Families Can Enjoy New Year's Eve Fun Together at Home and Make Life-Long Memories

While we are all in a hurry to see 2020 to the door (and don't let it hit you on the way out) it’s not always easy to keep kids up until midnight to usher in the new year. Instead, practiced parents share their most helpful hacks for celebrating a Happy New Year in a family-friendly way, right in your own home.

With COVID cases still surging throughout the US and other countries, the CDC is advising people not to travel, and to avoid crowded situations, and instead celebrate at home with those in their own household. This means most of us won’t be out celebrating in clubs or parties this year, but that doesn’t mean we need to miss out on all the fun. In fact, for those who normally go out and leave kids home with a sitter, seeing a terrible 2020 out with the kids at home may be a new and novel way to spend New Year’s Eve.

Thankfully, there are some really fun ways to celebrate that will make lifelong memories for families going forward into the new year ahead.

Kid-Friendly Countdowns

While teens at home may stay up until midnight for the actual countdown, for families with young children, it’s easy to fudge a bit on the time. Try letting them stay up an hour or two past their normal bedtime and it’s unlikely they will know the difference if they aren’t yet able to tell time. There are lots of kid-friendly countdowns on YouTube, and Netflix has a fun countdown for kids program called “Skylander’s Academy New Year’s Eve Countdown.”

Kids will enjoy counting down with their parents and celebrating New Years’. Later, parents may choose to stay up and enjoy a New Year’s toast on their own while the kids are sleeping.

Mocktails at Mock Midnight

Your kids will feel extra festive when allowed to sip a “mocktail.” You can make a fun and festive drink to share a toast with the kids after their countdown. Try getting some ginger-ale, sparkling cider, or sparkling grape juice and serving it in plastic champagne glasses. Add a maraschino cherry for a fun effect that kids will love. Even the littlest kids and toddlers can enjoy a mocktail, even if it’s in their favorite sippy cups!

You can make this mocktail party extra special by having your kids dress up in their most festive holiday clothes. You can also choose a more laid-back approach, and celebrate in your fanciest pajamas, or long, flowing nightgown “ball gowns” for little girls.

Make your party even more special with fun foods such as a delicious cheese fondue for dipping. Even if you don’t own a fondue pot, there are lots of great recipes for cheese or chocolate fondue you can make right in your best crockpot.

New Year’s Game Night

Have the kids stay up in their coziest pajamas and have a fun family game night with some of your best board games. This is the perfect occasion for popcorn. Then enjoy a marshmallow dodge ball game, followed by smores made in a backyard barbecue or your indoor fireplace.

Another fun New Year’s game is to share two resolutions and a lie. In this game, each family member shares two real resolutions for the new year and one that’s fake. Other family members guess which resolution is the lie. A photo scavenger hunt using photos from the past year is also a fun family game on New Year’s Eve.

Finish off your game night with a faux New Year’s countdown and then tuck everyone into bed so parents can enjoy a grown-up count down to midnight.

Mock Midnight Balloon Drop

Use a balloon net to drop some colorful balloons at the end of your kid’s countdown to midnight. Let the kids throw confetti or blow party horns and rattle noisemakers to make it even more fun and festive!

Let’s face it, we’ve all had better years than 2020, and what better way to celebrate ushering in a much more hopeful Happy New Year than with our families, and some gratitude for making it through some historically tough times—and putting them behind us!

Resources— ModernParentsMessyKids, MotherMag, ItsAlwaysAutumn

About The Author