Every year, my friend and her three small children (all under 7) huddle around the TV, noisemakers in hand, party hats on heads and watch the ball drop. Is she crazy? Yes, but in a fun way. The kids love the excitement of watching the ball drop as much as the big kids do, so every year their family tunes into CNN and celebrates the new year by watching the festivities—in London.
The time difference means the kids can have a party at the very reasonable hour of 7 p.m. EST instead of midnight and still get into the holiday spirit. This is also great for moms and dads who may not be able to make it to midnight, either!
A few fun things to make with the kids while you’re waiting for the stroke of 7pm:
Party hats. Grab some scrapbook paper, scissors, glitter and glue, and create your own fabulous way to get festive.
Noisemakers. Fold paper plates in half, fill with dried beans and staple shut—don’t forget to add shiny accents, ribbons and streamers to the outside. Cans with a few coins wrapped in pretty paper work well too.
Time capsule. Write a few holiday memories on a piece of paper and place them in a special box to be put away and brought out with the Christmas decorations next year. This is a great way to stroll down memory lane every year.
With that, you are sure to have a memorable New Year’s with your children.
Comments
Gigi R
Love the idea of something for the kids to do. Also a very cheap and entertaining way to make the party items that you usually have to buy and so generic when you can make it yourself.
Courtney
How fun and creative! Now I know exactly what I am doing with my two boys on New Years’ Eve.
Megan
This is stunning! What a creative idea for kids.
Ashley
I love the time capsule idea! So much changes year to year and it is always fun to think back to where we were a year ago.. a great perspective to introduce early in life!
Kristen
What a clever idea to celebrate with London! Honestly, I wasn’t going to celebrate new years with my 3 year old, since she’s never up until midnight. This changes my plans. Making party hats and noise makers should get my little artist excited for our 7pm festivities.
Florence Amber
My neighbors are Asians and they celebrate New Year simultaneously with their families who live in their country of origin, which is like 12 hours or more ahead of us. I have always loved their way of greeting the new year.