New Year’s Eve Activities for Kids: 20 Fun Ideas for 2027

Every year my kids swear they’re staying up until midnight. Every year at least one of them is asleep on the couch by half past nine, still holding a party blower. And honestly? That’s fine. Really. New Year’s Eve with kids isn’t about the clock, it’s about making the night feel different from every other night, and you can do that whether they last until midnight or not.

So here are 20 New Year’s Eve activities for kids, from hourly countdown bags to a Noon Year’s Eve party for little ones and a 2027 time capsule. There’s a free printable pack too, with countdown bag labels, New Year’s Eve bingo, a time capsule page and a goals sheet for 2027.

What’s in the Free Printable Pack

Countdown Bags

Hourly Countdown Bags

This is the one that saves the evening. It’s my favorite. Fill a paper bag for every hour from 6 p.m. to midnight, label them with our printable tags, and let the kids open one on the hour. Each bag holds the next activity: a game, a snack, a joke, a glow stick or a song for a dance break. Waiting for the next bag keeps everyone going, and you won’t spend the whole night hearing “is it midnight yet?”

What to Put in the Bags

Keep it cheap and simple. Ideas we’ve used: a deck of cards for a game, popcorn and a movie, glow sticks, a riddle to solve, new pajamas, a dance party song list, noisemakers for midnight and a small balloon. Put the noisiest thing in the last bag. Trust me on that one.

Noon Year’s Eve for Little Ones

A Noon Year’s Eve Party

For toddlers and preschoolers, move midnight to midday. Count down at 11:59 a.m. with our Noon Year sign, blow the party horns, drop some balloons and have a “midnight” snack for lunch. Everyone gets the excitement, and nobody’s overtired by dinnertime. It’s brilliant for daycare and preschool groups too.

A Balloon Drop

Fill a big trash bag or an old sheet with balloons, tape it loosely to a doorframe and pull the string at the countdown. It takes ten minutes to set up, it costs next to nothing if you’ve got a bag of balloons left over from a birthday, and it’ll get the biggest cheer of the whole day, I’d bet on it.

Bubble Wrap Stomp

Lay a strip of bubble wrap on the floor and let the kids stomp on it right at the countdown. It sounds just like fireworks, without the dog hiding under the bed.

Celebrate Around the World

Countdown with Another Country

New Year arrives in different places at different times, so you can celebrate early. On the US East Coast, it’s already midnight in Sydney at 8 a.m. and in London at 7 p.m. Find a livestream, count down with them and cross the country off on a map. If you’re in the UK or Australia, the US countdowns come the morning after, which is a fun way to stretch the party.

Try a Tradition from Somewhere Else

In Denmark, people jump off chairs at midnight to leap into the new year. In the Philippines, lots of families wear polka dots for a lucky year ahead. Pick one or two and try them at home. Chair jumping is a big hit, although I’d keep it to sturdy chairs and away from the glass coffee table.

Games and Family Fun

New Year’s Eve Bingo

Our bingo cards have things that tend to happen on the night: someone yawns, the dog barks at fireworks, a grown-up says “where did this year go?” and someone falls asleep before the countdown. Mark them off all evening. The first full line gets to bang the pots at midnight.

Year in Review Interview

Take turns asking each other the ten questions on our interview page: the best day, the funniest moment, the hardest thing, something you learned. Write the answers down. All of them. You’ll love reading them in a few years, I promise.

Predictions for 2027

Fill in a predictions card each. How tall will you be? What will you be best at? Who’ll win the family game night? Seal them in an envelope and open them next New Year’s Eve.

Family Game Tournament

Pick three games, keep score on a big sheet of paper and crown a champion before midnight. Mix one quick game, one silly one and one that the littlest player can actually win. Don’t skip that last one.

Pajama Dance Party

Let each person choose two songs, turn the lights down and dance in pajamas. Glow sticks make it even better. It’s the quickest way to wake up anyone who’s fading at 10 p.m.

A Fancy Dinner at Home

Lay the table with a tablecloth, candles (battery ones if little hands are around) and the good glasses. Make a kid-friendly sparkling juice for the toast. Kids love dressing up for dinner at home, and it makes the night feel special without going anywhere.

