15 fun and exciting ways to ring in the new year early with your little ones

New Year’s Eve celebrations are fun and all, but staying up until midnight doesn’t exactly work for parents with young kids.

And that’s especially true with parents who wish to include their children in the festivities.

The good news is that there are plenty of New Year’s Eve-themed activities that can be completed during the day.

So, don’t give up on the holiday yet.

Instead, give your children the New Year’s Eve experience they’ve always wanted, minus the late night, with these NYE celebration ideas for kids.

Creating the perfect New Year’s Eve countdown

The countdown is one of the best parts about New Year’s Eve, so let’s knock this out of the park.

If your kids are younger and you want to create the illusion that it’s actually midnight (when it’s not), start by pushing the clocks forward.

Since it gets dark at 5 p.m. now, you can make this change at 6 p.m. and your kids won’t even notice. They’ll just think time flew by.

From there, you have options. You can create your own ball drop, find one in a different time zone or ditch the ball drop completely and go with a balloon clock.

Just make sure you grab the sparkling juice for the toast — your kids should be included in that, too.

5. Make a homemade ball drop

Giving your kids a DIY ball drop at home is easier than you think.

The easy way is to buy a disco ball, fishing line and a hook to hang from the ceiling. Just tie the fishing line to the disco ball and feed it through the hook so you can move it up and down.

Then again, there’s also the hard way — which could make for a good arts and crafts session with the kids.

You’ll need about 100 small, clear plastic cups, a stapler, a drill and some leftover Christmas lights.

Start by drilling a small hole into the bottom of each cup. Then, staple the plastic cups together until it forms into a half sphere and poke the Christmas lights through the drilled hole as the shape forms.

By the time you’re done, you’ll have a light-up New Year’s Eve ball that can be re-used in the future. Just buy a hook and fishing line to finish the deal.

4. DIY balloon drop

Confetti poppers are always a hit, but take your at-home ball drop one step further with an overhead balloon drop!

You’ll need a paper tablecloth, tape, ribbon, balloons (different shapes and sizes) and confetti.

The first step, obviously, is to blow up the balloons. Then, cut your tablecloth in half and cut small holes along the side of each cut half so you can weave a piece of ribbon or yarn through it.

Once you have the tablecloth ready, find a good place to hang it from the ceiling and start filling it up with the balloons and confetti.

When it’s time for the countdown, have your children pull the string to release the balloons.

The more confetti, the more messy it’ll be. At the same time, confetti makes it fun, so worry about the mess later!

3. Find a kid-friendly countdown on YouTube

You have the ball and balloon drop covered, but now you need the countdown.

Sure, you can always do the countdown yourself, but there are also plenty of kid-friendly countdowns on YouTube that do all the work for you.

Just type in “New Year’s Eve countdown for kids” in the search bar and find the one you like best.

After the countdown ends, you can also play this PBS countdown compilation featuring some of your child’s favorite characters.

This is also a good opportunity to have your child practice counting down from 10, so any videos that can help with that are good to play as well!

2. Watch the countdown from a different time zone

If you’re looking to give your child a more traditional experience without having to wait until midnight, there’s a way around that, too.

In fact, most major networks, such as ABC, NBC, and CBS, broadcast the Times Square ball drop live, allowing West Coast viewers to tune in three hours earlier.

That means you can have your New Year’s Eve celebration at 9 p.m. in the Pacific Time Zone without missing out on the Times Square ball drop.

You can also tune in online to hundreds of other local ball drops around the world, including cities like London or Sydney — meaning you can have your celebration at any time of the day.

1. Build a countdown balloon clock

If you’re looking to have even more fun with your countdown, then you’ll love this balloon clock idea.

Start by writing an activity onto a small piece of paper (such as “scavenger hunt”) until you have 12 different ideas. Then, fold each paper up and stick it in a deflated balloon.

You can also add confetti to the balloon before blowing it up.

Next, use a sharpie to write a number 1-12 on each balloon and tape them to the wall in the shape of a clock.

Use construction paper to cut out the minute and hour hands and tape them to the middle of your balloon clock. If the festivities begin at 5 p.m., shape the hands to match the time.

