Here’s how it works: The kids hang out all night with their best friends, crash on the floor for a few hours, and get up the next morning for a special breakfast. Everyone knows that a sleepover party is about anything but sleep. Be prepared to call it a later night than usual. Gather up some art supplies so the children can make a memorable craft to take home and don’t forget to stock up on munchies! Here are a few extra pointers:
- Invite your guests by invitations, email or a phone call.
- Ask your guests to dress in sleepwear and tell them that teddy bears, blankets, pillows, and other sleeping accessories are also welcome.
- Hang up pictures of people who are dressed in pajamas and are sleeping. Maybe even some sleeping pets. Why not surprise your guest with a digital picture as they walk in the door in their “jammies”? They can be printed on your computer to take home.
- Set up the party room to look like a giant sleeping area with mattresses, sleeping bags, blankets and lots of pillows. Dim the lights.
- Plan a breakfast buffet in the morning with a variety of cereals, fruits and other morning foods.
- Supervise the children, but let them enjoy the moment. They are only young once!
Preschool Children and Their First Sleepover
For a fun party game, try “musical cushions.” You will need a CD player or radio, and a cushion or pillow for each person playing. Scatter the cushions on the floor around the room. While the music plays, the players walk or dance around the room. When the music stops, players must sit on a cushion with no part of their body touching the floor. At the start of each round, one of the cushions is removed. The player who can’t find a cushion to sit on when the music stops is out. The last player left wins the game.
Send guests home with pillowcase favors that will remind them of fun memories for nights to come. Give each child a pre-washed white pillowcase. Slip a piece of cardboard inside each case to keep the ink from seeping through to the other side. Set out fabric pens and puff paint. Invite the kids to embellish their individual case with drawings. They may even want to pass their cases around for everyone to print their names.
An Older Child's Night to Remember
School age and preteen kids love to discuss what’s cool and what’s not. Provide each guest with a small purchased notepad and let the kids doodle, draw and share their opinions. These scrapbooks will also double as mementos of the big night. Set out a bunch of colored markers and pens and let the kids jot down or draw their answers in each other’s books.
Here’s a fun game to play if there are lots of sleeping bags. One person is chosen “it” and leaves the room. The other kids proceed to dive into someone else’s sleeping bag and cover their faces. Then “it” is called back in the room. This child can touch, tickle and talk to people in the bags to guess who is inside. No jumping or sitting on your friends! If “it” guesses right, then the person in the sleeping bag becomes the next “it”. Continue playing this game with kids shuffling in and out of sleeping bags and disguising their voices.
Whether the sleepover party you plan is for a birthday, end of the school year or just for fun, children will cherish the memories. Plan ahead with activities and food and the party is sure to be pleasurable and stress free.
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