I've never shared our New Year's Traditions - so here's the scoop in case you want some fun family fun:
New Year's Eve is sometimes a challenge for parents who want to celebrate with their kids and with their sweetheart. So here's an idea to make both happen! Early New Year's Eve Day, we change the clocks back 2 or 3 hours allowing the kids to celebrate "midnight" at a reasonable hour (9 or 10 p.m).
Here's how we celebrate:
For us, New Years Eve would not be the same without Chinese Food. I even had a New Year's Eve baby one year and ate Chinese take-out in the hospital!
The early evening is filled with games for the kids. Ours happen to be rather funny traditions that we've done since I was a child. But any games will do!
The early evening is filled with games for the kids. Ours happen to be rather funny traditions that we've done since I was a child. But any games will do!
"Under the Broom"
With a stack of 10-15 books, kids try to slide under the broom. Eventually books are moved down one by one to see who can carefully slide under the broomstick the easiest. You'd think it would be the tiny 4 year olds each time, but you would be surprised how clever everyone gets.
"Dime in the Flour"
Using a cup of flour, turn it upside down in a pie tin. Then place a dime on the top. Each child takes turn slicing a way a piece of the flour stack until the dime falls. Whoever makes the dime fall, has to pick it up with their teeth. Quite comical!
"Categories"
Everyone sits in a circle with one person in the middle with a spray bottle. The person in the middle announces a category. Perhaps it's cereals or Disney movies. Then they progress around the circle and each player guesses something from the category. The person who guesses correctly gets a spray and then moves the to the middle.
"Memory"
Take a tray of miscellaneous objects. Make them random. These could include a penny, a safety pin, package of kleenex, candy cane, spoon, toy lego, pencil, scissors, deflated balloon, etc. etc. Bring the tray in uncovered and reveal it for everyone to see. Give them a set amount of time (3 minutes?) to study the items. Then cover the tray back up and leave the room. Remove one item from the tray and come back. Game players must guess what is missing by writing it down on a piece of paper. Continue doing this until all items are gone. Sometimes I take away 2, just for variety. When all items are done, go down the list and see who remembered the most items. This is a great memory game that makes you think!
Take a tray of miscellaneous objects. Make them random. These could include a penny, a safety pin, package of kleenex, candy cane, spoon, toy lego, pencil, scissors, deflated balloon, etc. etc. Bring the tray in uncovered and reveal it for everyone to see. Give them a set amount of time (3 minutes?) to study the items. Then cover the tray back up and leave the room. Remove one item from the tray and come back. Game players must guess what is missing by writing it down on a piece of paper. Continue doing this until all items are gone. Sometimes I take away 2, just for variety. When all items are done, go down the list and see who remembered the most items. This is a great memory game that makes you think!
After some silly games, we culminate the evening with Karaoke and Dancing to Music, which always includes Aud Lang Syne
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At "midnight", we count down and release a crepe paper net of balloons to be popped along with the kid's blowing noise makers to celebrate.
We finish the evening off with homemade trifle and still get the kids to bed at a reasonable hour. The great thing is, you can still have the rest of the evening to go out on a date with your sweetheart or watch the ball drop in New York together as a couple.
What are your New Year's Eve Traditions?
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At "midnight", we count down and release a crepe paper net of balloons to be popped along with the kid's blowing noise makers to celebrate.
We finish the evening off with homemade trifle and still get the kids to bed at a reasonable hour. The great thing is, you can still have the rest of the evening to go out on a date with your sweetheart or watch the ball drop in New York together as a couple.
What are your New Year's Eve Traditions?
Everything about this spells fun. I am definitely going to add the memory game and minute to win it to my list! Our list includes popping the balloons on the hour. We draw names from a cup to choose who gets to pop it. That person also gets to choose a favorite book to be read aloud "with drama" by another of their choosing. Happy New Year to you and yours!
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