Why wait until midnight? Get the party started early, and keep the kids busy all day long! Here's how:
MORNING:
OPTION 1: Right after breakfast, kick off the morning fun by making a time capsule. This can be a simple cardboard box that will contain some of your child's favorite things of the past year (think small toys like stuffies, t-shirts, etc.). Also include a map / floorplan of your child's bedroom, showing where furniture and major decor items are currently arranged. Be sure to tuck in a photo of the family, seal the box tightly, and include opening instructions on the outside of the box (ex: "Do not open until January 1, 2034").
OPTION 2: Spend time working on goals for the new year. Use stickers, markers, and photos & images printed out from online to create vision boards / wish lists for the new year. Kids can do this too! Maybe your child wants to get better with basketball. Maybe he wants to save up his allowance to busy something special. Younger kids might have a wish list of toys / games / activities to try in 2024. And what about YOUR aspirations, mom? Use the morning to teach the kids how to set realistic goals and work towards them. Other activitie during this time can include journal writing, Bible reading, and prayer time.
NOON:
Bring on the games! The games you play will vary, depending on your child's age and interests, but some good classics are charades, Mad Libs, Connect Four, Uno, Bingo, Candy Land, and Chutes & Ladders. Older kids might enjoy the traditional Scrabble, Jenga, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, and Scattergories. If you have the energy, create a scavenger hunt with clues and NYE-themed prizes such as party hats and new pajamas.
Arts & Crafting. The Internet is full of craft ideas for New Year's Eve. Search for fireworks salt painting, DIY noise makers, homemade wishing wands, and party hat crafts. Maybe you'll do dot art, paint fingernails, make snowflakes, or help the little ones with hand prints.
EARLY EVENING:
It’s party time! And it doesn't matter if no one outside of the immediate family is invited. Decorate a room in your home, have party hats, confetti, and noisemakers at the ready, and put out a fun-to-eat buffet of chicken nuggets/wings, sliders, crackers, jams and fresh fruits, cookies, and sparkling cider (think charcuterie board style). Turn on dance music, and bust a move, ensuring time for fun line dances like Macarena, Cupid Shuffle, and Cha Cha Slide. Add a pinata and a special place to snap silly photos, and you're in for one memorable evening!
LATE EVENING:
Count it down. Don't expect wee ones to stay up until midnight, but they'll enjoy staying up a little past their regular bedtime. Set the countdown at a time you can reasonably expect them to still be awake (9pm?), and announce the time earlier in the day to give everyone something to look forward to. When the moment nears, count down from a higher number (maybe 50), get louder when the countdown gets to 10, and be sure everyone gets a hug and a kiss! Then, send them to bed!
NYC Baby! Times Square is the place to be for New Year's Eve, but if you can't be in New York City in person, check out the livestream of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve 2024 online. Ryan Seacrest is hosting along with 3 co-hosts, there will be performer, comedy, lots of laughs and fun, and of course a countdown to the New Year (which is 1 hour ahead of ours in The Woodlands, so keep this in mind).
YouTube It. Invite YouTube into your home for some festive fun for New Year's Eve. This 10-Minute Countdown Video will keep little kids singing, dancing, and jumping until the ball drops. Another option is a readaloud. Don't worry if you don't have any NYE-themed books. On YouTube, you'll find many readalouds of "The Night Before New Year's," but this one by Brightly Storytime is one of the best readings I found. The speaker articulates well and has a fun, friendly voice.
A SIMPLER OPTION:
Time for movie night. No matter the celebration, you can't go wrong celebrating with the entire family snuggled up in sleeping bags around the big screen. Choose a family-friendly movie (Encanto is a fun one), pop popcorn, and top the night off with a sing-along and ice cream sundaes. Allow everyone to sleep in the media room / TV room if they wish.
THE NEXT DAY (New Year's Day):
Make your family's favorite cuisine, and fix up a pot of black-eyed peas for good luck. Let the kids help bake a cake. Spend time throughout the day calling up loved ones to wish them a Happy New Year.
