December 1, 2019
Ring in the New Year
2019 had its ups and downs. But at home with your little one, you get a chance to set the tone and celebrate what was good about it. You don’t have to stay up until midnight to celebrate, but a countdown will surely make things fun. Check out these five ideas for remembering, celebrating, and talking about everything that was fun in the year 2019.
5 activities and games to celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
1) Write thank you notes or New Year cards together for friends and family
Choose family members or friends and then think about reasons why you want to say “thank you” to them. Or you can also think of categories: “who was the funniest this year?” Or “Who had the best birthday party?” Then draw and write your notes. One great way to collaborate while your little one is still learning letters is to have them draw what they want to say. You can help write it out under their pictures.
2) Print out your favorite 2018 photos and play a memory game
This activity will take a little bit of preparation, but you can substitute drawings for photos too. Pick your favorite twelve pictures you took this year and then print them twice. Turn them upside down and play the memory game. When you get a pair, you have to yell “I remember that!” Another option is to choose photos of family members that live far away, but you wished you were celebrating with them.
3) Have an early countdown to the next year before bedtime
Gather alarm clocks or set your cell phone timers and start counting down! By the time you are done make a ruckus and celebrate the start of a new year! The more you prepare, the more fun you will have. You can also ask, “what happens when we’re done counting?” or break into a dance party after your countdown. This brings us to our next idea below.
4) Dance a song for every month of 2019
What is a good January song? Is there a song that says “ready for springtime” to your little one? Have fun choosing songs for special moments or holidays in the year. You can also try the different seasons or just 12 songs that you liked very much in the year 2019.
5) Play the resolutions game
This game can be played in two different ways. One is to write a bunch of new year's resolutions and then throw them in a box or a bowl. One person will read them out loud and everyone has to guess who wrote them. Another way to play is to guess what each other’s new year's resolutions are. Have your little one close their eyes and think about their resolution, and you do the same. Now guess what each is thinking!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Want more age-specific activity ideas to celebrate with your little one?
Visit our Brighter Futures Indiana Play & Learning activity pages for:
