New Year’s Activities for Kids and the Family

New Year’s activities are perfect for taking a little bit of time to reflect on the previous year.

New Year’s activities are also perfect for setting goals and talking about wishes for the New Year. What do you want to do more of? What do you want to avoid? This day, for our family, was always a family day.

On New Year’s Day, our family tradition was to have a family dinner where we place 12 small candles around the table in small holders. We label each one for a month of the year. Then, during dinner, we see which one burned out first, write it down on a list, and subsequently keep listing them till the last one went out.

The last one to go out was supposed to be the best month of the following year. Then, we get our list out from the prior year and talk about the different months. Was the candle list right? Was the first candle to go out the worst month for our family? Was the last candle to go out the best month for our family? Needless to say, laughter always followed. It is a lot of fun.

New Year’s Activities for Kids and the Family

2023 Time Capsule

If you made a time capsule last year, pull it out and talk about the items you placed in it.

2024 Time Capsule

Create your own family time capsule. Have each member of the family put one item into the capsule. Put the capsule someplace safe until next year. Pull it out on New Year’s Day 2023. Take the items out and talk about them.

Make a Memory Jar for 2024

• Get a mason jar.
• Decorate it.
• Put a 2-inch by 2-inch pad of paper next to it.
• Make a point of every few days writing down something that made you laugh or smile.
• Fold the paper, and place it in the jar.
• Then, on New Year’s Day 2025, unfold each paper and read them one by one.
• This is one way of focusing on all the good things that happen to and for your family throughout the year.

Family New Year Resolutions

Oftentimes you think of making New Year’s resolutions individually, but think of some things you would like to do as a family. Would you like to have more family outings? Ask each member of your family something that they would like to do, you can give them ideas such as going to a museum, going to the state capital, or visiting a national park. Mark some of the items down on the calendar for tentative dates to do these activities.

Word Play New Year’s Activities for Kids

See how many words you can make from the letters in Happy New Year

1. How many 2-letter words?
2. How many 3-letter words?
3. How many 4-letter words?
4. How many 5-letter words?

Now do the same for these words or phrases:

1. New Year’s Day
2. Resolutions
3. Winter Sledding
4. Snowman
5. Snow Man
6. Martin Luther King

From the team here at Bonnie Terry Learning and Scholar Within, we hope you have a great New Year’s Eve and a great start to 2024!

Answers:

Possible 2-Letter Words from the letters in Happy New Year

an, ha, he, we, ye, ah, pa, ar

• an – A form of the article “a,” used before words that start with a vowel sound.
  Example: “An apple is on the table.”
• ha – An exclamation used to express surprise, joy, or laughter.
  Example: “Ha! That was a funny joke.”
• he – A pronoun used to refer to a male person or animal.
  Example: “He is reading a book.”
• we – A pronoun used to refer to a group of people including the speaker.
  Example: “We are going to the park.”
• ye – An old-fashioned or poetic form of “you.”
  Example: “Hear ye, hear ye!”
• ah – An exclamation used to express surprise, understanding, or relief.
  Example: “Ah, now I see what you mean.”
• pa – Informal term for “father.”
  Example: “Pa is fixing the fence.”
• ar – The letter “R.” Also, an exclamation expressing hesitation or a pirate-like sound (common in colloquial use).
• Example: “Ar, matey, let’s set sail!”

Possible 3-Letter Words from the letters in Happy New Year

• any – Referring to one or more unspecific things.
  Example: “Do you have any questions?”
• ape – A type of large primate without a tail.
  Example: “The zoo has a chimpanzee, which is an ape.”
• are – The present tense plural of “to be.”
  Example: “They are coming to the party.”
• ear – The organ used for hearing.
  Example: “My ear hurts.”
• era – A long and distinct period in history.
  Example: “The Renaissance was an important era.”
• hay – Grass that has been cut and dried, used as animal feed.
  Example: “The horses are eating hay.”
• her – A pronoun referring to a female person or animal.
  Example: “This book belongs to her.”
• hew – To chop or cut something (usually wood).
  Example: “They hew logs to make furniture.”
• new – Recently made, discovered, or invented.
  Example: “This is a new toy.”
• pay – To give money for goods or services.
  Example: “I need to pay for my groceries.”
• pea – A small green vegetable that grows in pods.
  Example: “I added peas to the salad.”
• ray – A beam of light or a type of fish.
  Example: “A ray of sunlight came through the window.”
• war – Armed conflict between groups or nations.
  Example: “The country is at war.”
• way – A method or path to achieve something.
  Example: “This is the way to the park.”
• yay – An exclamation of joy or excitement.
  Example: “Yay! We won the game.”

Possible 4-Letter Words from the letters in Happy New Year

• year – A period of 365 or 366 days.
  Example: “This year has been wonderful.”
• earn – To receive as a result of work or effort.
  Example: “I earn money by working hard.”
• yarn – A thread used for knitting or weaving.
  Example: “She bought some yarn for her next project.”
• near – Close in distance.
  Example: “The store is near my house.”
• pare – To trim something by cutting away its outer edges.
  Example: “Please pare the apples before cooking.”
• hare – A fast-running mammal that resembles a rabbit.
  Example: “A hare darted across the field.”
• pray – To communicate with a deity, especially in worship.
  Example: “They pray every morning.”
• wren – A small songbird.
  Example: “The wren is chirping outside.”
• pawn – To deposit something as security for a loan.
  Example: “He had to pawn his watch for cash.”
• wane – To decrease in size or strength.
  Example: “The moon begins to wane after a full moon.”

Possible 5-Letter Words from the letters in Happy New Year

• happy – Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
  Example: “She was happy with the gift.”
• payer – A person who pays for something.
  Example: “The payer signed the receipt.”
• newer – More recent or modern.
  Example: “This is the newer model of the phone.”
• weary – Feeling or showing tiredness.
  Example: “He was weary after a long day.”
• yearn – To have a strong desire for something.
  Example: “They yearn for a better future.”
• repay – To pay back.
  Example: “I need to repay the loan.”
• harpy – A mythological creature with a woman’s head and a bird’s body.
  Example: “The harpy was a fearsome creature in Greek mythology.”
• awry – Out of the normal or correct position.
  Example: “Their plans went awry due to unexpected weather.”
• hyena – A carnivorous mammal known for its distinctive laugh.
  Example: “The hyena scavenged for food.”
• arena – A place for sports or performances.
  Example: “The crowd filled the arena.”
• prayer – A solemn request or expression of thanks to a deity.
  Example: “They said a prayer before the meal.”