I had planned to repost this earlier, but have had a busy week—ironically, tonight should be pretty calm for us. I would like to offer my good wishes for a wonderful, happy and healthy New Year to all my readers and supporters. I sincerely hope that you are able to realize your best visions for 2015.
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Sometimes the young children in our lives miss out on a New Year’s Eve celebration since they can’t stay up until midnight. How about arranging a New Year’s Noon celebration for your minis? Read or tell stories, sing songs, do a simple craft and engage in a countdown leading to noon. Wear something fancy or fun—maybe a boa and tiara à la Fancy Nancy. Silly hats are de rigueur. Sip sparkling grape juice or cider. Bring out balloons at the stroke of noon. Toddlers and preschoolers will happily participate.
You can cut up colorful construction paper or old magazines to make confetti to throw at noon. Use sparkly stickers or crayons or eco-friendly markers to decorate 2015 paper calendars and keep them up all year to remember your celebration.
Don’t forget noisemakers. Since this is a last-minute suggestion, you can find lots of safe things in your kitchen that the kids can use, such as a wooden spoon and a pot to bang on. Some empty food canisters also make good drums and even better noisemakers with dried beans inside to shake. If you are a bit more ambitious, you and your little guest can make a noisemaker by decorating two paper plates and taping or stapling them together. Before they are fully closed, slip in some dried beans and use a popsicle stick for a handle. Voilà!
I am reminded of one long-ago New Year’s eve when we all stayed in a hotel in downtown Chicago. Our son was having a hard time staying up after swimming and our other activities, so my husband turned on the New York countdown, and we celebrated at 11 p.m. (CST)!
Here are 3 suggestions for books with a New Year’s theme for young children:
Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution by Pat Miller
The Night Before New Year’s by Natasha Wing
Bear’s New Year’s Party: A Counting Book by Paul Owen Lewis
Cheers!
This is a wonderful idea! Now that Amara is 10 she manages to stay up until midnight but I sure could have used this idea when she was younger! I will share it with some of the moms who have younglings! Thanks and Happy New Year!
Glad you enjoyed the post, Kc! Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy 2015! Btw, this is a beautiful pic of you and Amara.