The Ultimate Noon Year's Eve Party: 10 Fun Crafts and Activities

Marta-Kate

Nov 26, 20244 min read

Updated: Jan 3

Don't keep the kids (or library staff) up until midnight. Throw a Noon Year's Eve Party on or before December 31 with crafts, games, and treats! This program features activity stations for families to enjoy at their own pace plus a countdown to a balloon drop. These activities have worked great for group sizes of 20 to 100 and much of the supplies may already be in your craft closet.

Happy New Year Balloons for family party

Promotional Blurb

"No need to wait until midnight for a party! Drop-in for Noon Year's Eve crafts, games and treats the whole family will enjoy from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm with a special countdown at noon. For all ages."

ACTIVITIES

Year in Review Worksheets

Create a Year in Review worksheet for kids and parents to record their favorite memories from the previous year and what they hope to learn/accomplish in the new year. This idea was inspired by the Resolution worksheets found at Thirty Handmade Days.com. These sheets were a great way to spark discussions and led to some fun surprises for the parents.

Snowman Bean Bag Toss

Set up a bean bag toss board, but cover it with paper and turn it into a snowman! We are constantly creating new covers for the library's bean bag board depending on the season and theme. Creating "snowballs" out of white plastic bags or foam instead of bean bags would be even more festive if you (or an awesome teen volunteer) have the time. You can also buy fake indoor snowballs from Amazon.

Months of the Year Memory Match

This set was simply created with Microsoft Word. Print two sets of your cards on cardstock and cut them out. Turn the cards face down. Flip two cards. If they're not a matching pair, flip them back over. If they do match, leave them face up and try to find another matching pair. Find all the matching pairs to win!

Photo Booth

Let attendees show off their party hats and get some fun family photos! Set up balloons, cover a wall with black butcher paper, or purchase a backdrop. Provide fun props, such as cardstock mustaches and lips taped to kebob sticks.

Balloon Games

At 12:00 pm we did a countdown and let 100 balloons loose in the library's events room. Utilize teen volunteers to inflate the balloons if you have them! You could construct an epic balloon drop from the ceiling or go the easy route and ask a couple of parents to help you empty extra large garbage bags filled with the balloons on top of the youngest attendees. Kids from ages 3 to 80 cannot resist a room full of balloons. Challenge participants to:

Keep as many balloons as possible in the air.
Count how many balloons they can get to float at one time.
Catch a balloon on the rim of a Solo cup.
Perform relay races while holding balloons between their knees.

NOTE: Prior to releasing balloons, announce that you will be doing so in case of latex allergies OR anyone who has a fear of balloons popping and prefers to leave the room.

CRAFTS

Shimmering Fireworks Art

Use chalk to draw fireworks or the message of your choice on black construction paper. Drizzle Elmer glue onto the paper then sprinkle glitter/sequins on top. For less mess, set out foil pans or trays for kids to set their paper in prior to adding glitter and/or sequins. For more inspiration and examples, check out the blog Felt Magic.

Party Hats

No party is complete without hats! Print a hat template on cardstock (like this one from First Palette) and decorate it with markers, stickers, sequins, tissue paper, or whatever embellishments you've got. Cut and roll the hat into a cone shape, then tape it together along both sides of the seam. Punch a hole on each side near the bottom of the cone and string yarn through to use as a chin strap.

Noise Makers

There are countless ways to make a noise maker, from folded paper plates to pie tins, but we had a surplus of toilet paper tubes just begging to be used, so we went with this great design from Classic Play. Cover one side of the tube with a layer or two of aluminum foil and secure it with duct tape or a rubber band. Add 15+ dried pinto beans (or beads) and seal the second side of the tube with aluminum foil and duct tape or a rubber band. Add stickers to the tube or decorate it with markers and shake, shake, shake!

Snacks

Cupcake Decorating

Funfetti cupcakes, frosting, and sprinkles are always a hit!

Sparkling Sherbet Punch

Equal parts Hawaiian Punch and 7up, or another Lemon-Lime soda, with scoops of rainbow sherbet on top make for a delicious and bubbly treat.

Bring it all together

Handing patrons an activity list when they arrive is a great way to break the ice and let them know what to expect. The following activity sheets were created in Publisher and printed as half sheets (2 per page). Patrons who completed at least 6 of the activities on the sheet could visit the Youth Desk to receive their choice of a temporary tattoo or sticker.