If They're Planning a Sleepover, Try These Ideas to Keep Them Entertained All Night Long
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Whether they're kids embarking on their first all-night outing or teens who are sleepover veterans, one thing remains clear: Actually sleeping is usually last on their sleepover priority list. And while the thought of filling all those hours for a bunch of excited-but-overtired guests may seem daunting, if you have some activities in your back pocket, you'll be all set.
These are some of the most fun things to do at a sleepover for kids of all ages. You can pull off many of them with things you already have in the house. There are DIY boredom busters that can be done with little set up, like dance contests or at-home karaoke. There are ideas to transform meals and snacks into time-filling activities, killing two birds with one stone. Some of these can be done outside if the weather is nice, while there are other indoor activities in case of rain or cold. Some are tried-and-true classics that you might remember from your own sleepover days (Ouija, anyone?), while others might be new to the whole group. Toss out a few ideas to get the ball rolling, and your guests can take it from there.
Create a Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are endlessly versatile, and you can tailor them to the age, interests, and competitiveness of the crowd you're hosting. Kids can work together in a cooperative challenge, or race to see who can complete their hunt first to win a prize.
Have an At-Home "Drive"-In
It might be unrealistic to try and wrangle a gaggle of teens into the car, schlep them to a drive-in theater — if there is one nearby — and get them to stay through a double feature. But now you can bring the experience right to your own backyard. Pop some popcorn, set the sleeping bags and pillows outside, set up an outdoor projector and screen (a sheet or even a blank wall will do) and get ready for movies alfresco.
DIY Pizza
It's an activity and a way to feed everyone all in one shot. The secret is in the handmade dough, which makes any pie taste delicious. Then, the sleepover guests can each choose their own toppings and make their creations their own.
Get the recipe for homemade dough »
Play Lawn Games
We're living in a Golden Age of lawn games, and the choices have never been more vast. Whether they're looking for a classic came like croquet or kubb, or something newer like Kan Jam or Flickin' Chicken, lawn games will get them outside, active, and tired out (so they might actually sleep).
Try an At-Home Escape Room
Players have to work together to solve puzzles, break codes, analyze clues and finally solve the mystery to escape the room before time runs out. A lot of companies make one-and-done escape-room kits to be done as a group at home. If they have what it takes, they can try Exit: Kids (ages 5+), Exit: The Game (ages 10+), Escape the Room (ages 10+), Break In: Area 51 (ages 12+) or Escape Room: The Game (ages 16+), among others.
Cupcake Decorating
Any party — sleepover or no — can be improved with a DIY cupcake bar. Put out all their favorites, including frosting in different flavors, M&Ms, cherries, sprinkles, mini marshmallows and crushed-up candy bars. Then they can see how many toppings they can fit on one cupcake. (Pro-tip: Ice cream works, too.)
Get the recipe for Chocolate Sundae cupcakes »
Test a New Board Game
There are board games out there for every age, from simple, cooperative games that encourage teamwork to casual party games that inspire a lot of laughs to sophisticated games with complicated rules that tests their sense of strategy. They can open a new game — or even a few! — and learn the rules together.
Play Glow-in-the-Dark Games
When the sun goes down, the games begin! You can organize a game of glow-in-the-dark Frisbee, Capture the Flag, Cosmic Kick the Can, LED Jenga — even sports equipment like footballs, basketballs, golf balls, pickleballs, soccer balls and volleyballs come with LED lights that'll keep them out after dark.
At-Home Karaoke
Whether they're into Taylor's eras or that old time rock 'n' roll, a round of karaoke gives everyone the chance to show off their favorite musical style. Everyone can choose their favorites, you can print out lyric sheets and all the guests can belt out the tunes. To up the ante, a karaoke machine can play songs through Bluetooth and amplify their voices with a microphone.
Watch a Scary Movie
Good news! Research shows that a little bit of fear — when presented in the right way — can actually be cathartic for kids. That means you don't have to stop them from turning on a scary movie when they think you won't notice. (If they scream, though, you should probably poke your head in.)
Play 'Would You Rather?'
Flight or invisibility? Always hot or always cold? The answers — and arguments — that arise from this-or-that games routinely get very silly. You can make up your own, or buy this card set, which has 200 pre-made prompts in different categories.
Make Ice Cream Floats
Start your sleepover off the right way, with the retro pleasure of an old-fashioned ice cream float. You can offer different syrup or ice cream flavor combos.
