When you are celebrating the New Year’s, there is nothing that will pass the time than making a few crafts. Try some of the following crafts with your kids this New Year’s Eve.
Mini Scrapbook
New Year’s Eve is all about remembering the passing year and looking forward to the next. Help your kids make a mini-scrapbook by letting them pick out five or six pictures of their favorite memories from the year. Glue them to 8-1/2 x 11 inch scrapbook paper and bind the pages together by punching holes and adding brads. Have your child write a few sentences about each picture. You can also make pages that will help your child think about the coming year. They can add things like, “This year I will do better than….”, or “I think this year will be the best because….”, or perhaps, “My goal for the new year is to….”
New Year's Hat
Every proper New Year’s Eve party guest needs a good-looking party hat. Go to your local party supply store and purchase several plain looking hats. These are usually under $2. When you get them home, have your children decorate the hats using computer print outs with their names, or with stickers, glitter glue and feathers. They can use their imagination to create a unique hat to wear as the clock strikes midnight.
Paper Plate Clock
This is a great craft for smaller kids to help them keep up with the time until midnight. Use a plain white paper plate and show your child how to use number stickers to make it look like a clock around the edge of the paper plate. Cut clock hands out of construction paper and put them in place in the middle of the plate with a brad. You can help your child use the paper clock by moving the hands each hour (or every thirty minutes) until midnight.
Easy Time Capsule
A time capsule is another great idea for families to do on New Year’s Eve. Use a sturdy box or a new gallon sized paint can (you can often get these free at paint stores). Decorate the box and label it with your family name and the year it should be opened. Have everyone in your family add one or two meaningful items. This could include anything from a favorite family recipe to pictures to a favorite outgrown shirt. You might even want to think about writing a letter about the family and putting that in the time capsule as well. This will be fun to open when the kids get older.
Tube “Crackers”
Crackers are a tradition around the holidays in Europe. The idea is that you pull on each end and surprise comes out. You can make these for New Year’s using an empty toilet paper tube covered in tissue paper. Wrap the tube in the tissue paper and tie at one end. Then add some fun items such as confetti, small plastic toys or even candy. Tie off the other end. Your kids can decorate the outside of the tube with glitter or stickers if they wish. If you are having friends or other kids over, have your kids make one for each guest. These are great and inexpensive party favors and your kids will love making them and then pulling them apart.
