We are staying in this New Year's Eve with the children and it's our plan to make it a night to remember. Here we have gathered up all of our ideas for you to also have a great night in with the family whilst making some great memories. 

We go all out with getting dressed up, dinner party style food, games, treats and of course the after party - Come and check out some great ideas and Happy New Year from Stroud Rocks!

New Year's Eve at Home with the Kids | Stroud Rocks

Food & Drink 

Afternoon Tea - Get all the family involved in making a tasty Afternoon Tea! There are some lovely ideas here.

Mocktails – Make some fun drinks that the whole family can enjoy, and top them off with a cocktail umbrella and fun straw to make them extra special. Simply add lemonade to anything to make it sparkling, or take a look at some of these recipes.

Snack Bar – Set-up a table with all of the family’s favourite snacks and treats on. Include lots of crisps and dips, veggie sticks, and things that are easy for kids to eat. We love the look of this canape hedgehog.

Hot Chocolate Station – Create a little display with hot chocolate, and lots of fun toppings such as mini marshmallows, sprinkles and squirty cream.

Cookie Countdown – Decorate cookies, cupcakes or biscuits with numbers, and then enjoy tucking into one every hour!

Activities & Games

Indoor Treasure Hunt – Label envelopes with a countdown, put clues inside the envelopes and let the kids open the envelopes when the clock strikes the time on the envelope.

New Years Crafts - We love these craft ideas from muminthemadhouse.com - including DIY decorations, accessories, and printables!

Photo Memory Game – Print out photos of your best 2024 memories and play a simple match game with your kids.

Create a Time Capsule - Reflect on what a year it's been by creating a time capsule of world events, family happenings, and popular trends. You'll then open it next New Year’s Eve to see how things have changed!

Board Game Competition - Gather your favourite board games for a night of friendly (or not so friendly) competition! The winner gets bragging rights for the whole year or until the next competition!

Party Games - Kids love traditional games such as Pass the Parcel, Musical Statues, and Pin the Tail on the Donkey!

Family Olympics - Re-create the Olympics in your own home! Tweak some traditional games to adapt them to play at home and hand out “medals” for the winners.

2025 Wish Jar – Get each member of the family to write down something they would like to do or a place they would like to visit in 2025. Put them in a jar, and throughout the year take it in turns to pick one out.

Kids Photoshoot -Don't just ask the kids be in front of the camera, get them behind the camera! Hand the camera over to your little ones to snap away and take videos of you dancing. It will create many giggles for years to come 

Party Time

Dance party – Grab your glow sticks, and every hour turn off the lights, play your favourite song and dance!

Dress Up – Staying in doesn’t mean you can’t all put on your best party clothes. You could even create your own photo booth and take fun photos.

Have a Luau - It may be freezing outside, so crank up the heating and celebrate Hawaiian style! Grass skirts, sunglasses, flower garlands, inflatable flamingos and fruity mocktails... this is such a fun idea for kids and parents alike! There are some great ideas here.

Slumber Party – Or if dressing-up isn’t your thing, how about a slumber party? Put your pyjamas on, grab some snacks and your sleeping bags, and have a sleepover in the lounge.

Be The DJ - Take it in turns to be the DJ, hand over the music device and allow everyone to have their turn when it comes to choosing some banging tunes, or Baby Shark for the 10000th time! 

Countdown

Mock Midnight – If you have little ones that won’t be able to stay up until midnight, do your countdown a little earlier – they’ll never know! If you have Netflix, you can also search for ‘Countdown’ and characters from different shows will help ring in the new year early for you.

Balloon Clock - Write the time on balloons and pop one every hour to build anticipation. This one looks great!

Celebrate Around the World – Follow the celebrations as they happen around the world, and find out about different traditions too – did you know that in Spain it is tradition to eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight?

Sparklers - Great for for kids of all ages, wrap up warm and step outside for some sparkler fun!

Have a balloon drop at midnight – Make your own balloon drop with two large pieces of lightweight fabric, some masking tape and lots of balloons. Then at midnight release all of the balloons!

Once the Kids are in Bed

Romantic Dinner - Once the kids are in bed, why not order your favourite takeaway, open a bottle of bubbly, and cosy up on the sofa.

Spa at Home - Mark the end of a stressful year with a pamper session! Put on a face mask, paint your nails, and ask your partner for a massage. Aaaand relax!

Get an Early Night - There's no pressure to stay up till midnight, and we wouldn't blame you for getting an early night! You'll also be super smug when you wake up fresh faced and ready for 2025...

Well that's it - another year done. We wish you a very happy New Year from team Stroud Rocks and we look forward to helping you navigate 2025 together. 

Don't forget that Stroud Rocks is still filled with many ideas for things to do, new term groups and classes, local parks and walks and so much more.