From there, have your kids pop a balloon each hour leading up to the countdown, with each pop revealing a new activity that they must complete before moving on to the next one.

Daytime activities for kids on New Year’s Eve

You’ve got the perfect New Year’s Eve countdown planned for the kids, but now let’s make a day out of it.

After all, New Year’s Eve is more than just a 10-second countdown. It’s more of a 24-hour countdown!

The good news is there are plenty of things to do on New Year’s Eve that can help your children understand the meaning of the holiday and what’s to come in the year ahead.

So, grab your arts and crafts supplies or check the local listings for fun events in your area because New Year’s Eve just got a whole lot more fun!

5. Plan a scavenger hunt

When in doubt, put together a scavenger hunt!

You can find pre-made printable scavenger hunt cards online or make your own, if you’re feeling creative enough. Your kids will have fun, either way!

Plus, it’s a good reading activity and will keep their minds sharp while on winter break from school!

For example, one of the clues might say, “The ball is dropping rapidly so you need to move fast, to find another riddle where you probably slept last.”

You would then place the next clue somewhere in their bed or pillow, and continue until they get to the final prize.

You’ll need to come up with a good final prize, but I have a feeling you know what your kids want — so don’t be afraid to spoil them!

4. Create a New Year’s Eve bucketlist

There are two different ways you can go about this — and you can even do both!

The first is to have your kids write down 5-10 realistic things they want to do or accomplish in 2025 and have them frame it in their room.

Over the next 12 months, you can help them cross each of those things off their bucketlist. It’s the activity that keeps on giving!

The second way to do this is to use the bucketlist as a sort of itinerary for the festivities that lie ahead on New Year’s Eve.

It’s similar to the balloon clock because you’ll need a lot of different activities to fill the bucketlist, but that just means you and your kids have a lot of fun to get through!

It’s also a fun arts and crafts session because they can color and decorate the bucketlist however they’d like. So, everyone wins!

3. New Year’s Eve-themed arts and crafts

Speaking of arts and crafts, there’s no better way to spend quality time with your kids than by getting crafty.

To stay within the scope of New Year’s, try making homemade confetti poppers or noise makers.

For example, you can make an easy noise maker with a paper plate, popcorn kernels, a popsicle stick and a stapler.

The confetti popper requires a toilet paper tube, part of a cut balloon and confetti, but there’s more.

You can also turn a paper plate into a fireworks display or use aluminum foil and glitter to create a DIY disco ball.

Then again, you can always just set up your best arts and crafts supplies and let your child run the show. You never know what they might come up with!

2. Create an annual time capsule with the family

Time capsules are a fun end-of-the-year activity that’ll get the entire family involved.

The idea is simple: fill a small box with items that contain memories from the past year. Once everyone adds their item, store it away and open it next year (or however long you want to wait).

Some families like to dig a hole for their time capsule in the backyard, while others simply keep the time capsule in their deepest closet — you can do whatever you want, though!

This is an easy New Year’s Eve tradition to start and even easier to maintain. For example, you can have everyone add one item every year and watch as your time capsule grows bigger and bigger.

Or, instead of adding the items to the same box, you can start a collection of time capsules to be opened at a later date — that way, everything is organized by the year.

You can also print “year in review” activity sheets for the family to fill out. These usually include easy questions, such as, “Favorite memory in 2024,” or, “In 2025, I want to…”

1. Check around for local events

If you have some time to kill on New Year’s Eve, take a look at what’s happening in your local area.

You’ll be surprised by all the events, discounts, specials and sales that you find — from bowling alleys to trampoline parks, museums, malls, restaurants and even libraries.

Just search “New Year’s Eve events for kids” in a local Google search to see what pops up.

Don’t worry. Most establishments that throw kid-focused events on New Year’s Eve treat it more like a “Noon Year’s Eve,” meaning the festivities start early.

You can also throw your own event at a local park or playground, but only if it’s warm enough — though outdoor heaters can work wonders, too.

And don’t forget about all the fireworks displays, if your kids can stay up that long. Most fireworks will happen at midnight, but you can catch some earlier in the night, if you’re lucky.

