New Year’s Activities for Kids (and their family)

The days of staying up all night New Year’s Eve and sleeping all day New Year’s day have passed for me. I honestly couldn’t be happier. I will always treasure those fun memories, but a night of family just sounds wonderful.

We still want it to be a special night so I’ve gone in search of new year’s activities for kids that will make our family new year’s a night to remember.

New Year’s Activities for Kids (and their family)

Throw a Mini New Year’s Party

Just because the guest list is small doesn’t mean the party can’t be a HUGE amount of fun! Keep it a New Year’s theme and include lots of New Year’s activities for kids (and adults).

• Have everyone dress up in fancy party clothes.
• Make New Year’s noise makers and New Year’s party hats.
• Set out party food. I’m thinking a star theme… star sandwich kabobs and cinnamon pastry stars.
• Maybe even set up a family photo booth.

Make a Memory Box 

New Year’s is a combination of celebrating the year that’s passed and anticipating the year to come. Doesn’t an evening of  reminiscing that leaves you with a family keepsake sound like the prefect new year’s activity for kids?

• Decorate a shoe box or plastic container big enough to fill with all of your goodies.
• Fill your memory box with important family stuff (like a take out menu from your favorite restaurant). Here’s a huge list of ideas for your time capsule.
• Don’t forget to make yourself a note to open it up next year!

Cook Together 

Hubby loves to make up recipes, I prefer to find recipes on Pinterest. However you like to play around in the kitchen, cooking as a family just might be a fun way to spend the evening together. This New Year’s activity for kids just might turn into a regular family event.

• Find easy to prepare, kid friendly recipes.
• Plan a lot of prep time. That way you’re not rushing. Having time to spare makes cooking way more fun.
• Turn on some music and dance around the kitchen.
• Make sure to take lots of pictures.

Enjoy a Movie Night (but make it an event!)

Family movie nights are a pretty common thing (at least around here) but for a special night like New Year’s, take it up a notch.

• Make up family movie night tickets.
• Pop some extra special popcorn. Movie theater candy popcorn looks especially yummy!
• Get into comfy cozies, bring out the blankets and dim the lights.
• Watch the movie (that means turn off your phone and in my case the computer) and be fully engaged in the movie.
• Make it a special movie. Is there a movie everyone has been dying to see? How about an old favorite from when you were a kid?

What New Year’s activities for kids do you have planned?

This post originally appeared on December 12, 2013.