New Year is a family holiday, and in order not to get bored on New Year's Eve at the festive table, you need to think through competitions, games and quizzes for the whole family in advance. Which will make your holiday a fun and interesting event.
How to create a fun scenario for the New Year 2022 for the family so that everyone present will be interested. What kind of quests and entertainment to choose so that both the youngest and the oldest would want to participate. We offer an interesting scenario for a home-based New Year with your family for all ages.
New Year's family games for the little ones have long existed in nature. They are harmless and fun, the main thing is not to forget that these games are for children and adults. Children should never be left alone, so parents are assigned significant roles in the children's feast.
Song with stops
Each of the family members continues (the first one starts, and the rest continue in turn) singing the song “A Christmas tree was born in the forest,” for example. After about a line, the presenter stops and names any genre, for example, advertising or a fairy tale, and so on, and the next participant no longer sings, but continues the song in this style. For example, the first one sings: A Christmas tree was born in the forest. The song stops and the presenter says: continue in the style of advertising. Then the second participant continues: Super Christmas tree of excellent quality and growth in our forest, hurry up. Then again the song, which is continued by the third participant: In winter and summer, she was slender and green. The song stops and the presenter names the genre: fairy tale. The fourth participant continues: The little hare lived in that forest and he really loved to jump under that tree. Next comes the song again and so on. Prizes for the funniest and most artistic family members.
Themed holiday
Today it is not uncommon to celebrate the New Year by creating a party in a certain style. For example, you can have a pajama party, dress up like a pirate, or organize a Venetian carnival. This is really interesting if you are a multifaceted person and always experimenting. If you like such a holiday, then you need to prepare for it in advance. In particular, knowing exactly who will be present to sew special costumes. Most likely, such a holiday will not be suitable if there are elderly people in the family, since they will not want to participate in such a masquerade for their own reasons.
General New Year's
For this competition, the person responsible for the fun at the family party must prepare any pictures from which a common meaning associated with the New Year can be collected, for example, a picture of a light bulb + a picture of the northern lights = a garland; a picture with any old man + a picture of frost (pattern on the window) = Santa Claus; picture of the globe + picture of a Christmas tree = Christmas ball; picture of rain + picture of New Year = tinsel; a picture of people clapping their hands + a picture with bright multi-colored colors, circles = clapper and so on. One by one, the presenter shows a composition of the corresponding pictures, and the family guesses what it is. Whichever guest guesses the most New Year's attributes by matching the common ones from the pictures will receive a prize.
Funny New Year's competitions for a family of 4 people
- New Year's competition with toilet paper "Mummy"
A very fun competition. And you only need a few rolls of toilet paper. Two people from each team are needed. Player No. 1 (the future mummy) will stand, and player No. 2, at the command of the leader, will begin to wrap player No. 1 with toilet paper.
And this needs to be done from head to toe. The team whose members complete the task faster wins.
- Creative competition for the New Year
Notes with words on a New Year's theme are passed around in a hat. For example, snow, Santa Claus, Christmas tree, snowman, etc. Each participant must sing a song or recite a poem in which the word from his note appears.
- Ditties
This competition will appeal to children and the older generation. For an organized competition, you need a presenter who will throw a wand in a circle. This needs to be done to the music, and whoever it ends on performs the ditty. Whoever performs the most interesting and funny ditty will receive a prize.
Surprise
Prepare balloons with notes with tasks inside. Balls can be hung on the wall or simply poured onto the floor.
The player chooses any ball he likes, pops it, and completes the task. Tasks for forfeits can be as follows:
- Sing a New Year's song, pronouncing only vowels
- Within half an hour, stand up and loudly announce to guests that five minutes have passed
- Draw a Tiger, provided that you need to take the felt-tip pen with your teeth
- Work as a sign language interpreter while the presenter reads out some New Year's rhyme
- Draw a firecracker
- Do the snowflake dance
- Stand on a chair and announce to everyone that Santa Claus is coming to us
- Do a ritual dance to attract good luck in the new year
- Recite any poem from right to left
- Take a plate of sandwiches from the festive table and sell them to guests
The game can be complicated and made more comical if the participant is given the task of bursting the ball without using his hands.
- Fanta
An ancient and very popular game. You can purchase ready-made cards or print them yourself.
Sample tasks: Sing the song “A Christmas tree was born in the forest.” Dance lezginka. Tell a joke. Drink juice/alcoholic drink in one gulp. Kiss your neighbor.
- Family competition for the New Year “Piggy Bank”
We choose a leader. He finds a jar, or any empty container. He passes it around in a circle, where everyone puts a coin or large sum of money. Afterwards, the presenter secretly calculates how much money is in the jar and offers to guess how much money is in the piggy bank. The one who guesses correctly gets the contents at his disposal.
