Kids' New Year's Eve Countdown Bags: How They Work and What to Put In Them

A countdown bag party turns the long wait for midnight into a series of small events. There is one bag for each hour, with one activity in each, and the kids open the next bag on the hour, so the evening has a shape and something to look forward to. This guide explains how it works, shows two example schedules and sorts activity ideas by age. If you would rather skip the arithmetic, the free New Year’s Eve countdown bag planner lists the bags, the time to open each and an activity for each from your start time, and it is printable.

How Countdown Bags Work

The idea is simple. Pick a start time and a countdown time. Count the whole hours between them, make a bag for each, and put one activity in each bag. At the top of each hour, a child opens the next bag, and the group does what is inside.

Our planner follows one rule: one bag for each whole hour after the start, up to and including the countdown time. The last bag is opened at the countdown itself, so it is the finale. It can hold the noisemakers and the cups for the toast.

A few things make it work well:

• Label each bag with the time. A tag on the front, such as “Open at 9,” lets the kids watch the clock and keeps them from opening everything at once.
• Alternate quiet and active. If bag three is a dance break, bag four can be a drawing activity.
• As a starting point, keep each activity under about 20 minutes. The bags are meant to punctuate the evening, not fill it. Free play, dinner and snacks happen in between.
• Choose one adult to run the clock. That adult hands the bag to a child, reads the card and keeps the group moving.

The countdown bag planner also accepts an optional list of your own activities, so you can start from what you already have in the house.

Example Schedule: A 6 PM Start

This is a plan for a family with younger and school-age children, with a midnight countdown. A 6 PM start with a midnight countdown makes 6 bags, opened at 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

• Bag 1, 7 PM: Party hats. Decorate a paper crown or hat with stickers and markers, and wear it for the rest of the night.
• Bag 2, 8 PM: Freeze dance. Play music and dance, and freeze when it stops. It burns off energy after dinner.
• Bag 3, 9 PM: Resolution cards. Each child draws or writes one thing they want to try in the new year, and seals it in an envelope to open next year.
• Bag 4, 10 PM: Scavenger hunt. A picture list of things to find around the room, such as something round, something blue, something soft.
• Bag 5, 11 PM: Noisemakers. Decorate a cup, fill it with dry rice, tape it closed and shake it at midnight. A grown-up should tape and check it. Skip this bag for children under age 3, since dry rice is a small-parts hazard.
• Bag 6, 12 AM: The toast. Sparkling juice in cups, the countdown from ten and a group cheer.

Not every family stays up that late. If your children go to bed at 9, use fewer bags, and see the noon years eve party guide for a morning version.

Example Schedule: A Noon-Year Start

A noon-year countdown gives younger children their own midnight, with the bags opened in the morning. As an example, a 7:30 AM start with a noon countdown makes 5 bags, opened at 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

• Bag 1, 8 AM: Paper hats. Decorate a hat or crown to wear all morning.
• Bag 2, 9 AM: Dance break. Movement to music, and a freeze round for a laugh.
• Bag 3, 10 AM: Year in review. A sheet where kids draw or write their favorite moment, food and new thing learned this year.
• Bag 4, 11 AM: Noisemakers. Craft a shaker with a cup and dry rice, with a grown-up taping it closed. Skip this one for children under age 3.
• Bag 5, 12 PM: The countdown. Cups of sparkling juice, a countdown from ten and a cheer with the shakers.

A start at 9 AM with a noon countdown would use three bags, opened at 10, 11 and 12. The planner will do the sums if you change the times.

Activity Ideas by Age

Choose what suits the children in your group, and borrow across the lists if ages are mixed.

Ages 2 to 4

• Dance and freeze, with a scarf to wave and an adult watching.
• A sticker page, with large stickers and a big sheet of paper.
• A shape hunt: find something round, something square, something red.
• A song with actions that the group knows.
• Play dough with a simple prompt, such as making a cake for the party.

Supervise closely, and keep small items such as stickers, beads and tiny craft pieces away from children under age 3, since small parts are a choking hazard. Skip those bags or substitute large items for the youngest.

Ages 5 to 7

• Decorate a hat, crown or mask.
• A picture scavenger hunt in the room.
• Bingo with pictures or simple words.
• A coloring page of the year, with markers and crayons.
• A “build the tallest tower” challenge with blocks or cups.

Ages 8 to 10

• A word scramble or word search with New Year words.
• Trivia teams with a mix of easy and hard questions.
• A “draw it blindfolded” round at a table.
• A resolution card and a prediction card to seal.
• A rhythm craft: make a shaker and play along to a song.

Ages 11 and up

• A photo challenge: capture five pictures from a list in 15 minutes.
• Run the next game: one teen reads the rules and keeps score.
• A “who’s most likely to” round with kind statements.
• An A-to-Z challenge in teams.
• A time capsule note to themselves, sealed to open next year.

The New Year’s Eve games for family guide explains several of these games in more detail.

Prep Tips

Preparation is where the effort goes, so break it into steps.

1. Fix the times. Choose the start and countdown, and use the planner to see how many bags that makes.
2. Choose the activities. Write them on a list, mix quiet and active, and match them to the youngest and the oldest child present.
3. Gather supplies. Group them by bag in a box, so you can pack in one pass.
4. Pack and label. Use paper bags, small tote bags or envelopes. Write the opening time on each, and number the bags in the corner.
5. Test one. Do the most complicated activity once yourself to check that the supplies are enough and the instructions are clear.
6. Store them out of reach. Keep the bags in a closet or on a high shelf until the party.

If you put food or treats in a bag, ask parents or guardians about allergies on the invitation and label each treat clearly. Perishable food should not sit out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it is above 90 degrees F, which is USDA guidance. Skip anything with a flame, and leave fireworks to licensed professionals.

For the bigger picture, including the invitation, food and a toast, see New Year’s Eve party ideas at home, and the New Year’s resolutions printable guide pairs well with the resolution bag.

Where the Printables Fit

The printable New Year’s Eve suites include countdown bag tags timed for you, one for every hour from the party start to midnight, or to noon for a kids’ noon year, each with its activity, along with countdown bag activity cards, resolution cards and a time capsule card. They are digital downloads that you edit and print, and nothing ships. You can see the kits in the suites section of the hub, or start from the free countdown bag planner and make your own tags.