When most people think of a New Year’s Eve party, they picture a party with mostly adults and do not usually think of children. However, New Year’s Eve parties recently either include kids or are planned, specifically for kids. Whether you are planning to throw a New Year’s Eve party for your children or your friends or you are planning to allow your adult guests to bring their children to the party, some considerations must be taken.
One of the most obvious considerations is alcohol consumption. It is inappropriate to allow minors to consume alcohol, so the party host should plan on other beverages for the children at the party. They might want to consider serving mocktails which are non-alcoholic versions of cocktails. These mocktails are a lot of fun and will help to prevent the children from being envious of the drinks the adults are enjoying because they will have their fun and colorful drinks. When creating mocktails for children, it is important to focus on the presentation. Creating colorful drinks and serving them in festive glasses is a good idea. The host should also consider alcohol consumption for adults and might consider placing a drink limitation to prevent the adult guests from becoming inebriated during the party.
Food should also be carefully thought of when planning a New Year’s Eve party that will include children. Children can be rather picky about their food. Fortunately, appetizers are perfect for New Years’ Eve celebrations, and most kids enjoy appetizers. Foods such as mini pizzas, hot dogs, and hamburgers are particularly popular with kids. Similarly, simple foods such as cut-up pieces of fruit or cheese or also popular with kids. The host may wish to have an assortment of kid-friendly appetizers and more sophisticated appetizers for the adults. One example of a cute food idea is to have sushi for the adults and to make an appetizer resembling sushi for the kids. This can be done by cutting the crusts of pieces of white bread, spreading peanut butter on the bread, and layering pieces of strawberry on the peanut butter. The bread can then be rolled up and cut to resemble pieces of sushi. The kids will enjoy having an appetizer that looks like what the adults are eating but will also enjoy the taste of their unique snack.
Another factor to consider when planning a New Year’s Eve party for kids is the lateness of the party. Depending on the age of the children, the kids might have difficulty staying up until midnight and may become cranky in the late evening hours. Children are too young to stay up late, so the host can consider making the event a sleepover party and staging an early celebration for the kids. The adults can set the clocks ahead and orchestrate a mock New Years’ celebration at a more kid-friendly hour such as 9:00 pm. After a brief celebration, the kids can all retire to an out-of-the-way location, with an adult chaperone, such as a finished basement or an upstairs bedroom. The chaperone can stay with the children until they all fall asleep and then use a baby monitor to return to the party while continuing to monitor the children. The adults can then continue the party and celebrate the real New Year at midnight.