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Safety first: Always supervise little ones, and skip small parts for kids who still put things in their mouths. Please read our play safety notes before you start.
Key takeaways
- Count down at 7 or 8 pm, or at noon for toddlers, and keep bedtime close to normal.
- Hourly countdown bags give the evening a rhythm kids can follow.
- Midnight in London is 7 pm Eastern, so a real countdown can fit before bed.
- Balloons are a choking risk under 8: pick up every piece after the drop.
- End with a calm activity like photos or fort stories.
In this post24 sections
- Countdown bags and the hourly plan
- 1. Hourly countdown bags
- 2. Countdown paper chain
- 3. Paper plate clock craft
- 4. Noon Year's Eve for toddlers
- 5. Countdown with another time zone
- Easy DIY crafts for New Years Eve
- 6. Paper plate noisemakers
- 7. Decorate your own party hats
- 8. Tissue paper confetti poppers
- 9. All about my year drawing
- Games and the balloon drop
- 10. Living room balloon drop
- 11. Glow stick dance party
- 12. Freeze dance countdown
- 13. New Year's bingo
- 14. Pots and pans parade
- Calm activities before bed
- 15. Look back at the year in photos
- 16. Kids resolutions jar
- 17. Blanket fort story time
- Bonus: a sample hourly plan for a 7 pm countdown
- New Years Eve party supplies for kids
- FAQ
Countdown bags and the hourly plan
These five set up the night. Pick a countdown time that fits your child's bedtime, then build the evening backward from it. If your kids loved a Christmas countdown, this is the same idea in hours instead of days.
1Hourly countdown bags
Clip a row of small paper bags to a string and write a time on each: 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, 7:00. Inside each bag goes one small activity or a note: make party hats, a dance party, a special snack, pajamas and a movie. Your kids open one bag on the hour, so the night has a built in rhythm and something to wait for.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 30 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: paper bags, clothespins, string, a marker, small activities.
Safety: for kids under 3, keep small treats and craft bits out of the bags.
- Put the final bag at your real countdown time, not midnight.
Enough bags for an hourly countdown, and the clips hang them on a string.
2Countdown paper chain
Cut strips of gold, silver and black paper, one for each hour or half hour left until your countdown. Kids glue or tape the loops into a chain in the afternoon, then tear off one loop each time the hour changes. It is a visual timer that even a 3 year old can read.
Ages: 3 to 7.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: construction paper, a glue stick or tape, child safe scissors.
Safety: child safe scissors only, with a grown up close for the cutting.
- Write one family memory from the year on each loop before you glue it.
3Paper plate clock craft
Write 1 to 12 around a paper plate, cut two cardstock hands and pin them in the middle with a brass paper fastener. Kids decorate the rim with stickers, then move the hands to match the real clock each hour. Older kids can practice telling time; younger ones just love turning the hands to 12.
Ages: 4 to 7.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: paper plate, cardstock, a brass fastener, markers, stickers.
Safety: an adult pushes the fastener through, and it stays out of reach of kids under 3.
- Hang it next to the countdown bags so kids check the time themselves.
Lets the clock hands turn on a paper plate.
4Noon Year's Eve for toddlers
A Noon Year's Eve moves the big moment to 12 noon, so toddlers get the hats, the countdown and the cheer before nap. Tape a paper bag of balloons to the ceiling, count down from 10 at noon, and pull the string. Lunch becomes the party meal, and nobody stays up late.
Ages: 1 to 4.
Prep: 20 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: balloons, a paper bag, tape, party hats, a paper clock.
Safety: pick up every balloon right after, and put popped balloon pieces in the trash straight away.
- Many libraries and children's museums host Noon Year's Eve events, so check your local calendar.
5Countdown with another time zone
Midnight in London is 7 pm on the US East Coast, and midnight in Rio de Janeiro is 10 pm Eastern, according to standard time zone offsets. Pick a city whose midnight lands near your kids' bedtime, find it on a map, and count down with them. It is a real New Year, just somewhere else.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: a map or globe, a clock or a countdown timer.
Safety: none special.
- Check the time difference for your own time zone the day before.
Easy DIY crafts for New Years Eve
Crafts fill the late afternoon block, and they become the props for the countdown later.
