Can you believe it’s already time to ring in 2021? Seriously, 2020 felt like an eternity, but now it’s almost over and I can’t believe it. I love a chance to celebrate and what better night than New year’s Eve. I am so excited for all the adventures that come with a fresh, new year and after this year, we deserve a fun night of celebration! With curfew, toddlers, and a pandemic to name a few looks like the celebration is going to be at-home. Honestly, even without those things, I bet we’d still be celebrating at home!

Countdown Ideas

Paper Ring Chain

Paper chains were the popular thing to do growing up. I love that The Preschool Tool Box Blog added this idea to her blog post. It’s such an easy activity and so fun! You can pick the timing, but she suggests removing a circle link for each 1/2 hr. or hour until the New Year (or bedtime) arrives!

Balloon Pop Countdown

Life with Moore Babies created a special balloon countdown for her girls and I love it. She even added an extra step by rolling up a piece of paper with an activity on it

Countdown Goodie Bags

Honestly, I want to do this for myself! Hoosier Homemade suggests filling up a bag with toys, candy, small puzzles, and more each hour leading up to midnight! How fun is that!

Cookie Clock Countdown

This might be the most delicious idea! You don’t necessarily have to make cookies to eat every hour, all day, but I know my kids would love that. Ha! You could make cupcakes, too. This would be a fun activity to do together the day before to get ready.

Snack Ideas

Besides having a fun countdown, snacks are the most important things to a good NYE party!

Midnight Kiss Cookies 

These Midnight Kiss Cookies look delicious. The First Year Blog put a spin on everyone’s favorite peanut butter blossoms, with a chocolate cookie base and gold Hershey’s kisses!

Cherry Jello Jigglers with Festive Sprinkles

I love how creative Living Locurto got with these simple, yet festive jello jigglers. They’re layered with pomegranate juice and pineapple juice – which sounds like the most delicious combination. Doesn’t hurt that they’re super cute!

“Sparkly” Celebration Popcorn

A Cultivated Nest Team came up with the cutest New Year’s Eve popcorn. The popcorn looks so easy to make, you could probably whip it up right before your party starts.

Glowing Cotton Candy

Another fun recipe from Amy over at Living Locurto. Have you ever seen Glow in the Dark Cotton Candy? I am hearing about it for the first time, but it looks like such a fun idea. You use 10 LED Cotton Candy Sticks to get the glow.

white puppy chow snack mix

Okay, who doesn’t love puppy chow?! It is such an easy snack to make and you there are a ton of different possibilities. I love Beth over at The First Year Blog’s spin on it. She uses white chocolate,  gold sprinkles, and edible gold stars!

Mocktail Ideas

Tip: Buy fancy plastic champagne flutes from the Dollar Tree.

• Sparkling juice with rock candy or gummy bears
• Sparkling juice with another favorite candy – Sour Patch Kids, Pop Rocks, gum drops, etc.
• Milk with a sprinkles rim
• Chocolate milk with whipped cream or whipped topping

Check out this great list of 35 Deliciously Tasty Mocktails for Kids over at For Modern Kids. I love the Cotton Candy Kiddie Mocktail, Watermelon Kiwi Sparkler and the Festive Shark Slushy.

Game Ideas

When you’re counting down to Midnight, you have to have games to pass the time, right?

Time Capsule by Come Together Kids

This is such a fun way to reflect on the year and in the future, get a glimpse back into what the year was like. Al you need is a 2-liter bottle and a printer to print off the printable she has created. I love that she used ribbon to measure the kids height and added that in.

Mini-Marshmallow Popper by Real Simple

Once you’ve cut off the bottoms of your paper cups and slipped on balloons, you’ve got a springy surface for launching your marshmallows into the air – how fun! You could have a contest to see how far you can get your marshmallows or pretend their snowballs and have an indoor “snowball fight!” Get the step-by-step instructions here.

Year in Review Photo Scavenger Hunt by No Time for Flashcards

What a fun way to look back at the year! There are a few different ways to do this. For younger kids, maybe have them match two of the same pictures and for older kids, like she suggests – use the picture + the month. The best part is, once you’re done with the scavenger hunt – the activity isn’t over! You can spend time looking at the pictures and talking about your favorite memories of the year.

New Year’s Eve Bingo by Hip Hip Hooray!

Who doesn’t love a good bingo game?! You can download their B-I-N-G-O pdf here and play while watching festivities on TV. Keep in mind this PDF is from 2010/11 – so you might just have to update it or do a quick google search to find one.

Musical New Year’s Eve Game by Let’s Play Music

This takes a bit more prep, but looks like a fun idea. What Will Next Year Bring is a fun musical New Year’s Eve game for kids where the children float their own little walnut boats to different islands in order to predict their fortune for the coming year.

Noisemaker Ideas

Okay, last but not least, noisemakers!! You have to have something to ring in the New Year with, right?!

DIY Straw Noisemaker

These super easy New Year’s Eve noisemakers from Meaningful Mama are so cute and look like they won’t be as loud as the others. All you need are plastic straws and some fun things to decorate them with. She gives you a ton of great ideas for decorations.

Paper Plate Noisemaker

This is a classic noisemaker. The one I grew up making, but I am in love with the extra details I can Teach my Child put into it!

DIY New Year’s Eve Noisemaker Balls

Project Nursery uses clear plastic ornament balls to create her noisemakers and I love it. It would be so fun to be able to see what you put inside. Super customized to each kid. If you scroll down on her blog, she has another idea – New Year’s Eve Noisemaker Jingle Sticks.

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PS – Don’t stress about cooking dinner! It’s the last day of the year and it sure has been a YEAR! Either order local carry-out OR try one of these crock-pot meals. These are three of my favorites I’ve made this year.

CrockPot Tuscan Garlic Chicken With Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Easy Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Mississippi Pot Roast 

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Last idea – Put together a slideshow using favorite pictures from the year. Cuddle up and watch it together.