How to Enjoy New Year’s Eve with Children

Article author: Iveta Bartošová

If you don’t yet have children old enough to stay overnight at grandma’s while you go out and have fun somewhere, then you’ll have no choice but to come up with entertainment for the whole family. It depends on how old your children are, because for babies and toddlers it’s more or less the same whether it’s the end of the year or an ordinary day in the middle of the year. Older children, on the other hand, will already appreciate a smaller party. So how can you enjoy New Year’s Eve so that it’s great for both adults and children?

Choosing a location

It depends on where you’ll spend New Year’s Eve with the children, because there are several options. For example: 

• at home;
• at someone else’s home who also has children;
• at a cottage in the mountains;
• you’ll head somewhere warm and exotic.

When it’s still not dark outside

If you decide not to fly off somewhere warm, you can head out for a walk first thing in the morning or after lunch, or if it’s cold enough, maybe even go sledding or ice skating on a pond. 

Another option is to go to a museum, a castle, or the zoo, where they have some New Year’s Eve program prepared. 

Afternoon/evening entertainment

At home, you can organize a small party, and don’t forget to involve the children in the preparations — maybe they’ll come up with something else to keep everyone entertained. With babies and toddlers, it’s best to follow their routine, not overdo it with visits, and keep to their bedtime so the child doesn’t get overtired and sleeps well.

• Decorations - balloons, garlands, balloons with the year number, paper party hats, lanterns, paper chains, anything you can think of that creates a party atmosphere.
• Children’s costumes or festive clothes - unusual clothing also fits the party decorations, and children in particular love costumes of all kinds of princesses and action heroes.
• Children’s sparkling drink or a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail - so that children don’t miss out on the traditional toast, you can buy them kids’ sparkling wine or prepare a non-alcoholic fruit cocktail together.
• Unusual refreshments - finger foods, cookies, homemade pizza, tortilla wraps, popcorn, etc.
• Entertainment for children - board games, a children’s disco, karaoke, treasure hunt, building a fort, charades, Activity, etc.
• Christmas movies and fairy tales - if you can fit some relaxing TV time into the day’s program, you can watch Frozen, The Polar Express, The Good Old Days with You, the Grinch with your children, or let them choose the movie.
• Sparklers - since some children are afraid of loud fireworks, it’s enough to prepare sparklers and light them, for example, before the children go bathing, so that you can welcome the new year together.

In short

Spending New Year’s Eve can be fun even with children — all you need is to come up with some entertaining activities and prepare a suitable environment. In the morning, you can start with a walk or take the children skating on the pond. After lunch, lounge around watching TV with a Christmas fairy tale, and in the evening prepare a small party with decorations, unusual refreshments, good drinks, and a game or two. Before going to bed, step out onto the balcony or in front of the house and welcome the new year with the lights of sparklers. 

What does your last day of the year look like? Do you spend it at home or go on a trip or somewhere exotic?