6Paper plate noisemakers
Put a small handful of dry beans or rice between two paper plates, staple all the way around, then cover the edge with tape. Kids decorate both sides with markers and ribbon streamers. At the countdown, everyone shakes. It is loud, cheap and made in 15 minutes.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 15 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: 2 paper plates, dry beans, a stapler, tape, markers, ribbon.
Safety: an adult staples and tapes it shut; dry beans are a choking risk, so skip this one if you have a child under 3 at home.
- Make one per person so nobody fights over the loudest one.
7Decorate your own party hats
Roll a half circle of cardstock into a cone and tape it, or start with plain store bought hats. Set out stickers, glitter glue and pom poms, and let each kid make their own. Wearing a hat they made makes the countdown feel like their party.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: medium (glitter glue).
Supplies: cardstock or plain hats, tape, stickers, glitter glue, pom poms.
Safety: pom poms are a choking risk for kids under 3; glue them on firmly.
- Skip the elastic strap for toddlers and hold it on with a headband instead.
Hats, horns and tiaras in one box for the countdown photo.
8Tissue paper confetti poppers
Cut the tip off a balloon, stretch it over one end of a toilet paper tube and tape it on. Kids fill the tube with torn tissue paper, pull the balloon knot back and let go. Out comes a puff of soft confetti. Tissue is easier to clean up than paper punch confetti.
Ages: 5 to 8.
Prep: 15 minutes.
Mess: medium.
Supplies: toilet paper tubes, balloons, tape, tissue paper.
Safety: balloons are a choking risk for kids under 8, per the CPSC. An adult attaches the balloon, and every scrap goes in the trash after.
- Aim the poppers at an open floor, not at faces.
Torn tissue makes soft confetti that vacuums up fast.
9All about my year drawing
Fold a sheet of paper into four boxes. Kids draw one favorite thing from the year in each: a trip, a friend, a new skill, a snow day. Younger kids can tell you and you write the caption. Fold it into a jar and open it next New Year's Eve.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: paper, crayons, a jar.
Safety: none special.
- Date the page on the back so it means more next year.
Games and the balloon drop
These are the high energy hours. Put them early in the evening so kids have time to wind down after.
10Living room balloon drop
Tape a plastic tablecloth to the ceiling like a hammock, fill it with blown up balloons and tie a string to one corner. At the countdown, a kid pulls the string and the balloons fall. It takes 20 minutes to set up and is the moment kids remember.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 20 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: a plastic tablecloth, painter's tape, balloons, string.
Safety: the CPSC warns that uninflated and popped balloons are a choking risk for children under 8. Foil balloons are a safer pick with toddlers around, and an adult collects every piece after.
- Do a test pull while the kids are out of the room.
Foil balloons are less of a choking risk than latex if one pops.
11Glow stick dance party
Turn the lights down, hand out glow bracelets and necklaces and play three or four songs the kids pick. Dancing in the dark with glowing wrists feels like a real party. Plan it for the hour before pajamas to burn off the last of the energy.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: glow sticks, a speaker.
Safety: glow sticks are for ages 3 and up; tell kids never to bite or bend them open, and wash skin with water if one leaks.
- Clear the floor of toys first, since nobody sees them in the dark.
A cheap way to make a dark living room feel like a party.
12Freeze dance countdown
Tape squares on the floor. Play music, and when it stops, everyone freezes in a square. Each round, shout out how many minutes are left until the next countdown bag. Kids get to move a lot, and you get a built in timer.
Ages: 2 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: painter's tape, music.
Safety: socks slip on wood floors, so dance barefoot or in grippy socks.
- Let the youngest kid be the DJ one round.
13New Year's bingo
Draw a 3 by 3 grid with simple pictures: a party hat, a clock, a balloon, a star, a moon, a horn. Call out each picture as you see it during the evening, or draw them from a hat. Pictures mean even 3 year olds can play.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 10 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: paper, markers, big buttons or crackers as markers.
Safety: use crackers or paper squares as markers for kids under 3, since buttons are a choking risk.
- Make the middle square a free space with a star.
14Pots and pans parade
At the countdown, hand out a pot and a wooden spoon and march through the house banging away. Toddlers love this one, and it is the loudest noisemaker you already own. A short lap down the hall is enough.
Ages: 1 to 5.
Prep: none.
Mess: none.
