How to Create New Year’s Traditions with Preschoolers

The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to create intentions, set goals, and dream big with your family for the coming year. Even for young children, the new year can be a great time to learn about being grateful for the wonderful moments in the past year and look forward to what’s ahead. We compiled some ideas for creating New Year’s traditions around more than the ball dropping this year. 

Gratitude for the Past Year

Before flipping the calendar page to January, take time to look back and share your favorite memories from the past 12 months. Here are some creative ways to share your own memories, and thank those who played a part in making it great. 

• Create a Scrapbook — Use magazines, stickers, crayons, or print out photos to make a visual memory book of your favorite moments. Check out these mini scrapbook ideas. Our creative ways to save your preschooler’s artwork blog post outlines other great ideas for creating scrapbooks online.  
• Share the Love — Write gratitude cards for friends, family, teachers, or special people in your lives to let them know you appreciate them. These fun gratitude and thank you ideas for preschoolers can get your creative juices flowing.
  

  

• Five  Moments — Write five prompts for each member of the family to fill out and share. Examples might be: 
  • Best memory of the year
  • Funniest thing you did 
  • Most challenging part of the year 
  • One thing you would like to change
  • One thing you are more proud of  
• Memory Jar — Tear small pieces of paper and ask everyone in the family to list their favorite moments of the year and put them in a jar. Take turns pulling them out and sharing with each other. This make a memory jar blog post has good tips and ideas (and  memory jars can make great gifts, too!)

Intentions for the New Year

Whether you see the new year as a clean slate, a fresh start, or just another morning, it is a wonderful time to create a special annual tradition with your little ones. 

• A New Ritual — Pick a place that is important to your family and go there every new year’s day (or around then), take a photo, or do an activity to ring in the new year. If traveling isn’t on the agenda, try something small like a special breakfast tradition or sprinkles on hot chocolate.
• Five Questions — Ask each person to answer five questions about the new year. Write the goals somewhere visible so you can slowly check them off and create small moments of celebration all year long. Examples might include:
  • If you could do anything, what would it be? 
  • What do you want to learn? 
  • Are there places you’d like to go? 
  • Who would you like to spend more time with? 
  • Is there anything you are nervous about? 
• Wish Paper — Write messages, wishes, and hopes for the new year on these small wish papers. Then light them and watch them float into the air and disappear–be sure to pick a safe outdoor spot to do so. 
• More or Less — Blow up two balloons and on one write what you want “more” of next year, and on the other, list what you want “less” of. Let the “less” balloon fly away and keep the “more” in your home. 

Looking for ideas for celebrating New Year’s Eve with your preschooler? The Everymom offers Celebration Idea: 15 Family Traditions to Start on New Year’s Eve. 

2026 Preschool Tips for Families

Denver Preschool Program is committed to sharing insights with all preschool families. We cover all the latest parenting suggestions, tips, and enrollment information for Denver families, like: 

• Instilling gratitude in preschoolers 
• Holiday Road Trips with Preschoolers Survival Guide 
• How Denver families can lower your preschool costs through Colorado Universal Preschool and DPP tuition credits

To keep up with all of the exciting events and news for 2026, subscribe to DPP’s bilingual monthly newsletter, Family Dispatch. From all of us at Denver Preschool Program, happy New Year, everyone!