They may not last til midnight, but that doesn’t mean your little ones can’t enjoy celebrating the coming New Year! Here are some fun ideas you can do with your toddlers to get them ready for the New Year and have a bit of fun at the same time. Plus, you can make some of them a family tradition to do together every year!
1. New Year’s Bucket List
This is a great idea I started with close friends in college, and since have used with others on many occasions. Here is a modified version that you can start with your toddlers while they are little and continue all the way through their childhood!
Make a New years Eve Bucket List with your toddler depending on their age. So if they are 3 years old then let them come up with 3 things they might want to do, achieve, or complete.
After they complete their list and you write it on a piece of paper for them let them decorate it! Make it seem special to them, and have them look forward to seeing if they complete them all before next New years!
Example: Kara List (3 years old)
- I want to go to the Zoo
- Make a Giant Cake
- Sleep in my Own Bed
Great for Older Kids Too!
Don’t think this is only for younger kids! This is a great activity for all ages. The older they get, the more age adjusted the list should be.
Some things for older kids to add to their New Years Bucket List could be:
- Read 50 books
- Go hiking each month
- Make dinner for the family once a month
- Volunteer somewhere
- Go to the Science Museum
- Build something
- Have a Father Son trip
- Learn to Ride A Bike
The options are endless! This also gives you a great reference for the year when you are thinking of things to do with the kids.
At the end of the year before you make a new list, see how many things from your bucket lists you each completed.
2. Practice Writing or Coloring the New Year
Depending on how old your toddler is you could either print out some printable of 2020 to color in, or you could have them practice writing it out themselves with marker.
This is a great way to get them started to getting used to the new number for the new year….we might even need to practice writing it out. We all know we will write 2019 accidentally a few times in the New Year.
Get out the coloring materials or the glue and glitter if you are really game, and have a bit of fun getting ready for 2020!
3. New Year’s Cookies!
Have some fun in the kitchen and bake some star shaped sugar cookies! Enjoy these with a side of kid approved bubbly, Sparkling Apple Cider.
Get some fun sprinkles (silver & gold maybe) and icing from the store and decorate some special New Years Eve cookies! Making memories in the kitchen with toddlers is always a special bonding time with your little ones.
If you are worried about the sugar rush tell your little ones you need to save some for New Years Day for good luck.
Here is a great 3 ingredient sugar cookie recipe to use for your New Years Eve cookies!
4. Dance Party!
Toddler love to be on the move, so get them movin and shakin with a bit of a New Years Eve dance party! Whether turning on the radio or using spotify, turn up the tunes and have some fun dancing the night away!
If you potentially have a disco ball hidden in the closet, this would be the time to bring it out have use it to it’s full potential. Yes, I know some of you will have one hidden away somewhere. Or a strobe light ball? Come on they were popular for a bit there in the early 2000’s Ha ha!
This is also a great way to use up that sugar rush energy if you made some of those New Year’s Cookies!
5. New Years Eve Bubble Wands
Does your toddler have a love for arts and crafts? Red Ted Art has a great tutorial on making New Years Eve Bubble Wands out of pipe cleaners and beads. Super fun and simple craft that your toddler can enjoy making and keep for the rest of the evening.
There you have it, 5 activities to do with your toddlers on New Year’s Eve. All of these fun things can be done before regular bedtime, and you can still have the evening to yourself with your partner if you so choose. Just because you have kids doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun on New Year’s Eve together!
If there are any other ideas you would like to add for others feel free to add them in the comments below!