Supplies: pots, lids, wooden spoons.
Safety: use plastic or light pots for toddlers so toes do not get hurt if one drops.
- Do the parade at your Noon or early countdown, not at midnight with sleeping neighbors.
Calm activities before bed
End the night with something slow so the party does not turn into a late night meltdown.
15Look back at the year in photos
Print 10 to 15 photos from the year, or scroll through them together on one phone. Ask each kid for their favorite and why. It is a calm activity that still feels special, and you will hear what mattered to them.
Ages: 3 to 8.
Prep: 15 minutes.
Mess: none.
Supplies: printed photos or a phone, a blanket.
Safety: none special.
- Let each kid pick one photo to frame for their room.
16Kids resolutions jar
Ask simple questions: What do you want to learn next year? Where do you want to go? Kids draw or tell the answer, you fold it up, and it goes in a jar. Next New Year's Eve, you open it together.
Ages: 4 to 8.
Prep: 5 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: paper slips, crayons, a jar, ribbon.
Safety: none special.
- Keep it to one wish each, so it stays fun and not a to-do list.
17Blanket fort story time
Build a fort with chairs and blankets, string battery fairy lights inside, and read two or three picture books before bed. It is the last countdown bag of the night and a soft landing into sleep.
Ages: 2 to 8.
Prep: 15 minutes.
Mess: low.
Supplies: blankets, chairs, pillows, battery fairy lights, books.
Safety: use battery lights, not plug in strings, and keep cords out of reach of toddlers.
- Leave the fort up for New Year's Day.
Bonus: a sample hourly plan for a 7 pm countdown
Most top lists give ideas but no plan. Here is one way to put the 17 together for kids with an early bedtime. Move every time by an hour for older kids.
| Time | Bag | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 4:00 | Bag 1 | Make party hats and noisemakers |
| 5:00 | Bag 2 | Special dinner, paper chain loop |
| 5:45 | Bag 3 | Bingo or freeze dance |
| 6:30 | Bag 4 | Glow stick dance party |
| 7:00 | Bag 5 | Countdown with London, balloon drop |
| 7:15 | Bag 6 | Pajamas, resolutions jar, fort stories |
For more winter break ideas, see our winter activities for kids and our Christmas traditions for kids by age. If you are making crafts from the recycling bin, our easy crafts with things you already have list has more.
New Years Eve party supplies for kids
New Years Eve supplies
- Start here
Small paper gift bags with clothespins
Typically $8 to $14
Enough bags for an hourly countdown, and the clips hang them on a string.
Check price on Amazon for Small paper gift bags with clothespins -
Kids party hats and noisemakers set
Typically $10 to $20
Hats, horns and tiaras in one box for the countdown photo.
Check price on Amazon for Kids party hats and noisemakers set -
Glow stick bracelets (ages 3+)
Typically $8 to $15
A cheap way to make a dark living room feel like a party.
Check price on Amazon for Glow stick bracelets (ages 3+) -
Latex free or foil balloons
Typically $8 to $15
Foil balloons are less of a choking risk than latex if one pops.
Check price on Amazon for Latex free or foil balloons -
Tissue paper in gold and silver
Typically $6 to $12
Torn tissue makes soft confetti that vacuums up fast.
Check price on Amazon for Tissue paper in gold and silver -
Brass paper fasteners
Typically $5 to $9
Lets the clock hands turn on a paper plate.
Check price on Amazon for Brass paper fasteners
Frequently asked questions
How do you celebrate New Years Eve with toddlers?
Try a Noon Year's Eve: hats, a countdown from 10 and a balloon drop at 12 noon, then lunch and nap as usual.
What is a Noon Year's Eve?
A kid friendly New Year countdown held at 12 noon instead of midnight, so young kids get the celebration without staying up late.
What do you put in New Years Eve countdown bags?
One activity or treat per hour: craft supplies for hats, a dance party note, a special snack, glow sticks, pajamas and a bedtime story.
How can kids celebrate midnight without staying up?
Count down with a city where it is already midnight. Midnight in London is 7 pm Eastern, and midnight in Rio de Janeiro is 10 pm Eastern.
Are glow sticks safe for kids?
Glow sticks are labeled for ages 3 and up. Kids should never bite or bend them open, and an adult should stay close.
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