Confetti Fun for New Year’s Eve

In some cultures, throwing confetti is a way to celebrate special events like weddings or New Year’s Eve. Habitot has a long tradition of celebrating the New Year with Confetti Arts. Each year in the Art Studio, families used small bits of colorful paper to create art and learn through play. Here are three fun and festive activities that use confetti made from recyclable and compostable materials. 

Happy New Year! 

What We’re Learning & Skills We’re Building

• Fine motor skills – using the small muscles in the hands to rip paper and grasp tools 
• Gross motor skills – using the large muscles in the arms to throw confetti
• Counting – practicing how to count down from 5 to welcome the New Year
• Sensory awareness – feeling ripped paper and other materials

Confetti & Art-Making Materials  

• Different kinds of paper (construction, copy, gift wrap, tissue, crepe, etc.) 
• Child-safe scissors
• Hole punch (or a decorative hole punch for fun shapes)
• Medium-size bowl to hold the confetti 
• Liquid school glue or glue stick
• Paintbrush
• Small to medium-size trash bag for Activity 1 – Ball Drop
• String or yarn to hang bag for Activity 1 – Ball Drop 
• Toilet paper roll(s) for Activity 2 – Confetti Flinger
• 2-6 tissue paper squares (about 2.5” each) for Activity 2 – Confetti Flinger
• Cardstock, copy paper, or cardboard square for Activity 3 – Confetti Collage

Optional Materials

• Paper shredder or paper cutter (adults only)
• Small baskets (to catch confetti for Activity 1 – Ball Drop)
• Tempera paint, flat plant materials, and fabric scraps for Activity 3 – Confetti Collage

Making the Confetti

Create confetti by tearing, cutting, balling-up, and hole-punching different types of paper (see Confetti & Art-Making Materials above) into tiny pieces.  Make enough to fill a medium-size bowl. Adults can use a paper shredder or a paper cutter, but these aren’t safe tools for children. 

Activity 1 — Ball Drop

1. Put the confetti inside a small- to medium-size trash bag and tie it shut. 
2. Flip the bag upside down and poke two small holes (about 1” apart) through the bottom. 
3. Thread a string or a piece of yarn through the holes on the bottom of the bag and attach it to a branch or a hook (the tie on the bag should be hanging toward the ground). 
4. Gather around the bag with friends and family to prepare for the New Year countdown! Invite your child to stand underneath the hanging bag. 
5. A few minutes before the countdown, practice counting backwards with your child, starting at 5. 
6. When it’s time, start counting down: “5-4-3-2-1.” Untie the knot and release the confetti as you yell “Happy New Year!” 
7. Your friends and family can catch the confetti with their hands or in baskets and throw it in the air.

Activity 2 — Confetti Flinger

1. Apply glue around one of the holes of a toilet paper roll, about 1” below the rim. 
2. Cover the hole of the toilet paper roll with a square of either tissue paper or gift wrap. (The edges of the tissue paper or gift wrap should be pressed onto the glue around the rim to completely cover the hole. Seal it with tape if you don’t have glue.) Let it dry. 
3. With one end closed up, add confetti into the open side, filling the roll halfway.  
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to close up the other hole. 
5. Poke a 1”–2” hole in one end of the Confetti Flinger to expose the confetti. 
6. Start the countdown! When you reach the end of the countdown, your child can shake and fling the toilet paper roll to release the confetti.

Activity 3 — Confetti Collage

Create art using confetti! Use a paintbrush (or a glue stick) to spread glue to cardstock, paper, or cardboard. Then, press or toss pieces of confetti onto it. You can also add in other media, such as tempera paint, flat plant materials, and/or fabric scraps. Let your artwork dry in a well-ventilated place (this may take a day or so, depending on how much glue/confetti is used).