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New Year's Eve or NOON Year's Eve?

For many families, midnight is way too late for everyone, even parents! There are a couple of ways to have a countdown that's meaningful and not just picking a time near their actual bedtime. One way that's great for families with the littlest kids is to have a Noon Year's Eve - countdown to 12pm, not 12am. Local museums often have balloon drops at noon, but you can do your whole celebration at noon!

Another way to do it is to pick another time zone to use as your countdown time. For families who live in the Pacific time zone, this is easy; you can watch the ball drop in New York! But you can pick any time zone celebration that works for your family bedtime or nap schedule – how about London, or Sydney?

It's like bubble wrap popping on a really big scale! Photo courtesy of How Does She

Best New Year's Eve Ideas for Kids and Families to Celebrate at Home

1. Pop a Balloon Every Hour

There’s something exciting about popping balloons at the top of the hour, every hour, until midnight—the biggest pop of the year! Of course, you don't have to keep popping until midnight. Start at noon, start after dinner, do a dozen, or do just a few; one of the best things about this activity is that it can be tailored to the ages (and bedtimes) of the kids in the family.

Before putting helium or air into colorful balloons, try stuffing them first with sequins, confetti, or glitter and a slip of paper with an activity for that hour written on it. The anticipation adds mystery and excitement to the evening.

2. Have a New Year's Eve Scavenger Hunt

Make a New Year's Eve-themed scavenger hunt. There are so many ways this could go: you could have kids find hats and fancy items to dress up in, so at the end of the fun they're dressed and ready to party. Or you could have them find things that remind them of the past year, like "Find a picture of the best thing you did this year" or "Find an object that has the number of how old you turned this year." For more ideas, check out our Guide to Having a Scavenger Hunt With Kids.

3. Have a Dance Party

There's nothing better than dancing your way into the new year. Put on your favorite tunes, pull up a kid-friendly playlist, or get a free Just Dance app for some family-friendly booty shakin'.

RELATED: Best Kids' Movies for Family Movie Night

For bigger goodies, there are bags! Photo courtesy of Simple Easy Creative

5. Countdown Treat Bags 

For goodies that won't fit in balloons, opt for simple paper bags filled with treats and activities, one for each hour of the night. Kids can help decorate the paper bags, but make sure to keep what's inside a surprise. The bags can be filled with an array of things, like a new game to play or book to read, special treats to eat, or even fun things to help celebrate, like noisemakers or party hats.

6. Make Your Own Party Poppers & Noise Makers

Crafty families may not want to buy their party hats and noisemakers—instead, make crafting part of your celebration. Try making holiday crackers, confetti poppers, noise-maker shakers, glitter slime, or even party hats. 

RELATED: 25 Card Games Every Kid Should Know

Get dressed up for the photo booth! Photo courtesy 5 minutes for mom​

7. Dress-Up with a Photo Booth

Who doesn’t love to dress up for a special occasion? Break out the feather boas, top hats, or exaggerated plastic glasses. Anything goes! Try these printable photo booth props or spend the day crafting with the kids to make your own unique props, using this tutorial.

Whatever you choose, make it fun, make it silly, and make it memorable to mark the end of the year. Set up a little corner with a camera (or phone), a tripod, and a backdrop. That's all you need! Be sure to let your kids man the camera, too. Here's a charming tutorial on how to set up a photo booth for any kid party!

8. Create a Time Capsule

Something that will become extra meaningful down the line is creating a time capsule of the past year. Take the time to collect all kinds of items in a time capsule for your family to look back on when these childhood days are a mere memory.

9. Cook New Year’s Eve Dinner Together

Reservations at a fancy restaurant for New Year's Eve are just not happening. Instead, make a reservation Chez Vous, and have the kids help out in the kitchen. The best way to get kids excited about cooking is to make their favorite foods, so try letting them set the menu. (It's just one night, so if nothing green is included, that's ok!)

If cleaning up a kitchen that has been hit by hurricane little chef is not how you want to spend your own New Year's Eve, get them involved on a smaller scale. Kids can help make festive popcorn balls and mocktails, or set up a fondue table for an activity that both entertains and feeds the family.

10. Make New Year’s Resolutions

Making New Year's resolutions is a tradition ingrained in American culture. It's a great way to get kids to think and talk about everything they experienced in the past year. Give everyone their own sheet for individual resolutions, or opt to have one big family resolutions page.