16 Creative and Fun Things to Do With Your Kids on New Year's Eve

Bring your mattress or a ton of pillows and blankets into your living room, and watch your local New Year's Eve countdown (or some festive movies) on the TV. And don't forget about essential sleepover snacks, including cookie dough, candy, chips, and more. If the kids don't manage to stay awake until midnight, it's OK, since they're already in their makeshift beds for the night. Hurrah!

If you're up for more of a party, invite your neighbors and their kids over for a New Year's Eve celebration. While all the adults enjoy themselves, the children can play games with their friends, have a New Year's Eve-themed treasure hunt, or play in the snow.

Ask your kids to think of themes and ideas for drinks inspired by their favorite TV shows or colors, and make them together using normal cocktail glasses for the full effect. We love a mix of fizzy water and freshly squeezed fruit juices for a kick!

Just before the celebrations kick off, make some hot chocolate with a twist. After you've made the hot coco, have some treat stations set up with toppings for the kids to add to their mugs. You can use things like marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate buttons, and even maple syrup. The kids will love making their warm drinks as "crazy" as they can!

Start your New Year's Eve early by ringing in the bells all around the world thanks to the time differences. Early in the day you can toast Australia and Japan, followed by Bangladesh and Pakistan, then Russia and Greece. Not only is it a fun way to fill the day with so many celebrations, but it's also a great way to talk to your kids about the different traditions the other countries have at the new year, too.

Make some cupcakes, and decorate them with edible glitter, sprinkles, and icing. Then add some number candles that spell out the upcoming year, perfect for them to blow out when the clock hits 12.

Make a playlist of all the kids' favorite songs from the past year, and dance to them all night. For an added extra, bring out the karaoke machine!

The old-school games are still a hit with the kids (we love Clue, Monopoly, and Scrabble), but you can also mix in a few new games, too. And if friends and family are stopping by, ask them to bring their favorites.

Create your own photo booth to help the kids celebrate the night! Buy some cuts of fabric or a large roll of paper for a backdrop, add a set of fun props, and you're good to go. For any camera-shy kids, let them get behind the camera and be the resident photographer for the night instead.

If your kids are too young or just not interested in New Year's Eve yet, try having a movie night instead. Maybe pick a theme, like their favorite films from 2018, and hunker down in your pajamas. And don't forget the popcorn!

Don't let all your pictures live in your phone. Instead, print them out, and get the kids to make scrapbooks about the past year. They will love reliving all the memories, and they can have fun with arts and crafts in the process. Get them to write or draw all over the scrapbook about their favorite moments of the year.

Let the kids have their own New Year's Eve faux firework display. Fill balloons with colored confetti (or glitter if you don't mind the mess), then blow them up. At midnight, throw the balloons in the air, and let the kids pop them all to make their very own colorful display.

If you're after the real deal, check to see if anywhere near you is having an early evening, kid-friendly firework display. Just make sure to wrap up in warm clothes before heading out to enjoy.

Rather than the usual resolutions, get some poster cards and ask your kids to write down three things they would like to do in the new year (maybe start a club they want to join to a sport they want to try). Get them to decorate the posters and hang them on their wall, ready to be checked off when they reach their goals.

Get some old shoe boxes or a few of the many cardboard boxes left over from Christmas, and get the kids to fill them with things that remind them of 2018. They could put a note with their favorite song or film on it, old movie ticket stubs, or a favorite book they read. Then hide or bury the boxes, and open them at the same time next year.

Fill some goody bags with sweets, mini toys, party hats, and streamers, and let the kids open them at the start of the night so they'll have all their party essentials ready to go.