New Year's Eve with kids? Celebrate with these 8 party ideas

Sonja Haller
Updated
Find something to eat, drink, make and play so New Year's Eve with kids in 2018 is memorable.
Find something to eat, drink, make and play so New Year's Eve with kids in 2018 is memorable.

We've checked all the boxes for your New Year's Eve fun for kids.

You need something to eat and drink – we've got both. You need things to do. You need to make some memories and you need a festive atmosphere. Yep. Yep. And yep.

We've also kept an eye on expenses and effort. We've kept both low for you.

You're welcome.

Here are 8 ways to ring in 2019 with the kids

1. YOU pick the countdown time.

Kids want to be a part of the celebration. Of course they do! A party? Noisemakers? Food they can eat with their hands? Sign them up! The problem is the timing as the countdown happens long after they're supposed to be in bed.

That problem is solved if you pick the time. Here are two options:

Noon Year's Eve

Celebrate at noon. You can still count down until the clock numbers turn to 12 and whatever you choose to happen can happen, whether it's blowing bubbles, dropping balloons or blowing on noisemakers.

It's midnight somewhere

Pick a city across the world to celebrate with and then figure out the equivalent time it rolls into 2019 in your time zone with the Countdown to New Year 2019 for all time zones around the world.

On Dec. 31, when it's 8 a.m. in New York City, it's midnight in Sydney. Midnight in Mumbai, India, is 1:30 p.m. in Indianapolis. And when it's 5 p.m. in Phoenix, it's midnight in London.

2. Give the kids party bags

Get the kids ready for the countdown with all the supplies they'll need. It doesn't need to be expensive. Hit the discount/dollar stores and stick the celebration treasures in a plain white bag. Decorate with glitter and glue if you want get to fancy.

Here are some ideas what to put in the bags:

  • Bubbles

  • New Year's Eve glasses

  • Silly string

  • Horns and other noisemakers

  • Confetti

  • 2019 crowns

  • Glow sticks

  • Rock candy sticks

  • Party poppers

3. Buy a cheap hat

Do you need a cheap hat? Yes. It's tradition.
Do you need a cheap hat? Yes. It's tradition.

Buy them a Happy New Year's top hat. The kids will probably toss it off or smash flat soon after putting on. Why? Because although it might be a waste of a buck, it's tradition and is good for an Instagram photo or two.

3. Celebrate with a chocolate mocktini

Mocktails are a festive and fun way for kids to feel a part of the New Year's celebration.
Mocktails are a festive and fun way for kids to feel a part of the New Year's celebration.

Any special drink will do, but chocolate is always a crowd-pleaser. Plus, this chocolate mocktini also functions as dessert. This recipe is courtesy of MomJunction.com.

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons chocolate syrup

  • 2 ounces chocolate mint ice cream

  • 1 ounce coconut cream

  • 2 ounces Half & Half

  • Handful crushed ice

  • Whipped cream, optional

Directions:

  • Coat rim of glass with chocolate syrup.

  • Blend together ingredients and serve immediately.

  • Garnish with whipped cream if desired.

Other options: Search the internet for drinks such as a Shirley Temple or combine fruit punch (blue or red) with sparkling white grape juice for a burst or color and some fizz.

4. Set up a pizza-making station

Whether it's just you and a little one or you've got a whole horde of kids coming over, a pizza-making station is an easy way to keep everyone entertained and fed.

Either pick up the dough at your favorite pizza place, buy it at the grocery store or whip it up yourself. Mold the dough into an individual size portion and then let guests build their own pizzas from bowls of sauce and cheese. Offer fixings such as mushrooms, olives, pepperoni, peppers, ham and pineapple (if that's your thing).

5. Make New Year's Eve slime

All you really have to do here is search the internet for "make New Year's Eve slime" or "glitter slime" and you'll come up with dozens of suitable recipes. Michael's has a listing of holiday slimes made with the basic ingredients here. A simple Confetti-Filled Slime:

Supplies

  • ½ tablespoon baking soda

  • 1 tablespoon contact solution

  • Elmer’s Clear Glue

  • Confetti

Mix your slime

  • Pour glue into a bowl.

  • Add baking soda and mix.

  • Add contact solution and mix until slime forms.

  • Take the slime out and begin kneading with hands.

  • If needed, add ¼ tablespoon more contact solution to make the slime less sticky.

  • Once you have the consistency you want, add the sparkly confetti or glitter.

7. Craft a Blessing Jar or a Wishing Well

Grab a canning jar or something similar from the cupboard or get one from a dollar store. Cover it in construction paper and label it either Blessing Jar or Wishing Well.

A Wishing Well or a Blessing Jar can give families something to look forward to all year long.
A Wishing Well or a Blessing Jar can give families something to look forward to all year long.

Blessing Jar

If it's a Blessing Jar, you and your child write the blessings you notice in your life over the coming year on a piece of paper, fold it and drop in the jar. Next New Year's Eve, you dump it out, read it and get to feel that warm, fuzzy feeling.

Wishing Well

The Wishing Well works essentially the same way. Except instead of putting blessings in your jar, you put your wishes. At the end of 2019, you get to see how many wishes came true, how many you get to carry into 2020 or how many you're willing to discard for new wishes.

8. Play the photo timeline game

Print out some photos – try for at least one from each month – from the last year. Create a challenge by hiding them around the house and asking children to find and arrange them in chronological order.

It's a win-win: Kids love to look at themselves and you get to marvel at how much they've grown over the past year. You both will enjoy the walk down memory lane and wonder at the adventures the new year will bring.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Year's Eve with kids? Celebrate with these 8 party ideas