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Most kids get stuck with a babysitter on New Year’s Eve, but you can have a fun New Year’s Eve party the kids can enjoy—even if they don’t stay awake until midnight.
Christmas vacation may begin to feel long after Christmas is over, and your kids will probably have at least another week at home before they go back to school. Fill the week in between Christmas and New Years preparing for your party.
Kids love dressing up, and they don’t get too many chances since Halloween only comes once a year. The silly hats and tiaras associated with New Year’s Eve parties make great projects for your kids. You can buy plain derby hats at a party supply store, and you can make tiaras out of plastic headbands and tagboard (or file folders cut in half). Let the kids color their hats with markers and paints and add glitter.
While you’re at the party supply store, stock up on whistle toys, streamers, confetti (if your vacuum can handle it), and balloons. The kids will spend several hours the day of the party decorating your house for the festivities.
Several days before the party, sit down with your kids and decide what kinds of games to play. Besides board games and card games, consider more active games such as charades, Twister, and sardines. Sardines is a hide-and-seek game in which only one person hides at the beginning. As the others find the hiding person, they squeeze into the hiding spot (hence the name “sardines”). The last person to find everyone hides in the next round. If you have a big, nook-filled backyard and it’s not too cold outside, this is a great game when everyone needs a breath of fresh air.
Sending out or delivering homemade invitations helps your kids feel more excited about their party. You can use some of your party-hat supplies for the invitations: glitter, markers, etc.
Inviting a friend or two to sleep over will keep parents from worrying about their children being out late and on the roads with the drunk drivers. Plus, they can stay up to midnight and beyond, as long as they don’t keep you up.
Use another of those pre-New Year’s Eve days to make treats for your parties. Kids love making popcorn balls, and these make fun treats. They can also help you bake cookies, brownies, or other goodies. Try to have something healthy on hand, too, because too much sugar is liable to give kids headaches or too much energy.
The night of the party, make individual pizzas on bagels or English muffins. Have pizza supplies laid out on the table (pizza sauce, pepperoni, sausage, cheese, tomatoes, peppers, olives, and mushrooms) and let the kids build their own pizzas.
After dinner, pull out the games. Then sit back and let the night unfold. Depending on the age of the children, you may be able to take refuge in another room and enjoy the evening knowing your kids are safe and happy—and school will begin again soon.
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