How To Throw A Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve Party

If you have decided to skip the wild night out and are choosing to spend New Year’s Eve in sweatpants instead of sequins, we’re with you. But just because you won’t be toasting the adults at midnight, doesn’t mean you can’t make New Year’s Eve a special occasion for the whole family.

We’re sharing some of our favorite family-friendly ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve with the kids. From festive décor to food and fun, we’ve got you covered when it comes to ringing in a new year and making family memories too.

Let the countdown begin!

Let’s Eat!

We like to make things interactive and easy when it comes to party food, so we recommend setting up food bars to make dinner or snacking an experience. Not only does it get the whole family involved, but kids and adults alike can have fun creating and trying each other’s culinary inventions. Bonus, making dinner a DIY experience is picky-eater-proof.

Some fun food bar ideas that are perfect for a New Year’s Eve party:

• Cupcake Decorating Station
• Kids Charcuterie Boards
• Popcorn Bar
• Ice Cream Sunday Station
• DIY Pizza Bar
• Build Your Own Nachos or Tacos

We recommend getting the family in on planning the menu. Choose which dishes you’re going to make, have everyone share their favorite topping requests, then all you have to do is shop, prep, and supervise.

Fun and Games

It’s not a party without fun and games! If you plan to let kids stay up a little later than usual, you’re going to need to keep them busy.

• Photo Station: We’ve got all the props you need to capture a night of memory-making as a family. Add a mix of props and funny dress-up items from around the house to add to the fun.
• NYE Bingo: A quick internet search will bring up tons of free printables making this a no-brainer for you. Our favorite way for kids to mark their Bingo boards? Hershey’s Kisses.
• Balloon Countdown: If your kids aren’t sensitive to loud noises, this could be a fun way to mark the hours as they go by. Simply fill balloons with air, tape them to the wall, and write each hour of the party on them in marker. Pop them as each hour ticks by. You can also up the fun factor by placing a rolled-up paper with an activity written on it.
• Goodie Bags:Of course, every party needs goodie bags. You can make them as wild or simple as you want. Be sure to browse our selection of nifty goodies that come directly to your door!
• Confetti Poppers: The party isn’t over until the confetti poppers pop! Kids will get a kick out of getting to make a mess and this makes the moment even more magical. Score the perfect party poppers here.
• Create Resolutions:What new year is complete without a resolution? Kids can get in on the fun by setting a goal or sharing something they’d like to try. Making a resolution as a family will help keep everyone focused on a shared goal or idea

Décor

You know we love a party, but even more, we love creating a great party atmosphere. You may still have some of your Christmas decorations up, but with a few special touches, you can transform your space into the ultimate glam New Year’s Eve soiree.

We’ve got all the items you need to sip, cheer, and celebrate until bedtime in our Holiday Shop. Best of all? It all arrives on your porch in a neat little box-no extra trips to the store.

More Party Tips 

Keeping the kids up past their usual bedtime is a daunting task for any parent. Here are a few of our tried-and-true tips for keeping the evening fun for everyone big and small:

1. Set an appropriate time for your countdown. If your children are preschool-age, plan to ring in the New Year early. Some parents choose to throw a “Noon Year’s Eve Party” and spend the afternoon counting down to the New Year.
2. You can find old countdowns on YouTube and play them at the time you’d like the party to end so kids can get the full effect of watching the ball drop.
3. Let the whole family join in on the planning-from food to games the kids will be thrilled to help plan their very own New Year’s Eve party.
4. Spend less time preparing during the party time and more time having fun by doing all the busy work beforehand.
5. And of course, we recommend getting all the décor and party supplies delivered to your door by Yours Truly.

Ringing in the New Year as a family can be a special time to make memories, reflect on another year spent together, and look forward to the next one. We hope you choose to make it a magical night for everyone under your roof.

Happy New Year!