New Year's Eve Games For All Ages: How To Count Down In Style

A family New Year's Eve has one real problem: the gap between the children's bedtime and midnight, when everyone runs out of steam at half ten.

Fill it with a run of short games rather than one long one. Here's an order that works, from teatime onwards.

Early evening: get everyone going

• Say it first - a quick-fire word race that builds energy fast and needs no explaining. Children beat adults at it regularly, which sets the tone nicely.
• Dobble or Uno while the food's being laid out.
• A photo round: pictures of the family from the last twelve months, guess the month.
• Musical statues for anyone under ten, which the adults always join in with.

Mid-evening: the quiz of the year

• News of the year - ten questions everyone will argue about.
• Music round: the number ones, and one deliberately obscure one.
• Telly and film round, split into kids' and adults' questions.
• 'What happened to us' round - family events from the last twelve months.
• Guess the baby photo, one per household.

Late evening: keeping the energy up

• Charades, one Christmas film round and one anything-goes round.
• Articulate or Herd Mentality in teams.
• Pass the parcel with a forfeit in each layer - works at every age.
• A dance-off judged by the youngest person in the room.
• Wink murder for anyone still standing at half eleven.

The countdown itself

• Everyone writes one thing to leave behind and one hope for next year, read out at ten to twelve.
• Party poppers handed out with three minutes to go, not before.
• Auld Lang Syne, arms crossed, properly.
• A group photo at 12.01 in the same spot every year.
• Something hot at half eleven - sausage rolls or chips. Always the most popular decision of the night.

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How to write it so it lands

• Plan the evening in hour blocks. The gaps are what sink a family New Year's Eve.
• Feed people again at half eleven, not at eight.
• Have one game in reserve for the flat bit at half ten. There's always a flat bit at half ten.

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Frequently asked questions

What games can you play on New Year's Eve with family?

Short, fast games in sequence: Say it first, Dobble, a quiz of the year, charades and pass the parcel. Three or four short games beat one long one when ages are mixed.

How do you keep children entertained until midnight?

Run a game every hour with food in between, and save the loudest ones for after ten. A countdown ritual at ten to twelve gives them something to hold on for.

What's a good quick game for a New Year's Eve party?

A word-race game like Say it first. Rounds last minutes, people can join halfway through, and it lifts the energy in a room that's flagging.

What should you do at midnight on New Year's Eve at home?

Hand out poppers three minutes before, read out everyone's hope for the year, sing Auld Lang Syne and take a group photo at 12.01. Repeat it annually and it becomes the tradition.

Do you sell board games?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so the games here are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. Some links go to other shops and may earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you.