New Year’s Eve Traditions
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission for purchases from my links. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting the work put into this article by using my affiliate links!
Are you looking for New Year’s Eve traditions? Do you need new New Year’s Eve family traditions? New Year’s Eve doesn’t have to be full of late-night parties, fireworks, or questionable TV specials! Check out these New Year traditions for kids. There are so many meaningful, connected New Year’s Eve traditions for kids and families, there’s sure to be one you love!
Keep reading for 5 New Year’s Eve traditions families will love!
I love the New Year! Setting goals, reflecting on the previous year, and gearing up for the year ahead has always been one of my favorite things to do. But celebrating the new year can be overwhelming with kids, especially young kids. Missed bedtimes and waiting around can be less than fun. New Year’s Eve can be a long night for kids but there are ways to celebrate without letting everyone stay up until midnight!
Make a Time Capsule
This can be a fun project to work on the week between Christmas and New Year’s! Over the course of the week, ever everyone in your family collect an object or draw a picture of something that was important to them over the past year.
On New Year’s Eve, decorate a shoebox or leftover box from Christmas gifts. If you have more than one child, assign everyone a side of the box to decorate!
Have each person say what their object is and why they chose it. A parent or older sibling can make a list to attach to the inside lid. Place the objects in the box and seal it up with tape.
I like to keep the time capsule with the Christmas decorations so it’s easy to find the following year. Open it up next year on New Year’s Eve and repeat!
You can even save your family time capsules and use them as New Year’s Eve decorations in subsequent years, almost like a family museum! At the very least, take a picture to display and keep in your family scrapbook or album!
Create Vision Boards
Children love arts and crafts, especially when it involves scissors and glue. Gather up a pile of magazines and catalogs and have a computer and printer ready.
Explain to your kids that a vision board is a collage of all the things we want to try, achieve, and do. They represent our goals and give us something to look at o remind us of what we want in life.
On New Year’s Eve, give everyone some construction paper or poster board to create their vision board. Put on some fun music and put out some snacks and watch everyone’s visions come to life. Pinterest is a great place to find beautiful images for things that may not be in a magazine or catalog!
It would be super meaningful to have everyone share their vision board with the rest of the family if they’re comfortable. It can be vulnerable so only do this if you’ve built a family culture that supports this!
Watch a Favorite Movie
This one’s simple but I love it! Pick a movie you watch every New Year’s Eve. Maybe it’s Harry Potter or Indiana Jones or Star Wars or Mary Poppins. Whatever you choose, be sure to put it on at some point each New Year’s Eve to make it a tradition! The more random the movie, the more fun it is to tell others about your tradition!
Cook “Appetizer Dinner”
We do this on Christmas Eve when we’re not celebrating with extended family but it’s great for New Year’s Eve too! Let everyone pick their favorite appetizer-y food. Think chicken nuggets, pigs in a blanket, mozzarella sticks. It doesn’t have to be junk-y food but that makes it a bit more fun.
Put all of the appetizers on a platter and serve for dinner. It would be a great spread to put out during your movie!
Play a Reflection Game
This one requires no supplies but may be a better New Year’s Eve tradition for older kids. Have one person start by saying their favorite thing that happened that year. The next person shares something that’s related to the first person’s share. And so on and so on until everyone has shared. Repeat for things you hope to happen in the new year, things that were hard during the previous year…whatever would fit best for your group!
I hope these ideas help you create a new meaningful New Year’s Eve tradition for your family! What New Year’s Eve tradition are you most excited for? Let me know over on Pinterest by checking out this idea pin!