This post contains ten fun and thoughtful new year activities for kids “Mama, how many days until Halloween?” my five-year-old asked me the day after Halloween. We were months away from a new year, let alone another Halloween.
There are days I feel time moves at lightening speed and then there are days, well, there are days that feel like Halloween.
Time does pass. That is a fact. I choose to celebrate the New Year. I don’t make resolutions because inevitably I break those resolutions and end of feel crappy about myself. There are a few things I do embrace each New Year.
Related Read: How to Make New Years Resolutions Stick
Let’s be honest and totally cheesy for a moment, the new year celebration gives us a chance to reflect on the past year and to firmly plant a mindset for the coming year. It’s great to take some time with the family to reflect on the past year as well as the New Year that’s on the way.
10 family activities to Help you Reflect on the New Year
- Create a Traditional Family New Year Dinner – Everyone can vote on the dishes they want to include in the meal. Prepare the meal and cook it together. This is a great time to talk and share and just enjoy the time together as a family. It’s also a great way to build a tradition that you can repeat year after year, or maybe month after month, or week after week.
- Ask “Who is your family?” – We love conversation starters! This conversation starter is a great family bonding activity for New Years. It invites the family members to talk about who is part of his or her family, and what family really means to them. This is a great way to start a New Year with gratitude.
- Share your Favorite Family Activity – Have everyone share their favorite activity for the year and also talk about what they want to do together in the upcoming year.
- Play New Year Games – Pull out the good old board games and make it happen. There are a lot of fun games you can play like Guess the Resolution or Two Truths and a Lie. You can do a word guessing game, or a New Years take on charades.
- Go Outside – If you still have snow (or can travel to it), this could be a great time to play in the snow. Go skiing or snowboarding, or just run around and make snowmen or throw snowballs. This time of year will pass so quickly after New Year so now is a good time to appreciate it.
- Get Crafty – This can be a great time of year to work on some crafts. You can do seasonal crafts, or make an annual family scrapbook to reflect on your memories.
- Read Outloud – No matter how old or how young your children, reading aloud as a family is a magical experience.
- Scavenger Hunt – Create a year in review scavenger hunt, or planning for next year scavenger hunt. You can be as creative as you want with these and get all of the family members involved/
- Set Family Goals for the New Year – Most people enjoy making New Year Resolutions. You can do this together and share your goals for the New Year as a family.
- Dream together about the New Year – Talk about the things you hope to achieve in the New Year, what your number one goal is, things you want to do as a family and more. You might be surprised at some of the answers. It’s also a great way to bond.
I hope these ideas inspire you a bit. Let me know your New Year’s traditions! This is all about your family so do what works for you.
Happy New Year!
Marnie