Nighttime activities for kids on New Year’s Eve

You’ve made a day out of it, but now let’s bring the year to an end in style.

Since the kids are probably already pooped from all the fun you had during the day, these nighttime activities are meant to calm the kids down and prepare them for bed.

They can also make the perfect lead-in to your New Year’s Eve countdown or act as the countdown itself.

From a movie night to a fort-focused sleepover with friends, here are some of the best ways to ring in the new year with your little ones!

5. Throw an end-of-the-year pajama party

A pajama party allows your kids to have their fun in their most comfortable clothes. And when they’re too tired to continue the party, they can go right to bed!

Some parents like to give their pajama party a theme, such as “Winter Wonderland” or “Glow in the Dark,” but the kids can wear whatever type of pajamas they want.

This is also a good time to bring out the arts and crafts, pick out a movie or play a game, but we’ll get more into that down below.

If your kids are inviting friends, create small New Year’s Eve-themed gift baskets for them to take home.

The baskets can include treats, sparkling juice, party hats, keepsakes, toys, games and anything else your kids (and their friends) enjoy.

As long as they have their pajamas on, then let the party begin!

4. Game night with the family

A game night is a great way to bring the family together while you wait for the ball drop — and you can combine it with your pajama party.

We’ve already talked about a couple of games you can play, such as the balloon clock countdown and the scavenger hunt, but that’s just the beginning of what’s possible on game night.

For example, you can have everyone write down one New Year’s resolution on a piece of paper and put them in a hat. Each person grabs one and tries to guess whose it is.

You can also go with a jeopardy game, but have the categories and questions correlate with the year your family just had.

If you went to Disneyland this year, choose that as a category and think of questions about your trip.

Bingo is another popular option for New Year’s Eve, as well as any type of “minute to win it” game — such as transferring cotton balls between bowls using a spoon in your mouth.

As long as the entire family joins in, it’ll be fun no matter what game you play.

3. Movie night with the kiddos

The kids are in their pajamas and you just finished playing some games, so what’s next? Movie night!

Movies are the best way to get the kids relaxed and comfortable before going to bed — especially with all the excitement you’ve given them throughout the day.

Plus, it’s easy to grab their favorite snack (if not popcorn) and turn the TV on, so there’s almost no setup required.

You can go with a kid-focused New Year’s movie, such as “Happy New Year, Charlie Brown” or “Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne.”

Movies like “Zootopia,” “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” and “The Incredibles” are also good picks.

Or you can choose a classic movie like “Forrest Gump” or “Are We There Yet?” — both of which are solid, family-friendly movies for any occasion.

Either way, make sure you create a cozy environment with good snacks and small games to play in-between movies.

2. Build your last fort of 2024

Take your movie night or pajama party to the next level by having a fort-building competition — or join hands and make one giant fort.

Before you let them run wild, gather as many blankets, pillows, cushions, chairs, sheets, furniture and clips you can find. The more items, the better the fort.

You can also add lights, banners, signs and other themed decor to complete the fort.

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It’s always a good idea to have snacks and drinks ready — after all, building a fort isn’t easy and takes a lot of energy. And don’t forget to document everything with a camera!

Once the forts are made, they can double as private screenings for movies, tiny spaces for games or crafts or a cozy nook for storytime.

They can also double as the child’s bed for the night. Not only will they get to wake up in their own fort, but it’ll mark the beginning of a brand new year!

1. New Year’s Eve under the stars

Not everyone will get an opportunity to stargaze on New Year’s Eve, but it’s a great way to end the night early — especially before the fireworks come.

Just make sure you dress appropriately with layers, blankets, heaters and maybe even a fire.

You’ll also need the perfect weather condition because snow and clouds can ruin the visibility of the stars — which would ruin the point of stargazing.

Have your kids pick a star or constellation they like and attach a New Year’s resolution to that star. For the next 12 months, they can think of that resolution every time they look up at that star.

You can also read up on different myths or legends about the constellations and use it as a learning experience for the kids.

And who knows, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see a shooting star on New Year’s Eve!

However you choose to ring in the new year, we hope you and your family have an incredible end to 2024 and an even better start to 2025!