Celebrating New Year’s Eve with tweens is the perfect way to reflect on all that you’ve done together as a family. However, this party needs to have the perfect balance of silly fun and age-appropriate activities baked in.
What are some things you can do with tweens on New Year’s Eve? Play a game of charades, have a movie marathon, create a time capsule, and work on your resolutions list.
There are so many wonderful ideas to celebrate together. As long as you are making memories and ringing in the New Year as a family, the party will be a success!
But if you want to ensure that your tween has fun at this month’s New Year’s Eve party, here are ten fun (hassle-free) ideas to include on your schedule.
Charades
Charades is the best game ever because you don’t need anything to play! It’s always fun to watch different people describe the same word or phrase in a variety of ways. I think that’s what makes this activity so FUN.
And the best thing about charades? It’s a game for everyone. Your 7-year-old, your 17-year-old, and your 77-year-old father, too!
Movie Marathon
Movies are a great way to relax and wait for midnight with your tween children. In my house, we typically watch the Twilight marathon that happens on television, but a lot of people love to pop in a movie instead.
Here are some movie marathon suggestions for New Year’s Eve:
- Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II
- Harry Potter
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Jurassic Park
- Indiana Jones
- Star Wars
- Planet of the Apes
- Mission Impossible
- The Incredibles
- Back to the Future
- Ice Age
- Rush Hour
- The Lord of the Rings
- Toy Story
- Spider-Man
- Avengers
- Transformers
Be sure to stock up on plenty of popcorn and snacks before you settle in.
Bake-A-Thon
By introducing your kids to baking, you are accomplishing several things at once. Not only do you get your desserts made for the night, but your kids learn some responsibility in the kitchen and they build a true love for a great skill.
What should you bake? There are so many choices. Consider:
- Brownie Mix Cookies
- 3 Ingredient Nutella Cake
- Cherry Bars Recipe
- Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
- Homemade Banana Pudding With Nilla Wafers
- 4 Ingredient Funfetti Dip Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Cookies With Cake Mix
A Bake-A-Thon should go hand in hand with a movie marathon. There is something special about snacking on baked goods that everyone made together.
Dance Party
After all of that baking, you need to move a bit! With the pandemic, I think everyone has been missing parties and dancing. So, why not bring the dance floor to the living room and create a tween club for the kids.
Your family-only dance party should be filled with songs that keep the party going! Consider 80s and 90s pop music to start! Want to take it to the next level? Arrange a dance-off.
Create a fun MOCKtail
In my house, we do a little toast at midnight and I always make sure to have a mocktail on hand for my littles. Come up with your own design or search online for a recipe that your tween will love.
Don’t forget to use your fanciest glasses!
Minute to Win It Games
Minute to Win It games are a set of challenges that players have to complete within a minute. They are easy to arrange and usually don’t require any special equipment. Perfect for big families (player vs. player or team vs. team) and small families (player vs. clock) alike.
The most common Minute to Win It games include:
- Cookie Face
- Keep It Up
- Ping Pong Bounce
- Bottle to Bottle
- Chop Stick Race
- Nosedive
- Stack Attack
- Junk in The Trunk
- Chubby Bunny
But there are more than 50 different challenges available on the Internet. And you can design a challenge yourself, too. These games are hilarious to watch and fun to participate in. You and your family will love them!
Who Can Stay Up The Longest Challenge?
That might not seem like an engaging activity, but you’ll be surprised at the methods your kids will come up with to stay awake. Especially if you arrange a reward for the winner.
You’ll probably win this particular challenge since you have the advantage and experience, but your kids will appreciate the chance.
Write Your Resolutions Together
Goal setting for teens can be a hard process to start, but the New Year’s Resolutions list is a great way to kick off the thought process. It’s all about growing as a person and it’s important as a parent to remind your children of that idea.
We all have an entire year to work on our dreams and aspirations. How will we become better versions of ourselves? And how can this family support one another?
So, write your resolutions down and do it with your children. Help them set realistic expectations of themselves. By doing it together, you become accountability partners!
Related: Over 100 Monthly Goals To Help You Get Back On The Right Track Plus A Free Template Download
Make a Time Capsule for the Year Before
Making a time capsule is a great way to remember all the events and accomplishments you and your tweens had during the past year. And it’s up to all of you to decide what to put in the capsule.
It can be a letter to your future self, a list of every achievement, a beloved toy, or a favorite book. Choose whatever fond memories you’d like and then set a date when you’d like to open the capsule up again.
Make Dinner Together
Baking together or washing dishes isn’t the only way your tweens can help you around the kitchen. Why don’t you also ask them to help you prepare the New Year’s dinner?
Each of your kids can choose a dish to add to the menu, and they can be totally responsible for it.
So, how will you spend New Year’s with your tween this year? Any of these ideas work for you and your family?