- New Year competition “Guess the proverb”
The presenter reads out a simple explanation of the proverb and offers to name it.
- They don’t discuss the gift, they accept what they give... (Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.)
- You need to learn throughout your life, every day brings new knowledge, knowledge is endless. (Live and learn!)
- If you start something, bring it to the end, even if it’s difficult! (Took hold of the tug, don’t say it’s not hefty!)
- Trouble and disaster usually happen where something is unreliable and fragile. (Where it’s thin, that’s where it breaks.)
- How you treat others is how you will be treated. (As it comes back, so will it respond.)
- Don't take on unfamiliar tasks. (If you don’t know the ford, don’t stick your nose into the water.)
Personalized snowflakes
Snowflakes with the name of each family member (in equal numbers) are hidden and laid out throughout the room in advance. Snowflakes can lie anywhere: under a plate or on the ceiling, on a chair or on a Christmas tree, on the floor or on a wall, on a garland or behind a clock... At the “start” command, the whole family begins to look for snowflakes. Everyone must collect snowflakes with only their own name, and if he comes across a snowflake with a different name, he does not say anything and continues to search. Whichever family member collects the most snowflakes in a minute or two wins.
Games and competitions to have fun celebrating the New Year
If adults can spend the entire holiday at the festive table (and even then not always), then this is completely unsuitable for children. After all, their active nature expects something noisier and more festive. This is where it’s worth thinking about the evening’s entertainment program.
You can make the holiday themed - pirate, carnival or masquerade. Let you have a sufficient amount of New Year's tinsel on hand - streamers, sparklers, crackers and small gifts for rewarding winners in competitions. By the way, about competitions and entertainment: If you have the financial opportunity and a free room, you can buy artificial snow and organize a snow battle or a collective snowman sculpting there.
Game collect a snowflake
It will be no less interesting to play “Collect a Snowflake” - fix pre-cut snowflakes on a thread under the ceiling at different heights and compete for a while to see who can cut or tear off the most snowflakes.
Christmas tree decorating competition
"Decorate the Christmas tree." Here you need to prepare a couple of Christmas tree models and appliqué toys on it, which are attached with double-sided tape. Blindfold the participants and temporarily let them hang the toys as beautifully and quickly as possible. Or you can not make toys in advance, but draw them at speed, developing into different teams. Or play with more drawn Christmas balls.
Fairytale game
"Continue the story." The presenter will begin to tell a fairy tale, and the participants must come up with a continuation of the story, but not like in the book, but completely different. For example, so that in “Little Red Riding Hood” the bad hero is the riding hood and not the wolf.
New Year's guessing game
"Guess what?". Place an item in a large box and close it. Participants need to guess what is hidden there, asking leading questions about the item.
New Year's goal
"My goal". After the chimes have struck, the whole family needs to draw two of their goals that everyone is going to achieve. At the next holiday, you will need to take it out and check whether the participants have achieved their goals.
Balloon competition
"Balloon Racing" Here, large dense balls, a couple of obstacles in the form of chairs or stools, cheerful music and a large clock with a timer will help you.
Pantomime
"Guess who?" Here you need to show with facial expressions or gestures the distinctive behavior of someone from the family, or your favorite cartoon character or other characters.
Fireworks
Well, and of course, fireworks. This will be the culmination of the holiday, after which the children will go to bed satisfied and happy. Do not skimp on this entertainment, because often cheap fireworks can turn out to be fake, and this is already dangerous. Don't forget about safety precautions when setting off fireworks.
Family drawing
Initially, the conditions for participants are not announced. Each family member is given a piece of paper and a pen. Each person writes on a piece of paper just one word that came to his mind. Then the presenter announces the conditions of the competition: everyone takes his own piece of paper, goes to a pre-prepared large sheet of paper (you can take a piece of wallpaper or whatman paper), takes a marker or felt-tip pen (preferably if there are many of them and different colors), and draws his word, which he wrote on leaf. The rest of the family guesses this word. Then the second participant draws, the third and so on. As a result, you get one big interesting and fun drawing.
Entertainment program
Another important preparation point is to create an entertainment program. Of course, it is not relevant in all situations, but if you are celebrating the New Year with children, why not have fun and bring even more fun to your loved ones. We are sure that you will also receive only positive emotions and diversify your life. This is much better than sitting at the table all the time, eating and drinking alcoholic beverages. Still, New Year is a family holiday that needs to be celebrated accordingly. So, what entertainment program will be relevant?
Who has a bigger snowdrift?