Fort and Movie Night

Build a blanket fort in the living room, pile in the pillows and watch a movie together. It’s a gentle way to wind down if your kids won’t make it to midnight anyway.

Glow Stick Party

Turn off the lights and hand out glow sticks for necklaces, bracelets and a glowing game of catch. Keep an eye on small children so nobody chews one.

Looking Ahead to 2027

A 2027 Time Capsule

Fill in our time capsule page with your age, height, best friend, favorite food and what you want to be when you grow up. Add a drawing, a photo and maybe a small treasure, seal it all in an envelope and write “Open on December 31, 2027.” Kids find it hilarious to read their own answers a year later.

Kids’ New Year’s Resolutions

Grown-up resolutions don’t really work for kids, but simple goals do. Our goals sheet asks for one thing to learn, one kind thing to do, one place to visit and one thing to try that sounds scary. Pin it on the fridge where everyone can see it.

A Thank-You to This Year

Ask everyone to finish the sentence “Thank you, this year, for…” and read them out before midnight. It’s short, it’s sweet and it often turns into the best moment of the night.

At Midnight (or Your Midnight)

Pots and Pans Parade

Hand out wooden spoons and pans and march around the house, or out onto the porch if your neighbors won’t mind, banging in the new year. It’s loud. That’s the point, and if the neighbors’ kids join in from across the street, you’ve accidentally started a tradition that’ll come back every single year whether you like it or not.

Fake Midnight

If your kids won’t make it, count down at 8 or 9 p.m. instead. Line up a New Year’s countdown video from somewhere it’s already midnight, or just do your own ten-second count. They’ll still feel like they stayed up, and you’ll get a quiet evening. Everyone wins.

Download the Free New Year’s Eve Printables

The free PDF has countdown bag labels, the Noon Year sign, New Year’s Eve bingo, the year in review interview, a 2027 time capsule page, a goals sheet and predictions cards, everything you’ll need for these New Year’s Eve activities for kids. It prints on US Letter and A4.

More New Year Ideas

• New Year crafts for kids
• New Year greeting cards
• New Year gift ideas
• Christmas activities for kids

Frequently Asked Questions

What are good New Year’s Eve activities for kids?

Countdown bags are the easiest way to keep kids busy until midnight, with a new activity every hour. A family game tournament, a pajama dance party, bingo and a time capsule all work well too. For little ones, a Noon Year’s Eve party at lunchtime is perfect. Our free printable pack covers most of these New Year’s Eve activities for kids.

What is Noon Year’s Eve?

Noon Year’s Eve is a New Year’s Eve party held at midday instead of midnight, so young kids can join in. You count down at 11:59 a.m., blow party horns and drop balloons right at noon. It’s popular with toddlers, preschools and daycare groups. Everyone gets the fun, and bedtime stays the same.

What do you put in New Year’s Eve countdown bags?

Each bag holds the next hour’s activity, like a card game, popcorn for a movie, glow sticks, a riddle or a dance party playlist. Pajamas and noisemakers work well in the later bags. Keep the contents small and cheap. The fun comes from opening a bag every hour, not from what’s inside.

How do you keep kids awake until midnight?

Plan a busy evening with something new every hour, and save the most exciting activity for late in the night. A dance party around 10 p.m. helps a lot. A rest or quiet movie earlier in the evening also helps. If they really can’t make it, a fake midnight countdown at 8 or 9 p.m. still feels special.

What should go in a kids’ time capsule?

Fill in an all-about-me page with their age, height, favorites and hopes for the year. Add a drawing, a photo, a small toy or a handwritten letter to their future self. Seal it in an envelope or jar and pick an opening date, like next New Year’s Eve. Our 2027 time capsule page has all the questions ready to go.

How do you make New Year’s resolutions with kids?

Keep them small and positive, like learning one new skill or doing one kind thing each week. Let kids choose their own goals instead of setting them. Write them down on a goals sheet and put it somewhere you’ll all see it. Check in on them once a month, and celebrate small wins.