Ring in the New Year with a children’s party in your home
New Year’s Eve is traditionally a celebration for grownups but it can also be an exciting time for children.
Staying up late, lots of sparkle and music — who wouldn’t have fun?
Planning a children’s party in your home can be a happy way to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Just be prepared to keep everything kid friendly and be aware of children’s needs.
Emily Bloom, owner of Bloom’s Full Service Event Planning in Dunbar, said, “It’s all about keeping kids occupied.”
You might want to begin by setting up a time. Decide if the party will end early with a mock countdown to New Year’s or if the youths will stay up until midnight. Realize if you plan the later time, you will need extra activities and food.
If you like, make it a sleepover so children can head to bed after midnight. If the children are sleeping over, don’t forget to have enough beds, air mattresses and blankets to accommodate your guests. Or you can ask them to bring their own sleeping bags and pillows. You’ll probably also want to make plans for breakfast before they leave.
Regardless of sleeping arrangements, you want to have plenty of room at your party for children to play. That might mean moving furniture around for space for games or dancing. You might want to set up an extra table for crafts or cookie decorating if that’s part of your plans.
Make sure you have enough plates and cups for your guests. Paper plates and cups with colorful designs are a nice choice for an easy clean up as well as making sure there are no broken glasses to worry about.
Bloom suggests you might want to host a party with a theme. She recently planned a Sweet Sixteen party that featured a movie theme and included cut-out characters from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Harry Potter,” “Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Frozen.”
“Anything to do with a theme,” said Bloom, “is best.”
Bloom also recommends having enough activities for the kids, such as games and crafts. They can be traditional or they can be unusual.
“We had a party where we had them paint with their teeth or feet and put their hands behind their back, and used a timer,” Bloom said.
Dancing can also be fun whether you use Christmas songs or popular music to have a good time.
Don’t forget refreshments, which Bloom said should be “everything finger food.”
That includes pizza, chips, veggies and fruit.
“And you can never go wrong with a candy bar,” said Bloom, of the popular party feature that include a buffet assortment of chocolates and colorful sweets.
If you are staying up until midnight, remember to have enough food to last through the night. That might mean serving pizza early and cooking hot dogs or making peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches later in the evening.
When it’s time for the ball drop, be ready with party hats and tiaras. Glitz it up. Have fun!
“Anything sparkling is good. You can do glow-in-the-dark jewelry,” Bloom noted.
If you want to have a toast, serve ginger ale or sparkling cider that can mimic the effervescence of champagne in a non-alcoholic drink.
With all this excitement, the children are probably going to be wound up so you might want to let them relax with a movie. Again, make sure it’s kid friendly. Just take time to calm down to ensure a good night’s sleep.
Bloom, who started her event planning business after people began asking her for advice at her other business, Bloominhair Salon in Uniontown, said sometimes parents worry that children aren’t having fun at parties.
But, she noted, “The more simplistic, the better.”
So for a good time on New Year’s Eve, plan ahead but remember to have fun and watch the children’s eyes light up as they experience the magic that comes from the end of one calendar and the start of a new one.
Happy New Year!