For fun, you can form 2 teams: a team of seniors and juniors. I tie the legs of all participants so that they move like penguins. There are many, many small snowflakes cut out from simple napkins or plain paper scattered on the floor. Each team receives a basket. At the “start” command, the members of each team begin collecting snowflakes in their basket until all the snowflakes on the floor are gone. And after the game there is a counting. The team with the largest snowdrift (more snowflakes in the basket) will be the winner.
We present New Year's gifts
Of course, you have already bought a gift “from Santa Claus”, but this is only half the battle, because you need to present it beautifully. This won't be too difficult for kids. You will need to discreetly put them under a fluffy Christmas tree or dress up dad as the same grandfather and give gifts to the child. But the older the children are, the faster they understand what’s what. This is where the help of professionals comes in handy. Order them to come to your home. Children especially like it when they are not just given a gift, but also made to laugh and have fun. It will cost you a little more than the usual visit of Santa Claus, but don’t the happy eyes of your children deserve it!
Game - search for a gift
It will be very interesting to go looking for gifts, especially if you live in your own home. Hide the gifts in advance and go looking for them with a flashlight. This trip itself will be joyful for the baby, and when a treasured gift awaits him at the end, even more so. And if you have several older children, draw them a map and let them look for it themselves using the clues that you leave in the right places. Usually such searches are noisy and fun, giving joy to both kids and adults. But don’t overdo it and think about the safety of such a trip, so as not to end the holiday in the hospital.
New Year's competitions
Anton, 40 years old, entrepreneur
My wife and I try to celebrate New Year anywhere, just not at home. The so-called “family holiday” is a real nightmare. The wife is forced to prepare a lot of food. As a result, when it comes to sitting down at the table, she is already completely exhausted. She doesn't want to celebrate, but wants to sleep. If we stay at home, some relatives are sure to ask us to visit. Parents, mine and hers, definitely come if we are at home - of course, we need to celebrate the New Year in the family. Nothing good comes out of these gatherings. At first, everyone will certainly quarrel, then my father-in-law and my father-in-law will get so drunk that they’ll kill the saints, and then we’ll all go to bed together. In the morning, no one can look at each other anymore, but still, there is nothing to do - we need to continue celebrating. So, if even the slightest opportunity arises to avoid family gatherings, we definitely take advantage of it. The best thing is to go abroad for the entire holiday, so that none of the relatives even think about dropping by to visit us and starting a “family holiday”.
Valentina, 24 years old, manager
My parents are elderly people. We haven't lived together for a long time. Maybe I would like to celebrate the New Year somewhere in the company or at a party, but I know that my parents expect me to come to them and be with them that night. I think they deserve it. After all, they don’t have many holidays in their lives, and they want to be surrounded by attention on the “most important night of the year.” This is the most important gift for them. So I try to give them that pleasure. I definitely bring my grandchildren to them to make it a real holiday. No one should feel lonely on New Year's Day. I know that my parents miss me much more than all my friends combined. My friends will manage without me. In the end, it is not so important for them exactly when we meet - December 31st or, for example, January 2nd. And for my parents, the fact that I come to them for New Year is an indicator of my love for them. They see that I am ready to sacrifice communication with friends and noisy company in order to be with them. It pleases them.
Advent calendar for 30 days before the New Year: creating a festive mood
Advent calendars can be purchased ready-made, for example, with mini chocolates, bottles of alcohol or cosmetics for every day. Or you can make it yourself, planning a small surprise for your family or yourself for every day until the New Year.
You can create an Advent calendar for a schoolchild in the Pingo application by planning various New Year's activities in the form of tasks. The service will also offer children New Year’s crafts, poems, room decorating ideas and outdoor games! The first advent calendar task will appear in the Pingo app for children on December 10th. You can view all tasks from December 10 to December 31 in our article here.
To make it more interesting, place notes with events in identical boxes or bags and mix them up. Then fill in the calendar cells. And let every day begin with surprise!
PS This approach is suitable for spontaneous events, for example, visiting a skating rink or a gaming club. For events with set dates and times, cells in the event calendar must be signed in advance, for example, a trip to the theater to see the play “The Nutcracker.”
Examples of possible events for every day until the New Year.
Mulled wine
Preparing the right mulled wine is like magic. Red wine, exotic spices, fruits, honey and the right mood create real magic. Our ancestors also noted the unusual influence of this wonderful drink on human brain activity. No outdoor Christmas event in Germany and Switzerland is complete without it.
Mulled wine can relieve cold symptoms and strengthen the immune system, which is extremely useful when there is snow outside or high humidity.
Punch
Another unusual Christmas drink is punch. Like mulled wine, it can be made non-alcoholic. Experiment with the ingredients, choose the best drink recipe that you can treat your guests and family members to during the New Year holidays.
Ice rink
Ice skating lifts the New Year's spirit. For adults, this is an opportunity to return to childhood, when there are no worries and every pre-holiday day is full of fun and anticipation of a miracle.
