Tips for Celebrating New Year's Eve with Children

The new year brings new ideas and life to old ones and New Year's Eve is a special night reflecting that. If you are bringing in the new year with the whole family and children are present, here are some ideas of what to do, what to fix and how to celebrate together.

Food to Serve

Ideally, the food served should be fun finger foods. Children will probably not sit for any period of time this evening, and finger foods allow the family to 'graze' and enjoy themselves the whole evening. If you are serving hot items, keep the oven on throughout the evening. That way you can pop in ready-made items and quick appetizers that can be served fresh throughout the night.

Food ideas include the family favorite Pigs in Blankets. An idea from Pillsbury is to use crescent refrigerated dough with hot dogs and American cheese slices. You can alter the basic recipe by using mini hot dogs, mini cooked sausages or change the cheese to Swiss or Cheddar.

Fondues are always a hit, and can easily be made into a dessert. Use the Hersheys fondue recipe and please both the grown ups and the kids. Use fun things to dip in like swirl pound cakes, strawberries, berries, grapes, bananas, cubes of soft bread, or just about anything that can be pierced with a fork. Children will love to get involved throughout the night. Also try small cookies that can be hand dipped into the fondue. If you would rather set out mini chocolate cups of candies or mini brownies, make your own chocolate cups with the recipe from Ghirardelli chocolates. All you need is chocolate and balloons.

Activities and Games

Family board games are always something fun, and will keep them mentally entertained keeping them up for New Year's Eve. Games for the younger children include simple board games like Chutes and Ladders, and Candyland can virtually be played by everyone since it doesn't require counting, adding or sorting (just look at the colors and count by one or two).

If there is not board game present, an easy game that the whole family can play is the family hit 'Charades.' If you are wondering how to play, think of something, act it out, and have people guess what it is. Here is a synopsis, rules and signals for Charades commonly used from wikipedia.

Favors for Bringing in the New Year

New Year's Eve seems to have all the requirements for fun party gear: countdown times, singing, family and friends together and food with fun. Great party gear includes hats and clappers. Anything noisy will do for children, and if budgets are an issue, try making your own hats out of paper plates. That evening it can be an activity night. Have them make their own hats with lots of colored paper glued to the edges and feathers on the tops. Cut a slit from an edge to the center and tape it closed. Paper punch to holes on either side and tie any string to the holes. These can then be tied under kids' chins.

For a bit of noise makers, start saving those paper towel rolls or bathroom tissue rolls for an activity. Fill with some beans and roll up in colored paper. Tie the ends shut so the beans won't fall out and shake for some noise. For noise makers, FamilyFun.com has a great idea to make a noisemaker out of nothing more than standard paper and tape.

With these ideas, you can have a great evening with the kids while have fun food to eat. Remember, the kids just will love the thought of staying up so late. Anything you do with them will be memorable!