New Year’s Eve Countdown Activities for Kids
Are you looking for fun New Year’s Eve countdown activities to do with kids of all ages at home? Below are two great New Year’s activities to do with toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and more.
Kids will love staying in and completing these fun activities together and as a family. Both of these fun New Year’s Eve countdown activities would also make great activities for a New Year’s party with kids.
The best part is that to do these two New Year’s activities you don’t have to stay up until midnight. You can complete these activities at noon and call it a Noon Year’s Eve celebration or complete them before going to bed on the 31st. Kids will feel like they got to have a fun party and still be able to wake up refreshed and ready for the New Year!
Scroll down for more directions on how to celebrate with a New Year’s Confetti Ball Drop and adorable and easy paper New Year’s Eve hats.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drop
One of our favorite activities for the New Year is to do a confetti ball drop with the kids. Prepare your ball drop materials as listed below and do this activity once, twice, or as many times as your little one’s hearts desire.
Start a countdown Youtube video, or search for kid’s countdown online to find some great music and countdown information to go with it. When it hits zero, let the confetti and balls drop. Kids can stand underneath and catch them and get covered with paper and balloons. It is a blast!
Materials:
- Garbage bag with drawstrings
- Construction paper in all different colors
- Different Colored Tissue Paper
- Small Balloons (works best) OR ball pit balls
New Year’s Eve Countdown Ball Drop Activity:
This is a great activity for working on toddlers fine motor and ripping skills. Give your child construction paper in all different colors and show them how to rip up the large sheets into smaller pieces. Repeat this with as many colors and pieces of construction paper as desired (I used 8 pieces). The more pieces you use the bigger the confetti drop (and the bigger the clean-up). Repeat ripping with the tissue paper as well.
Stuff the paper and tissue paper into the garbage bag. Blow up smaller balloons and add these to the bag as well (or add the ball pit balls if using these instead). Pull the drawstrings loosely shut but do not tie the drawstrings on the garbage bag.
When ready for the countdown stand over a balcony or hold the bag above the littles. Begin counting backward and when you reach the end of the countdown shout “Happy New Year’s!” and shake the bag so that the drawstrings open and all of the confetti and balls drop down.
Paper New Year’s Eve Hat
This simple New Year’s Eve hat is a fun New Year’s craft for kids. Make these fun hats and wear them all day or during your New Year’s Eve party or celebration. They make the perfect New Year’s Even Photo opportunity and kids will love being creative and coloring their hats to fit their favorite colors.
Materials:
- Hat Template (attached to the document)
- 1 Piece of construction paper or cardstock per hat
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Tape
Activity:
Print the desired number of attached hat templates out. Have your little ones color it in as best as they can. Cut out the colored hat template (if your little one is big enough they can do it themselves).
Cut strips on construction paper about 2” thick the landscape way. Attach two of the strips together to make a long enough headband to go around your child’s head. Tape the colored “New Year’s Hat” to the headband.
At this point, the hats should be complete and can be worn for your celebration. Happy New Year!
*To download a free PDF of the New Year’s Hat click below.
