Celebrating the New Year when you have kids. Yeah, it can put a damper on festivities and late night watching the ball drop, um, not going to happen, right? No one understands like other parents. We salute all parents (and grandparents) by offering these family friendly tips for celebrating New Years Eve with kids.
Got Kids? Tips for Celebrating New Year’s Eve with Kids
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Enjoying the New Year when you have children brings a new host of challenges, especially as a new parent. We at TravelingInHeels.com truly understand, and we are here to rescue with the following New Years Eve ideas to celebrate when you have kids.
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Family-Friendly New Year’s Eve Fireworks
Do a little local homework. You’ll be surprised how many destinations offer family-friendly New Years Eve fireworks.
I live in Denver, where my Mile High City offers several options for families with children to ring in the New Year including an early family-friendly fireworks show in downtown Denver.
Perhaps late night festivities are out for you and your young family. Those with young kids might enjoy a noon New Year’s Eve at the Children’s Museum.
Keep it Simple. Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Home with Kids
Being a parent is stressful enough, but combine it with trying to compete for a babysitter and staying out late only to get up early. This only adds to the pressure. Try celebrating with a nice family dinner together.
One of our favorite things to do with the grandkids is to cook together because a family that cooks together stays together, right? The youngest can assist with simple (and safe) tasks like mashing the potatoes, adding ingredients, and setting the table. Assign the older kids bigger jobs, like pulling and measuring all the ingredients for the dish, stirring the pot, even creating the menu.
After the wee ones drift off to sleep, you and your spouse can snuggle in front of the TV with some special late night treats and a rewarding glass of wine.
Avoid the morning-after champagne headache, why not enjoy just a glass or two of wine with some late night snacks like imported cheese and some fresh fruit? Mommy can enjoy a glass of Mommy’s Time Out wine, while Dad can indulge in a glass of Dad’s Day Off Chianti! And at about $10 per bottle, your celebration won’t break the bank like expensive champagne. Yes, we know; we had you at wine. We also are fans of Family Time is Hard Pinot Grigio (because who doesn’t love the name of this wine, right?).
Go ahead and pick up a bottle of sparkling grape juice, so the kids can toast to the new year as well. And then send them off to sleep.
What’s your go-to everyday wine? What is your favorite celebratory wine?
Create Family Memories
New Year’s Day is a great opportunity to begin the year creating family memories that will last a lifetime. New Year’s Eve ideas might include taking a family photo with someone holding up a sign with the year. It’s also a great day to measure everyone against the door jam, so they can look back at their growth in years to come.
And aren’t newborn photos the best? 
New Years Eve ideas might include taking a family photo.
Even if your kids are well past the newborn phase, take every opportunity to take photos, but don’t just leave these photos in your phone or camera. Get them printed. Enlist the kids and create an annual family photo collage.
Set New Year’s Eve Goals – as a family
Get the whole family involved in goal setting. Have everyone share a goal for the coming year and brainstorm as a family the steps you can take to make that goal a reality. Find ways to reward one another along the way and remember to check in over dinner once a month to keep those goals front and center! This is a great way to forge family cooperation and show the kids how to accomplish something as a team.
New Year’s Eve is the perfect time to plan for your next family vacation. Have a family meeting and ask everyone to write down their family vacation travel bucket list. Then start the conversations and start planning.
For those who need more incentive to travel, get ready for National Plan for Vacation Day, celebrated on the last Tuesday of January. This is a day to encourage Americans to plan their vacation days for the rest of the year at the start of the year. But you don’t have to wait until January. Use your New Year’s Eve discussions to jumpstart your vacation planning.
Look Back & Count Your Blessings
While looking to the future is great, take time to look back on the year and count your blessings. Remind each other and your children of all the good things that happened, and teach your family how to appreciate what they have.
One way to do this is to ask each family member to write down three things they were thankful for in the past year and share them over dinner on New Year’s Eve. Keeping them in a scrapbook and looking at them every few years will also serve as a reminder of what’s truly important.
Share your New Years Eve ideas to celebrate the holiday with kids in the comments below.
