How to Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Kids

Everyone loves celebrating New Year’s Eve but staying up until five in the morning and making your way through a bottle of Prosecco an hour probably isn’t a the best plan for under 10s. If you’ve got little ones who are just as excited about the new year as you are, here are some more family-friendly ways to celebrate.

We Are Family

When we were little, we used to love it when our parents, aunties and uncles, or family friends threw big parties for adults and kids. Being with family is not only a lovely way to see in the new year, it’s also a pretty sneaky way to surround yourself with plenty of babysitters so you can enjoy the evening too. You can organise loads of fun family games and let the kids stay up as late as they can manage for one night only. They will need to sleep at some point though so it’s a good idea to turn one room into a crash pad. Pick a quiet spot and cover the floor in mattresses, beanbags, cushions, throws, and quilts - anything they can sneak off, snuggle up, and fall asleep in without feeling like they’ve been sent to bed.

Get Fancy

If you’ve not got a big family (or you have one you don’t like), there’s nothing stopping you and your little ones partying by yourself. Dress up in fancy dress, stock up on snacks, and shake up some mocktails for a proper party for all the family. And, hey, not all of those mocktails have to be mock - if you catch our drift… (just don’t get your drinks mixed up with the kids’).

Big Bada Boom

If your little ones are so little they can’t stay up to watch the midnight fireworks, help them feel included by organising some earlier fireworks at home. Pick up some small, safe fireworks or just a packet of sparklers and glow sticks to treat kids to their own little display. Just make sure to follow all instructions carefully and make sure your display is as safe as possible.

If you don’t have enough outdoor space for fireworks, you can always see whether there are any local displays happening or just show your kids last year’s London fireworks on YouTube and tell them you convinced Boris to give you a sneak preview.