Need a few activities to put young revelers in the party spirit? Try these fun and easy icebreakers.

VOLLEY BALLOON
Batting a balloon back and forth may sound easy, but in this challenge, there's a catch: Each contestant must link an arm with his partner, leaving just one hand free for the task. Whichever pair is able to volley their balloon the longest wins. Or, for a trickier challenge, teams can try racing to a finish line, volleying their balloons all the while. If a balloon touches the ground at any point along the way, that team must run back to the starting line and begin again.


PICTURE IT
Long before recapping the departing year's highlights became a televised tradition, the Plains Indians documented history on painted buffalo hides called winter counts. For fun, your kids can create their own winter counts by recording the year's big moments on faux leather. For fake hides, simply tear pieces of paper from a brown grocery bag. Have your kids use crayons (pressing down hard) to personalize their canvases. Then, to create the look of leather, crumple the colored paper and dip it briefly in water mixed with a dab of brown watercolor paint. Unfold the dampened drawing and set it on newspaper to dry.


FLASHBACK
This holiday version of concentration is twice as memorable as the classic game. It's played with homemade cards decorated with pictures of favorite family moments and milestones from the previous year. To make a deck, first ask your child to choose six events she'd like to feature. For example, one might be the night you watched the Perseid meteor showers, or a day spent building a model car or finger painting. Next, cut out images from old magazines, newspapers or greeting cards to represent the chosen events. If you come up short, your child can always make a sketch of her own. Remember, you'll need to find two identical or at least similar images per event. Glue the images onto colored index cards (alternatively, you can use 4-inch squares cut from card stock or poster board), and the deck is ready for a match.


FESTIVE BUBBLERS
Set out a pie plate filled with homemade soap solution (mix 3 parts water to 1 part Joy or Dawn dish-washing liquid), and they'll be bubbling over in no time. Here are a few tips:
TINY BUBBLES: For lots of miniature bubbles, tape together a bunch of plastic drinking straws. Dip one end in the bubble solution, hold the other about 1 inch from your mouth (do not put your lips on the straws), and blow.
THE BIG DIPPER: Twist one end of a pipe cleaner into a large loop, dip it in the soap solution, then slowly wave it in the air to create a giant bubble.