Whether it is a birthday party or just a Saturday night over summer break, sleepovers are the ultimate kid get-together. Rather than rounding up all your kid’s friends and letting them run through the house like maniacs, here are 5 fun and memorable things to do at a sleepover.
Things to do at a Sleepover
Blanket Fort
What’s a sleepover without the classic blanket fort? It has to be the one of the top things to do at a sleepover. Take a few sheets and spread them out across the room, securing the corners to whatever is nearby. Tie the corners to the backs of a couple dining room chairs. Drape sheets over the back of a recliner or other cushy chair. Large rubber bands or chip clips can also work really well to help secure sheet edges and corners to things.
Get creative. The fun thing about blanket forts is that they do not have to be perfect. They are never even or straight, and half the time they sag in the middle or on one end. That is just part of their charm! It is supposed to be a fun, informal type of thing, so channel your inner child and get constructing.
Once you have your fort ready and secured, make a pallet on the floor out of a few sleeping bags and some nice, fuzzy blankets. If you have hardwood floors, those cushiony camping pads make a nice base for the pallet and will keep the kids comfortable enough to sleep in their fort all night. Load up on pillows and the tent is all set.
The kids can climb in and tell scary stories, play with action figures, pretend they are undercover spies, or watch a movie on a laptop or iPad. It can keep them busy for hours. It is fun because it is something different. There is also just something about a fort that makes a kid’s day.
Movie Night
Pull out all the stops and have an awesome movie night. Get the kids in pajamas early. Have everyone spread out in chairs, on beanbags, and on piles of pillows and blankets on the floor. Pass out popcorn in little popcorn buckets and boxes of candy like you get at the movie theater. Create individual movie boxes to hold each kid’s popcorn, soda, and candy. Buy inexpensive plastic shower caddies with the individual compartments for all of their goodies. Because, of course, one of the top things in the list of fun things to do at a sleepover, is eat junk food!
Make it even more fun with a theme for the night. Watch both Wreck It Ralph movies and have gummy cherries, Oreo cookies, and candy that looks like it is straight out of Sugar Rush. Or watch Trolls and serve rainbow-colored popcorn, pink and purple rice krispie treats (hello, food coloring!), and cotton candy.
Quick Tip: Check your local dollar store for reusable movie buckets, movie theater size boxes of candy, and caddies to hold each kid’s goodies.
Battle Royale
Set up an in-home arcade for a video game party. Pull the television out of the bedroom, dig that old Wii out of the garage and hook up game systems to different televisions for an instant multi-system game room. Let the kids play Wii Sports on one television and Mortal Kombat on another. Or let them battle it out against each other in a Fortnite tournament.
Set up is surprisingly pretty simple. With flat screen televisions being the norm, it is easy to move them around for the day. If you do not have more than one gaming system, ask around. A family friend might be willing to lend you their PlayStation for the night or one of the kids coming over might be able to bring their Xbox to the sleepover. Most gaming systems are super easy to hook up, with one cord that needs to be plugged into the television and one power cord that needs to be plugged into the wall. Your in-home arcade can be set up in almost no time.
Then in between battles have the kids take a break for chips and popcorn before heading back to fight it out in round two! They will have fun and be busy for the rest of the night.
Quick Tip: Have plenty of games and enough controllers on hand so everyone can be playing something at all times.
Spa Day
Some of the most fun things to do at a sleepover involve kids just hanging out together. Have an evening of pampering and go all out for a spa day. Lay out bath towels on the floor and create foot baths with plastic tubs and fizzy bath tabs from the dollar store. Have a bunch of scented lotions for kids to rub on their feet after their foot baths. Dig out all those bottles of nail polish that are stored away in the back of a cabinet or linen closet. You can even pass out back scratchers or handheld massage rollers for a full spa effect!
Serve little finger sandwiches, mini cupcakes, and fresh fruit to make it feel fancy and sophisticated. You can even go the extra mile and make a signature mocktail like the Royal Punch made with passion fruit puree, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. Your little ones will feel super special and pampered.
Quick Tip: Stock up on beauty supplies like nail polish, lotion, makeup, hair accessories and back scratchers at the dollar store.
Kids Baking Championship
Set up the ultimate baking showdown and let the kids bake their hearts out! Provide baking mixes for sugar cookies, brownies, and cupcakes at one station. At another station, have all the things they need to decorate their creations: frosting, sprinkles, and candies. Give them help with putting things in and taking things out of the oven. Otherwise, let them take the lead on what they want to bake.
Once everyone’s delicious treats are ready, let each kid present their creation to the group. Give everyone a chance to try all of the awesome baked goods and cast ballots for the most delicious, the best presentation, and the most original. Give the winners a whisk with a bow tied around it or a wooden spoon painted in pretty colors.
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More Memorable Sleepover Ideas
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A Sweet Potato Pie 
Silver and Pine
There are lots of fun and memorable things to do at a sleepover. Sleepovers in and of themselves are awesome and fun for kids. Let a handful of kids spend the night and they will find fun things to do at a sleepover. A little creativity, often with things you already have in your house, can give a sleepover that little extra bit of magic. The type of magic that when they’re older, one day they’ll say, “Remember that time we had that sleepover and we had a baking competition? That was the best!”
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out this article on Top Tips for Sleepover Success.
Sources: 13 Mocktail Recipes for Kids
