everyone can enjoy together from the couch.

Kelly R:  Did the family get some new board games for the holidays? Have each family member choose a favorite game for a New Year's Eve game night!

Katie G.:  Pick a kid-friendly movie series to watch throughout the day leading up to the NYE festivities. My family has done Star Wars and Harry Potter. Pop some popcorn to enjoy during the movies.

Kelly R:  Inflate a bunch of balloons and write a different time on each one (7:00, 8:00, 9:00, etc.) to serve as a countdown to ring in the new year with kids. Take turns popping each balloon at its designated time as the clock approaches midnight. You can even make the balloon popping more frequent as you count down the last hour!

Kelly R:  Ready to collect some wonderful new family memories? Spend your New Year's Eve at home starting a memory jar for the coming year. Have the kids decorate an empty leftover jar as creatively as they like. All year long, family members can drop in slips of paper and ticket stubs to document favorite memories and experiences from that year. Next New Year's Eve, you can go through all of the memories in the jar together to look back on the year and reminisce.

Shila:  Make a once-in-a-year kind of dessert to ring in the new year with kids! Consider a hot chocolate bar (see our favorite recipes), an ice cream sundae bar, chocolate fondue waterfall, milkshake bar topped with elaborately decorated candy, etc. This year, my kids are asking for "root beer float flights," which is out of the ordinary (and epic enough) for us!

Sarah Calamita:  We always get dressed up fancy to celebrate "noon-year" and do a count down until noon. Party City has fun silver/gold/black 100 balloon drops to hang from the ceiling that can drop at noon while you sip apple juice from plastic champagne glasses, play Auld Lange Syne and blow party horns.

Shila:  Families can make their own confetti to throw around on New Year's Eve; it's an easy craft for kids. All you'll need are scissors and/or hole punchers, as well as paper. Punch or cut a bunch of handfuls of confetti using construction paper (or reuse holiday wrapping paper!) and toss them up in the air at midnight. If you have a ceiling fan, too, layer the top of each blade with some confetti. At 11:59 PM, flip the switch and watch the confetti fall like rain in the living room!

Shila:  In similar fashion to the 4th of July, safely celebrate with sparklers in the backyard.

Kelly R:  Thinking about fun and attainable resolutions is a nice way to get excited for the year ahead. And you don't have to focus on correcting bad habits. Try making a list of the people you'd like to see, places you'd like to go, and family traditions to start in the new year.

Kelly R:  Work together to fill a family time capsule with items that describe the past year for you and your kids. Everyone can choose an item or two to include, and you can open it on New Year's Eve next year and talk about how much things have changed - hopefully! What would you include in your time capsule?