New Year's Eve Kid's Party Activities

Most kids will tell you that New Year's Eve is the night they are stuck at home with a baby sitter while the grown ups get to attend fancy parties and ring in the New Year in style. This year, let the kids see what they're missing by letting them host their own New Year's Eve party.

Let your kids decide if they want a formal party, like the grown ups attend, or a casual party. Make up invitations and give them out a couple weeks in advance. You may want to consider making it a "sleep over" party so parents don't have to worry about venturing out late at night to pick up their kids.

Here are a few activities to make your 8-12 year old's New Year's Eve party a success.

What a Year

Gather a few items such as pictures of the party-goers, a newspaper or news magazine, lists of current top ten movies, books and songs, and other memorabilia and make a time capsule. A new paint can, available at hardware stores where paint is sold makes a great container because it can be sealed tightly. Decorate the outside of the container, if you choose, and put it in a safe location. You can bury it, or keep it in a closet for several years.

Party Favor Box

Decorate a large, open box with wrapping paper. Take several smaller gift bags and fill them with party favors. In one, you could put date books for the New Year. In another you could put disposable cameras. In another you might put noisemakers. Small photo albums, or other party favors could also be used. Write a time on each bag to indicate when the bag will be opened and the goodies distributed. For example, at 9pm, you could open the bag with the disposable cameras. Make sure you open the bag with the noisemakers about 10 minutes before midnight. This will give the party guests something fun to look forward to through out the evening.

Scrapbook

Have your guests bring some favorite pictures from the year. If you have a digital camera and the capability to print photos at home, you can even take pictures of your party guests having fun on the last night of the year. Assemble the pictures into scrapbook pages that your guests can either add to their current scrapbooks, or keep as the beginning of a new scrapbook. Purchase decorative papers and stickers and have some colored pens on hand so each guest can create their own scrapbook page.

Synchronize Your Clocks

Have your guests bring as many alarm clocks as they can round up. Set them all to go off at midnight for a fun way to ring in the new year.

Make Resolutions

A small journal for each guest is a great place to record new years goals and resolutions. Guests can each take time to think about what they want to accomplish in the coming year and write them down, so they can get started on the right foot in the New Year.

Make Some Noise

Have noisemakers ready to distribute about 10 minutes before midnight. You can purchase noisemakers or make some as part of the party. Dried rice or beans in empty plastic drink containers make great noisemakers. Another great noisemaker is bubble wrap. Purchase bubble wrap with the large bubbles at a mail and packaging supplies store for a couple of dollars. If weather permits, spread it out on the driveway and have guests jump on it to create the sound of fire crackers.

Kids will love having their very own New Year's Eve Party. Activities will keep kids interested and awake through out the evening until the big moment arrives.