Before we had kids, my husband and I would go out to dinner for New Year’s Eve and then head home, put pjs on and play Trivial Pursuit. We were (and still are) super competitive with each other. Since having kids, our New Year’s Eve traditions have changed quite a bit. Neither one of us really care about huge parties or going out to a bar for the night. So having a family friendly celebration is what we have been doing for the last 13 years (minus a few years when the kids had sleepovers with their grandparents)!
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Planning a Family Friendly New Year’s Eve
When you think of New Year’s Eve parties, what do you think of? I think of food, bubbly drinks and the ball dropping. Guess what, you can have all of that in your family friendly celebration! With little ones, you may not want to keep them up until midnight. That’s totally understandable. When mine were little, it didn’t matter how late they stayed up, they still woke up at 7 am! So, with the help of YouTube, I would pull up the previous years ball dropping and have the kids watch that. They totally thought they got to stay up until the ball dropped, when in reality, they went to bed at their bedtime! Total mom win!
Image via Honey and Lime
It’s tradition, in our family, to do fun little poppers at Thanksgiving. I don’t know when or where it started, but my kids look forward to it every single year. Your kids will have fun with these super easy DIY poppers! Fill them with confetti (buy your confetti here for a really good price) and a little piece of candy! Don’t have time to make your poppers, buy them!
Caspari Set of 6 Alpine Stag Christmas Crackers CK081.12Confetti Poppers Party Accessory (1 ct.,12 pieces per ct.)
I promise you, your kids will love these poppers, no matter their age!
Family Friendly Food Options
The best food to have for your family friendly New Year’s Eve party is finger foods. Think chicken fingers like these Catalina Crunch Chicken Fingers Recipe. They are super kid friendly and delicious! My kids devour them! Other favorites:
- Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
- Bacon Wrapped Smokies
- Chips and Dip
- Homemade Gummy Bears (kids will love these!)
Lizber Gummy Bear Molds 3 Pack, Silicone Candy Molds 50 Cavities with Bonus Dropper, FDA Approved (Blue, Green, Red)Gummy Worm Silicone Molds with 3 Droppers, SENHAI 3 Pack Gumdrop Molds Ice Cube Trays for Jelly Chocolate Soap Cake Wax, Available in Oven Fridge Microwave Oven FreezerGummysaurus Dinosaur-Shaped Gummy Bear Mold (2-Pack) Giant, Non-Stick Silicone Tray | Creates 160 Sweet Snacks | Triceratops, T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus | Kid Friendly
Another fun option, and one your kids will surely remember, is making chocolate fondue! Pick up some fruit, marshmallows, donuts (cut them in bite size pieces), etc and have at it! They will love it! If you don’t have a fondue set, then check this one out! This fondue set is on a super sale right now!
Whatever you decide to do for your New Year’s Eve, have fun with it. Your kids will remember these fun traditions for years to come!
Bill Sweeney says
We celebrate with the family. When the kids fall asleep, they fall asleep!
Ashley says
I’ll admit it, we usually put the kids to bed. And unless I”m at a party, we go to sleep too.. I know I’m awful!! These are cute ideas though, maybe we will let them stay up!
Stacie says
I love it! We always do a family-friendly New Years Eve. It’s a lot of fun to ring in the new year with my kids, and my husband and I got all of our partying out of the way when we were younger.
Jamie says
Sounds like fun! Any more, after being a Mom, I’m lucky to make it to 12!! 🙂 Hoping your New Year is amazing.
sara says
We like to enjoy a low key family night on New Year’s eve. Now that my kids are older, the parents fall asleep on the couch and the kids wake us up screaming it is midnight! Hahaha happy holidays.
Leah Kanaan says
Happy holidays to you too!
Marysa says
I have to start planning for New Years Eve. The kids love to celebrate and are just starting to be able to make it til midnight. I’ll have to put together a little celebration!
Marissa Zurfluh says
Those poppers are a super cute idea. We enjoy New Years as just the family at home.
Chelley Martinka says
This is awesome! I love celebrating for new years… how perfect to be with the whole family!
Heather says
We always do a Noon Years Eve for the kiddos. Who wants to stay up past bedtime? These are super fun ideas for making the holiday awesome for the whole family.
Ada says
I used to love those poppers growing up. Such a fun addition for your kiddos.
Mimi Green says
I’ve always wanted to attend a party for New Years. Single or not that never happened to me. Now as a mother of two I usually ring in the new year in a no-frills fashion.
Roch says
We haven’t tried making chocolate fondue at home but it’s a fun idea to make one. We always buy food from restaurants and have them deliver to our home, or ask our family-trusted caterer to do all the work for us. My parents don’t want the stress of preparing all the holiday food for everyone. Haha.
Terri Beavers says
I love that you focused on a family-friendly New Years Eve. I usually sleep through NY Eve but this year, I’ve already made up my mind to plan something fun.