Ready to ring in New Year's with a bang, but feeling guilty about the little ones? No one says that New Year's Eve can't be a family affair. This year, celebrate with a bash the whole family can enjoy!
Include your kids for a fun family celebration
Get your glitter on
Planning a New Year's party with your kids is part of the fun! Start gathering decorations and props for your party a few weeks before, and include the kids in the process. Decorations don't have to cost an arm and a leg to be fun and festive. Balloons, confetti, crepe paper, funny hats and tiaras, noise makers, fun sunglasses and feather boas are just a few ideas to get you started. Be creative and let your inner sparkle shine! New Year's Eve is one time when an abundance of glitter is welcome — and expected.
Edible crafts and finger foods
Spend time planning a festive menu with the kids. Make sure to include lots of finger foods, which are always a hit with little ones. You might also choose some edible food crafts to make things exciting. Try hot dogs in the shape of an octopus, a fruit flower bouquet, ants on a log, a gummy worm dirt cake, firework juice popsicles or snowmen cupcakes. Make sure to include some adult-friendly food also, so the whole party isn't just for the little ones.
Party games? Yes, please!
Go old-school and bust out those tried-and-true board games for some good, old-fashioned fun the whole family will love. Classic games — Twister, Pictionary, Charades, Monopoly and Uno — are easy to learn, can be played in teams and are all-time favorites. If it's snowy outside, bundle up the kids and head out into the backyard for a midnight snowball fight. Love karaoke? Have a contest or challenge each family to sing a popular song together.
Movie night
New Year's Eve parties are focused on the clock striking midnight, but there are lots of hours ahead of that to fill. After the kids have finished their finger foods, cue up a family-friendly movie for all ages and pass the popcorn. Have plenty of blankets and pillows available for a cozy viewing session. Adults can enjoy their dinner fare close by while the kids relax, making the time until midnight move a little faster.
Celebrate in style
As the midnight hour approaches, do a fun family craft like making your own noise makers. Old baby food containers or plastic spice jars can be filled with rice or beans and decorated with sequins, glitter, ribbons and sparkles. As most things go with kids, the more noise, the better.
Watch the countdown ball drop on TV, pop open a bottle of sparkling grape juice for the kids, shake your homemade noise makers and ring in New Year's with the ones you love most — your family. Here's to an amazing year!
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