Children's New Year: how to organize a holiday

A children's holiday for the New Year is not only a hassle, but also an opportunity to create family traditions that children will remember all their lives. However, in order for the holiday to turn out fabulous, and the children are not tired, you need to remember a few rules. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

How to start preparing

It is better to start organizing a children's New Year by discussing the child's expectations: psychologists emphasize that it is important for a child to understand that his opinion is taken into account, and the holiday scenario is not imposed on adults from above. It is worth choosing a format together — a quiet family evening, a home matinee with a couple of friends or a trip to the Christmas tree — and immediately decide on the time so as not to take the children far beyond their usual sleep patterns.

It is useful to think in advance about which activities will help create a sense of celebration gradually, and not just on the night of December 31st. For this, joint preparations are suitable: decorating the house, choosing gifts, making simple decorations and crafts that give the child a sense of participation in the common cause.

What to discuss in advance with the child:

• how does he want to celebrate the holiday — at home, at a party or at a matinee;

• do we need Santa Claus, or is it better to limit ourselves to the family scenario;

• which games and contests he particularly likes.

Atmosphere and decor: simple is more important than expensive

Psychologists note that for children's perception, it is much more important not the scale of jewelry, but the feeling of "we did it together." To create a New Year's mood, it is enough to include the child in the preparation — to invite him to hang toys, make some decorations with his own hands, paste snowflakes on windows or arrange a family "wonderland".

A good guideline is to give up excess glitter in favor of child—friendly, "tactile" and safe things. Natural branches, paper garlands, and homemade toys not only look cozy, but also become a reason for conversations, joint creativity, and photographs.​

• Decorate a Christmas tree or a table arrangement with branches together.

• Decorate the windows with drawings, toothpaste or chalk markers.

• Cut and paste paper snowflakes and figures of winter characters.

The scenario of a house party

Any scenario for a children's New Year is built around alternating active and calm blocks so that the child does not overwork. Experts advise to limit yourself to one or two hours for kids and not overload them with a long program, leaving time for free play, socializing and relaxation.

A good option is to make the holiday a "route" of short tasks and mini—games in which the child feels like a participant rather than a spectator. These can be simple contests, small quests to find a gift, joint rituals like making a wish or drawing a symbol of the year.

An example of a simple evening structure:

1. Meeting guests and getting to know each other if there are several children.

2. A short "holiday launch ritual" is the lighting of garlands, a small toast with juice, and a common song.

3. A block of games and contests (20-30 minutes) with breaks for snacks and relaxing activities.

4. A small surprise: the appearance of Santa Claus, a video greeting or a "letter from the wizard."

5. Giving gifts and free time for games and photos.​

The role of Santa Claus: when and what to call

Psychologists warn that young children often react anxiously to unfamiliar adults in bright costumes, especially if they appear suddenly and loudly. Therefore, before inviting Santa Claus home or taking a child to a mass matinee, it is important to discuss with him who it is, show photos or short videos and explain that this is a kind character with whom you don't have to hug if you don't want to.

It is optimal if the child has the opportunity to watch Santa Claus at a safe distance and gradually turn on.: first, wave your hand, then say a verse, and only then approach for a gift. For the most sensitive children, you can limit yourself to the family format: one of the adults records a video greeting or leaves "traces" of the wizard at home — a letter, a bag of gifts, a candy path.

Festive table for children

Child nutrition experts and psychologists agree that the New Year's table for children should not be a mini version of the adult "Olivier marathon". It is much more useful and safer to provide simple, familiar dishes for the child, not to experiment with exoticism, an abundance of sweets and carbonated drinks on this day.

A good approach is to decorate the usual food in a festive style: make sandwiches in the form of Christmas trees, cut vegetables and fruits into figures, use bright but safe skewers and dishes. It is important to remember about possible allergies and not to let the child uncontrollably pull sweets all evening, especially if he is very excited and tired.

Ideas for simple New Year's activities

Almost every family can organize several simple but very memorable New Year rituals at home without a large budget and complicated preparations. Psychologists advise relying on teamwork and repetition — it is regular family traditions that form a child's sense of stability and warmth.

Creative activities, mini-sports, and age-appropriate board games are also suitable. Such a set of activities can easily be combined to suit the family's capabilities and the mood of the children, without overloading the program.​

• Reading winter and New Year's fairy tales together before going to bed.

• A home quest to find a gift with simple tips.

• Drawing the symbol of the year on a large sheet "one by one" with the whole family.

• Sculpting figures from plasticine or salted dough to decorate the table.

• Family photo shoot in funny accessories and pajamas.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.