GEM CITY FAMILY: Ideas for celebrating New Year’s Eve with children

Here are a few things we do as a family on the holiday:

Dress up

Half the fun of a party is the getting ready. We kick our festivities off by dressing for the occasion. This doesn’t have to mean heels and stuffy clothes. Some years we all wear matching PJs or bathrobes, other years we get fancy and wear sequins, whatever screams “party” to your family, wear that.

Fancy food

We do appetizers of many kinds but you can do whatever feels fancy or fun for your family. Make it look pretty by plating it like a party platter and grab a bottle of sparking cider to pop at midnight. Extra points for having the kids help prep in the kitchen.

Let the countdown begin

We do hourly family activities while we wait for the ball to drop. In past years I have filled balloons with different activities and popped one every hour as we countdown to the new year. You can also do a tissue paper solo cup clock countdown. I used cardboard and cut out circles in the shape of a clock then inserted solo cups with activity ideas inside and covered the cups with tissue paper. Every hour I let the kids punch out the next family activity.

This is a fun way to keep the momentum going and not be stuck picking ideas until midnight. Here are some activity ideas to get you started: board games, charades, dance party, Lego build, cards, karaoke, crafting, cookie makin, and scavenger hunt.

Early ball drop

Netflix and YouTube have prerecorded ball drops and we typically watch one of those around 8 p.m. so our daughter can ring in the new year with us and still go to bed on time. This allows us to tuck her in to sleep and enjoy the last peaceful hours of the year together as adults without having to entertain until midnight.

However you decide to bring in 2025 remember to have fun and be safe. Happy New Year!

Pamela Chandler is a local mom who writes the Gem City Family column for the Dayton Daily News. Reach out to her at thechandlercrew3@gmail.com.

KID-FRIENDLY NYE EVENTS