Preschool New Year's Eve Activities
Below you can find tons of fun and engaging New Year's Eve Activities! Pick and choose the activities for your lesson or download a free copy of our New Year's Eve Preschool Lesson Plan to save you time!
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New Year Theme Map
Do you need helping planning your New Year's theme? Use the suggested learning objectives and vocabulary ideas found on our Theme Map to help you plan your own New Year's Lessons.
Free New Year's Preschool Plan
Sign up below to get your a free copy of a sample plan we created using ideas found on this page!
There are so many fun things to add to your art center this week!
Consider adding ribbon, confetti, glitter glue, star stickers, and gold paint to your art area.
Consider adding ribbon, confetti, glitter glue, star stickers, and gold paint to your art area.
New Years Eve Party Crafts
Follow my tutorial to make a fun Celebration wand and binoculars for the big day!
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Create a Noise Maker Bracelet
Create a noise maker bracelet to use in celebrations! You will need something for lacing like cording or chenille stems along with some bells or other objects that will make noise as children shake their hands! Encourage children to make their bracelet anyway they choose.
Firework Art
Cut slits halfway up the length of a cardboard paper roll. Then fold the slits up and out to make into a firework stamp for preschoolers to dip into paint. Sprinkle glitter on top for a fun effect.
DIY Party Poppers
Decorate an empty cardboard roll. Cut an empty balloon in half and tie it at the bottom. Slide the open end of the balloon over the cardboard roll. Fill the roll with 2 spoons of paper confetti. Pull back and the balloon to trigger the popper. Practice sweeping!
Fireworks Salt Painting
Using glue have preschoolers design fireworks, pour salt onto the wet glue and once dry have preschoolers paint with water colors.
More Art & Creativity Ideas
Pop-up Firework Craft from Kids Craft Room
Celebration Play Dough from Buggy and Buddy
Firework Craft from Messy Little Monster
Create a Noisemaker Bracelet from Inner Child Fun
Sparkler Craft from Kids Craft Room
Cotton Round Splatter Art from A Crafty Living
Celebration Play Dough from Buggy and Buddy
Firework Craft from Messy Little Monster
Create a Noisemaker Bracelet from Inner Child Fun
Sparkler Craft from Kids Craft Room
Cotton Round Splatter Art from A Crafty Living
Add a box of new years decorations to the Dramatic Play Area. Some items to include: Party Hats, Noise Makers, a Clock, Holiday Table Cloth, etc.
NYE Photo Booth
Provide preschoolers with fun props to take pictures for New Years eve!
Dinner Party
Include activities for preschoolers to have a dinner party.
Ball Drop Celebration
Provide preschoolers with a ball for the drop and clocks. Have a mini countdown to the new year
Suggested Items to add to your Small World Play Space
Add items to re-create Times Square in your building area. Add play people, skyscrapers, billboards, items to build a ball drop, and confetti.
Ball Drop CraftCreate a free clock and ball drop craft to use in your small world play activities! Included in our free Squirrels New Year's Resolution Book Companion Storytime Activities set.
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New Years Celebrations Around the World
Add pictures of different cities from around the world celebrating the new year.
Story Dictation
Invite your students to create a story about the past year. They can draw a picture and dictate their story for you to write, or write it themselves if they are able.
New Year's Tracing ActivityPractice following a line from left to right and tracing skills with this pre-cutting/writing activity included in my New Years Eve Activity Pack
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New Year's Words
Add index cards with words such as: celebrate, new years, happy, and fireworks to your writing center.
Make Your Own Time Capsule
Make a time capsule to open next year! We have a printable for this as a sample of our Parent Engagement Newsletters, visit the blog post to get this freebie.
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Glitter Letters
Provide preschoolers with letters to trace with glue and have them add glitter to the letters. Could also be done with glitter or gem stickers.
Confetti Letter TrayAdd a fun Confetti Writing Tray to your New Year Activities, get all the details on our blog.
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Free New Year's Resolution Storytime ActivityEnjoy a fun story about New Year's Resolutions and then engage your preschoolers in conversation about the book, learn vocabulary from the story and follow up with a fun craft perfect for small world play, counting, or to use during holiday celebrations. Our Squirrels New Year's Resolution Book Companion Storytime Activities set is available for free in our shop.
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Squirrel's New Year's Resolution by Pat Miller and Kathi Ember
Happy New Year Around the World by Sylvia Walker
The Stars Will Still Shine by Cynthia Rylant and Tiphanie Beeke
D is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine and Yongsheng Xuan
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles and Jacqueline Alcantara
The Night Before New Year's by Natasha Wing and Amy Wummer
Happy New Year Around the World by Sylvia Walker
The Stars Will Still Shine by Cynthia Rylant and Tiphanie Beeke
D is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine and Yongsheng Xuan
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles and Jacqueline Alcantara
The Night Before New Year's by Natasha Wing and Amy Wummer
Countdown to the New Year*
Practice counting backwards from ten this week! This can be practiced often during transitions, as an activity during small group time and when playing with math materials.
Make a Paper Clock
Make a clock from a paper plate, write the numbers around the clock and cut arrows from card stock.
New Years Number Hunt
Create a New Year themed sensory bin with numbers inside for preschoolers to find. Have them practice making the new year.
Sensory Bin Number Find
Add shredded paper to your sensory bin, mix in plastic numbers 0-10 for children to find.
Glitter Slime
Make glitter slime this week with your preschoolers. Check out the tutorial here.
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Mirror Observation
Invite students to observe a mirrored ball. Follow-up the observation by placing small shatter-proof mirrors in the science center for discovery.
Noise Sorting
Cut several empty paper towel tubes in half.
Seal one end with tape, put paper on the inside of the tape to prevent the objects inside from sticking to it.
Next fill each tube about 1/4 of the way with a different object. Some ideas: bells, rice, beans, pebbles, flour...
Then seal the other end.
Children will shake each container and sort them from softest noise to loudest.
Seal one end with tape, put paper on the inside of the tape to prevent the objects inside from sticking to it.
Next fill each tube about 1/4 of the way with a different object. Some ideas: bells, rice, beans, pebbles, flour...
Then seal the other end.
Children will shake each container and sort them from softest noise to loudest.
More Science & Discovery Ideas
New Years Sensory bin from Growing a Jeweled Rose
New Years Party Slime from Little Bins for Little Hands
New Years Party Slime from Little Bins for Little Hands
Make Your Own Confetti
Supply hole punchers and paper in a variety of thicknesses. Children can improve hand strength, dexterity, and hand-eye coordination while making confetti.
New Years Eve Party Block Mats
Support fine motor and math development in preschoolers with these New Years Eve Pattern Block Mats
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Firework Jumping
Jump up and Down on Bubble Wrap to make fireworks sounds
Dance to Party Music
Find a fun playlist and let your preschoolers dance!
More Physical Development Ideas
Invite children to each create a time capsule. Encourage students to collect a few items that represent something important to them from the past year. Encourage parents to be involved, they can look through photos through the past year and print out a few to add to the time capsule. They can add their treasures to a shoe box that they decorate and take it home to share with their family, and then put it away to open again the following year.
During circle time invite children to share something that made them happy this year. You can also ask them to share something they are looking forward to in the new year.