How to Throw a Noon Year's Eve Party for Kids

It's almost time to kiss 2022 goodbye! If you have children, they probably want to celebrate the new year alongside their parents—but that's not always possible with little ones. Enter the Noon Year's Eve Party.

This genius kid party trend is centered around counting down to 12 p.m. instead of 12 a.m. so nobody gets left out of New Year's Eve fun or messes up their bedtime routine. Plus, if done right, your Noon Year's Eve party will have the kiddos tired out just in time for the adult festivities to begin. Pretty smart, right?

To help make your midday celebrating just as special as midnight, we've rounded up some of our favorite Noon Year's Eve party ideas. Happy 2023!

Let Your Kids Pick Out Fun Outfits

Get your kids excited about their big day by allowing them to dress up however they want. Encourage sparkly, festive attire and explain why we celebrate the changing of our calendars. They will feel like rock stars with free creative reign over their looks!

Bake Noon Year's Eve Cookies

Decorating cookies isn't just a Christmas tradition, especially if you choose New Year's-inspired cookie decorations like edible pearls, an array of shiny frostings, confetti sprinkles, and edible glitter. The kids will be thrilled they get to consume sugar well before "midnight."

Craft for the Occasion

Continue the creativity by crafting for the countdown! Making fun hats and noisemakers out of cardboard toilet paper rolls means you don't have to buy those items beforehand. You can also use on-theme supplies like bells and whistles, confetti, rainbow ribbons, and more. This will help your kids fully understand what a New Year's Eve (or Noon Year's Eve) party is all about.

Set Up a Photo Booth

For a DIY photo booth, simply hang a paper backdrop (festive New Year's Eve wrapping paper will do the trick) and set up a camera on a tripod. You can also have a designated phone photographer in place. Play some music and let the kids dance around, posing with their new props—they'll have a blast and so will you! One day your kids will be off celebrating with their own friends, old enough to cheers with adult beverages (and not just sippy cups). These photos will be a precious keepsake that'll last a lifetime.

Come Up With Resolutions

Here's another Noon Year's Eve idea for kids: Create vision boards for the year ahead. Explain that this holiday is about starting fresh and setting new goals to accomplish, then help kids decide on their resolutions. For a visual aspect, flip through children's magazines and cut out an array of images to add to their vision boards.

Play Up the Countdown

Before the clock strikes noon, gather the whole crew—crafts and noisemakers in tow—and play a fake countdown. With a simple search on YouTube, you will find plenty of fake countdowns made for kids who are ringing in the new year early, such as this one. (We recommend setting this up in advance so the advertisement before the video isn't a downer.) They'll appreciate the authenticity of the moment and go crazy, which will hopefully tire them out for later.

Pick the First Meal of the Year

A few days before the Noon Year's Eve party, let your kids collectively decide on their first meal of the "new year" (the countdown can mark the start of lunchtime). Don't forget the dessert too! Let's just hope the sugar rush dies down before your party guests come knocking.