- How to teach a child to skate: simple rules.
Excursion to the estate of Father Frost
Great idea if you have a child. This will strengthen his faith in the forest wizard and motivate him not to be mischievous, at least on holidays. And adults will also be interested in listening to stories, immersing themselves in a fairy tale and being a little naive child.
In addition to the official residence in Veliky Ustyug, on New Year’s Eve, “branches” of Father Frost’s house are opened in many Russian cities. Find out where such a branch is located in your region and go there with your child.
New Year's playlist
Record yourself music with New Year's tracks. Ask the children to help you create a collection of compositions. And let the music play all day, creating a festive mood.
Skis
You can go skiing in any central park. Don't be afraid to look stupid if you're just learning. Everyone started with this at some point. For more experienced skiers there are special trails and slides.
- How to choose skis for a child: according to height, age and level of training.
Snowboard
Nowadays, a board for skating on snowy slopes is not exotic. They are sold at any sports store. For one-time entertainment, you can use rental services. If your city doesn’t have a slide specially equipped for snowboarding, it doesn’t matter. Any slope will do.
Bath
Nothing beats a good steam room on a frosty day. And if you also plunge into the snow, it will be a memory for a lifetime.
For people who rarely go to the bathhouse, plunging into an ice hole after a steam room is highly discouraged due to the body’s insufficient preparation for sudden temperature changes. Having fun is great, but it's important to keep it healthy.
Come visit
Spontaneity can be extremely exciting. Come visit without an invitation with something delicious. Unplanned gatherings add a little spice to the evening.
Invite guests
Who said that you can only invite friends or close relatives on weekends? Organize a dinner together and don't worry about a little chaos in the house. Almost everyone has it now.
Have a candlelight evening
Instead of regular electricity, light candles everywhere. A romantic evening can be combined with reading your favorite book or dinner.
Family evening
Plan evening competitions in knitting, diamond laying, and assembling 500-piece puzzles. This can be any event in which the whole family participates.
Cinema Day
Make a selection of the best New Year's films and watch them all your free time. Unwatched films can be rescheduled for the New Year holidays.
Tangerine Day
Make yourself a tangerine day and eat them all day. In the absence of allergies, of course. Tangerines can be replaced with any other favorite product, for example, chocolate, ice cream, shrimp, etc.
Self care day
Go to the spa, get a massage, make masks and wraps at home. Relax in a bath with essential oils.
Call your relatives
2021 was not an easy year and many experienced grief, illness, and financial difficulties this year. Take a day or evening to talk normally and without haste with your parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, sisters and brothers.
Read Brodsky
This amazing author has written many Christmas poems. A mug of mulled wine, the smell of tangerines and a collection of poems by the author - this is a 100% recipe for lifting the festive mood.
lazy day
Give yourself a fasting day and do nothing. At all. Buy fast food, don't bother with cleaning. Delegate dishes and linen to household appliances. Yes, this is possible and sometimes even necessary.
Prepare something from the New Year's menu
For the New Year we often prepare something unusual. And the experiment is not always successful. Trying a new recipe ahead of time can help you tweak the recipe and practice.
Go to a show
Plan ahead to attend a theater performance or children's entertainment program.
Take a Zumba class
Moderate cardio exercise accompanied by incendiary Latin American music will take you out of the routine of everyday life and add bright colors to the evening. Systematic dancing and active sports clear the brain and inspire changes in life. This is what you need at the final stage of the year. After class, take a walk home in the cold to consolidate the effect.
Start a tradition
For example, on this day of every year, go in search of “that” New Year’s toy or decoration for your home. There is never too much tinsel.
Dinner at the restaurant
Subdued live music, a New Year's atmosphere, delicious dishes and walks in the slight frost will charge you with the right mood for a long time.
Arrange a photo shoot
You will need to arrange a holiday photo shoot in advance.
Buy a book
If there is a book that you have been wanting to read for a long time, this is a great day to buy it. The book can be replaced with courses. During the New Year period, many online schools offer good discounts on tuition.
Barbecue in the forest
Cooking meat in the cold is something incredible. If there is a forest nearby, you can combine a day walk with preparing an early dinner.
Try exotic
If you have never eaten, for example, oysters, then now is the time to experiment with products.
Good deed
Do something useful for someone. It can be any good deed. From charity to orphans to helping an elderly neighbor tidy up or decorate her house.
Ginger cookie
To get into the holiday spirit, you can bake some traditional Christmas gingerbread cookies. They cook quickly, and the necessary ingredients can be obtained from a set of spices for mulled wine.
Build a snowman
If the weather permits, build a huge snowman near the windows of your house. It can be made funny and festive. Use paints and improvised objects to make your snow creation creative.
