10 Ways to Celebrate New Year's Eve with Kids

1. Nap - If you are going to let the little ones stay up to watch the ball drop, they'll need some rest. Try pushing naptime until 4 or 5 o'clock. Or shorten the normal nap and add another nap in the early evening.

2. Eat a late dinner - Don't eat before 7. Its hard to pass those hours with kids, so eat late.

3. Eat a long dinner - Take your time at dinner. Serve in courses if this will help your family to stay at the table longer than 30 minutes.

4. Serve fun food - Serve finger food, fun food, or junk food. Anything that isn't the 'norm' for your family.  Then, leave the leftovers out as snacks for the later evening. Keep them warm in a crockpot or the oven. Try buffalo wings, pizza bagels, chips, celery or carrot sticks and dip.

5. Mild fireworks - Put poppers or sparkles in the kids' stockings and bring them out for New Year's Eve. Make sure to watch them closely. This kills an hour.

6. Do a fun activity - like playdough or a craft. Make it fun and messy!

7. Get settled with a bath - get the kids calmed down with a bath, add bubbles or even tub paint.

8. Utilize the TV - put on a family movie, lay out sleeping bags, pop some popcorn and enjoy an hour or so of semi-quiet.

9. Switch the TV to the network stations and watch the ball drop at midnight. Practice your kids' math skills by helping them count backwards.

10. Give kisses and fizzy drinks at midnight. Try orange soda or even a ginger ail & juice punch.

That's it. Enjoy the night and tuck those little ones in. No, they will probably not sleep late tomorrow moning.

8:57 PM - Dec. 31, 2008 - post comment

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We aren't going to stay up until midnight, but we did sparklers with our kids tonight. They had a blast! Totally worth the $2. :)

necrone - 9:45 PM - Dec. 31, 2008

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