New Year Activities for Toddlers

Wondering what to do on New Year’s Eve to Ring in 2022? There are tons of fun things to do on New Year’s Eve with kids at home. Entertaining Family-friendly New Year’s Eve activities everyone will enjoy doing together.

If you’re planning to host some friends this year or just spending the night celebrating with your kids at home you’ll want to do something to make the night special.

It’s a celebration so don’t make it just like a regular night at home. Kick it up a notch!

Grab a few of these fun party ideas for kids and add some excitement to the night. Wondering how to do this? I’ve got you covered with 11 awesome ways to celebrate New Year’s with your family this year.

Use these fun ideas to start some new family traditions and make it a night everyone looks forward to celebrating together each year.

This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to buy something using my link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclaimer here.

Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve with Kids at Home

There are tons of fun things to do on New Year’s Eve with Kids. Unique family-friendly ways to celebrate and ring in the New Year. Here are our favorite ways to celebrate with our kids and I hope you will have a blast doing them too!

In here I will refer to Midnight as the time to celebrate but keep in mind you can celebrate at any time if you have younger kids.

If you can’t be in person with your family or friends this year consider throwing a virtual party with fun family games to play on Zoom.

We all learned how to do this in 2021 so why not keep it up and stay connected to family who live far away. Don’t miss out on celebrating with loved ones this year.

Consider adding a fun White Elephant Gift Exchange to your New Year’s Eve party too! Who doesn’t love having a fun gift to take home.

1. New Years Party Poppers

Add a BANG to your New Year’s Eve with easy DIY Party Poppers. Let everyone shoot them off when you ring in the new year.

The poppers are simple to make with toilet paper rolls, tissue paper, and ribbon. Get directions and be ready to celebrate with your own DIY Party Poppers.

2. Balloon Countdown

Add to the anticipation and excitement of celebrating New Year’s with a balloon countdown. Kids can pop a balloon every hour to help countdown till New Year’s Eve.

To make the countdown all you need is a poster board, markers, and balloons.

Pick a time to start a countdown. We started at 5 pm and had a balloon for every hour till midnight. You could also try every half hour or end your countdown earlier than midnight if you have younger kids.

Tip: If all the kids will want to pop the balloons make sure you have enough time slots for each kid to get a chance.

Write on each balloon the time with a marker. Then tape the balloon to the posterboard in order of the timeline.

Lastly, let each child have a chance to pop the balloon when it’s their time.

This was a huge hit when we did it in 2021 with the kid begging to do it again this year.

3. DIY Photo Booth

Kids love to take pictures and selfies. So why not create a fun photo booth for New Year’s eve.

First, buy a frame or border everyone can hold up when you take pictures. You could also do a fringe curtain background you tape up on the wall to designate a set photo booth location.

An easy DIY background would be to tape streamers hanging down the wall to create your background for the pictures.

Lastly, make sure to get fun photo props for everyone to hold in the pictures. Kids will love picking out which ones they want to hold up and make different silly faces.

4. Balloon Drop

Make it feel extra special when the clock strikes midnight (or whatever time you celebrate) with a DIY balloon drop.

These are super easy to make with Dollar Tree items. Pick up a plastic table cloth, balloons, painter’s tape, and some string.

Cut your table cloth in half then tape it together with painter’s tape. Lay a string across the area where your painter’s tape is to be your ripcord. Make sure to leave some of the string on each side hanging out to pull later.

Tape the table cloth to the ceiling with the painter’s tape so you won’t get any marks on your ceiling. Make sure to let it hang down enough that you can fit the balloons inside. Once it’s taped up add your balloons.

When it’s time do your countdown pull the sting when you yell Happy New Year’s to release the balloons.

5. Minute to Win It Party Games

Break up the night with some fun Minute to Win It Games for Kids. These are quick 1-minute games kids and parents will love trying.

The best part is you probably have everything you need already in your house to play.

You can create teams for competition or just play for fun. There are tons of fun games to choose from and should keep everyone entertained.

