New Year's Day

5 Ancient New Year’s Celebrations  (M, O)
New Year's is one of the world's oldest celebrations. Here's how different ancient cultures celebrated the holiday.

16 New Year's Writing Activities  (M, O, T)
Use one or all of these New Year's-themed writing prompts to keep your students' skills sharp and their minds engaged. These prompts can be easily adapted for an array of ages and writing levels.

How Different Cultures Celebrate the New Year (Video)  (M, O)
In the United States, we celebrate New Year's on January 1 with fireworks and resolutions, but how do other cultures celebrate the holiday? Take your students on a world tour of New Year's celebrations from around the globe.

History of the NYC Times Square Ball  (M, O, T)
This history article from the TimesSquareNYC.org includes an interesting video on some of New York City's history, fun facts about the NYC Times Square Ball, downloadable fact sheets, and a link to historic photos.

Happy New Year Art  (M, O)
Learn about history through art! While New Year's isn't frequently marked by greeting cards today, it was in the past. This site includes some interesting examples and a brief history on the holiday.

Turning New Year's Resolutions into Goals  (O, T)
This lesson plan for older students encourages them to look beyond New Year's resolutions, turn them into goals, and create milestones for the future. The printables from the lesson plan are paid resources, but they can easily be recreated in a notebook, journal, or planner.

30-Day Challenge for the New Year  (O, T)
This 30-Day Challenge encourages students to meet their goals by building habits. The lesson plan is based off Matt Cutt's TED Talk, "Try Something New for 30 Days," and includes a printable worksheet and discussion topics.

A New Year's Eve Tale of Two Cities  (O)
New York City was born on the night of December 31, 1897. Prior to that, the area consisted of multiple smaller cities, towns, and villages. This article from the New York State Museum takes a look at the historic New Year's celebration from which the city was born.

New Year's Primary Sources at the Smithsonian  (O)
A collection of New Year's primary sources from the Smithsonian Institute that includes historical art, artifacts, and audio pieces.

All About New Year's PBS Learning (Video)  (Y, M)
This video from PBS Learning offers a brief introduction and history of New Year's in terms suitable for younger students.

New Year's Activities and Resources  (Y, M, T)
This big list of resources from TheTeachersCorner.net has a lot of fun activities and brainteasers for younger students. It includes crossword puzzles, word searches, word scrambles, and other activity ideas.

Kid-Friendly New Year’s Eve Party Foods and Drinks  (Y, M, T)
These New Year's Eve treats and drinks for kids are a fun way to include the youngest in the festivities.

Saying "Happy New Year!" Around the World  (Y, M, O, T)
How to say, "Happy New Year!" in 35 different languages. This simple list can be included in your Around the World lesson plans and adapted for any age.

New Year Celebrations Around the World  (Y, M, O, T)
This New Year's Around the World lesson plan takes a brief look at traditions from other countries, provides an introduction to different calendars, and includes several discussion topics.

The History of New Year's  (M,O,T)
The tradition of New Year's celebrations dates back nearly 4,000 years, and the holiday hasn't always been celebrated on January 1. Learn more about the ancient holiday and how it's transformed to our modern-day celebration. From the History Channel.

New Year's Day Word Search  (Y,M)
This fun, interactive wordsearch from ABCYA.com is available in different sizes for different ages.

Celebrations, Customs and Traditions of New Year  (Y,M,O,T)
"Learn about the evolvement of fascinating new year customs that we celebrate every year, on new years eve. The traditions and history of these celebration customs dates back to historic times." From TheHolidaySpot.com.

Auld Lang Syne and New Year's Traditions Around the World  (M,O,T)
Learn about the history of this popular New Year's song from InfoPlease.com, as well as other holiday traditions from around the globe.

13 Versions of Auld Lang Syne  (Y,M,O,T)
The history behind the song from Robert Burns, Includes a link to a karaoke site of the song and an additional link to over 20 different lyric versions.