Learn how to play and get tons of ideas in our:

20 Easy Minute to Win It Games for Kids

Best Minute to Win It Games for Teens & Tweens

Family Minute to Win It Christmas Games

6. Would You Rather Game

If you really want a hilarious game grab our FREE printable Would You Rather Games for Kids. These are quick clean questions to read off at your party and start some pretty funny conversations.

This is a great way to really get the conversation going with your kids. Especially those hard-to-please teens and tweens.

FREE Would You Rather Printables

Funniest Would You Rather Questions for Kids

Best Would You Rather Questions for Teens & Tweens

Kid’s Favorite Would You Rather Questions for Christmas

After you play Minute to Win it calm the kids down with a fun Christmas Bingo Game. Just download the free printable Christmas Bingo Cards and you’ll be ready to play.

7. Family Game Night at Home

Staying home with just your kiddos? This is a great night to start a new tradition of once-a-month family game nights for 2022.

Stay connected with your family when the upcoming year gets busy and chaotic with fun family game night ideas.

Don’t have time to plan a monthly game night? It’s easier than you think with our pre-planned Family Game Night Printable.

It has 12 Months’ worth of completely pre-planned game ideas, food ideas, tips for hosting, and prize ideas. Basically everything you’ll need in one printable packet. Just print it out and you’re ready to go!

Download the Family Game Night Printable and reconnect with your kids!

8. Balloon Party Games

Break out more balloons for some fun and cheap party games for kids. Keep the kids busy and having fun playing balloon games with each other and staying off electronics.

Try a balloon race with a balloon between your knees, balloon tennis, balloon stomp, balloon pop, and more.

Get tons of ideas in our Balloon Party Games and 30 Birthday Party Games that are super fun for any type of kid’s party, not just birthdays.

9. New Year’s Eve Desserts

A must-have for any New Year’s Eve with kids is desserts. Kids and adults will love eating some sweets while hanging out together.

No Bake Oreo Balls

A super easy dessert to make for New Year’s is Oreo Balls. These are the hit of every party I take them too and no one realizes how easy they are to make.

All you need is Oreos, cream cheese, and candy coating to make this no-bake dessert. Once you learn how to make them you can decorate them for every holiday

No-Bake Oreo Ball Recipe

Cupcake Countdown

Another easy dessert is cupcakes which you can buy or make and then add on 2022 Cupcake toppers.

Another fun idea is to create a ring of cupcakes on a platter like a clock. Add numbers to the tops of the cupcakes for the numbers on the clock. It’s super easy and cute!

10. Get Dressed Up

Make the party feel really special by getting dressed up to ring in the New Year. Throw on some party clothes even if you’re just home with the kids to make it feel more festive.

If you don’t want to dress up you could also throw on some New Years’ hats or Crowns to get the party vibe going.

If you’re okay with a little noise add in some New Years’ noisemakers or grab it all in a bundle.

11. Decorate the House

Don’t forget to decorate your house to help with the festive mood. We’ve found tons of great cheap decorations at Dollar Tree.

You could also get a bundle package with New Year’s themed items if you don’t have time to shop.

Tip: Pick out New Year’s decorations without the year on them so you can use them over and over again.

If you plan to Zoom with family decorate the wall behind you for a festive holiday camera view.

12. Champagne & Sparkling Apple Cider

Don’t forget to have a New Year’s Eve toast together. Last year I used some fun plastic New Year champagne flutes so the kids could participate and not break a glass.

Offer the adults champagne and the kids Sparkling Apple Cider and have a toast at Midnight.

13. Count Down Bags

You’ll get the kids really excited for a New Years’ count down if there is a goody bag each hour before Midnight.

Do this without spending a ton of money by heading to Dollar Tree. Grab small brown paper bags that you can write a time on the outside so you know when to open.

Then fill the bags with small activites for the kids to do every hour. This is sure to keep them busy all night.

Here are some ideas:

• Crayons & coloring book
• Playdough
• Small figures to play with
• Travel games (yes they work at home too)
• Puzzles
• Beads and String to make a necklace

Search around there are usually a few seasonal art projects to do too.