Get the ice cream float recipe »
Film a Video
They can try out an internet-famous dance routine, perform a favorite song or demonstrate some other talent. Let them pick out their outfits, do their own hair and write the script or choreograph the moves themselves — you just be there to catch it on camera. Props like Sky Castle's Let's Glow Studio (which has glow-in-the-dark and light-up accessories) or RUKUSfx (which adds sounds and music) can help with special effects.
Bake Cookies
Just try to make sure you actually bake them before they get gobbled up (or make sure the dough is edible). The sweet aroma of baked goods will be in the background for the rest of the sleepover.
Get the recipe for 85 different kinds of cookies »
Do a Balloon-Pop Schedule
Want a dramatic way to reveal the next activity? Do a balloon-pop party! Write the activity on a piece of paper, stick it in a balloon, inflate it and write an hour on the outside in marker. When that hour arrives, stomp the balloon to see what's up next.
Get the tutorial at Hands on as We Grow »
Get Creative With Face Paint
Take that sleepover makeover one step farther with a clever face-paint design, or be brave enough to let the kids try to do it themselves. As they get older, things like hair chalk or shiny temporary tattoos can add to the (thankfully not-permanent) glam.
Get inspired with face paint ideas »
Indoor Camping
Blanket forts, sleeping bags or indoor tents can bring that summer camp vibe inside, where you don't have to worry about mosquitoes or inclement weather.
Paper Plane Challenge
Anyone can make a paper plane — the true test is seeing who has the skills to throw the aircraft through one of the targets. Highest score wins!
Try Out a New Type of Braid
The cliché is that girls spend sleepovers braiding each other's hair and telling secrets. But no one says it has to be the normal, three-strand braid. Try fishtails, waterfall braids, corset braids and other hair creations.
Get the tutorial for fishtail braids »
Make Blacklight Bubbles
If you put highlighter ink into bubble soap, you'll make a concoction that glows under a black light, which is pretty much the most wholesome thing you can do under a black light.
Get the tutorial at Paging Supermom »
Make a Fancy Popcorn to Go With It
Depending on how adventurous your eaters are, you can pair the movie with different popcorn flavors like green matcha popcorn, bacon-chocolate popcorn or popcorn trail mix. Sure beats the old microwave bag!
Look up at the Stars
If they're going to be up late anyway, might as well make it an opportunity to learn about the night sky around them. Set up a telescope in the backyard, and see if you can pick out the constellations.
Learn about the best stargazing apps for iPhones and Androids »
DIY a Photobooth
Set up a simple streamer backdrop, put out a bunch of props and costumes, and let them take selfies all night long. If you have a photo printer, you can get hard copies to give away as mementos of a fun evening.
Divine the Future
Whether they use a Ouija board, Magic 8-Ball, tarot deck, cootie catcher or a good-ol' game of MASH, kids can have fun imagining the future and figuring out the likelihood of their predictions coming true. After all, these are all just for entertainment and can't really be accurate... can they?
Pillow Fight!
Set some ground rules first — no hitting in the face! — then let them go crazy. Maybe hide your best pillows, too.
Play an 'Exquisite Corpse' Game
It's Mad Libs taken to the next level: The first player writes down a sentence of a new story, then passes it on to the next player to continue the plot and write the next sentence. Here's the catch: As everyone goes along, they fold the paper so that the next player can only see one previous sentence — not the whole thing. At the end, when read from start to finish, the results are often nonsensical and silly.
Do Manicures
Pull out all your old polishes, or get help from something like the Go Glam Nail Stamper, which lets kids as young as 8 easily add patterns and designs onto their nails.
Or Play Spin the Bottle — of Nail Polish
To add an element of chance into a manicure night, gather the kids in a circle and grab a bunch of nail polish colors. Select a polish bottle, spin it in the middle, and whoever it points to has to paint one nail that color. Continue until all the nails are painted.
Or Skip the Nails and Do a Face Mask
Because no photo is more hilarious than a bunch of young ones with beauty cream all over their faces.
Play 'Murder in the Dark'
Pull cards out of the deck so that there is enough to give one to each player; they all should be numbered cards, except for one ace and one face card. Deal them out: The ace becomes the detective — the only person who reveals their card — the face card is the killer, and everyone else is a potential victim. The killer then proceeds to take victims by winking at them when no one is looking, and it's up to the detective to guess who the killer is before everyone has succumbed.
Make Cookie Dough S'Mores
If the weather is nice enough to roast marshmallows in the backyard, this is the most perfect midnight snack ever created. (And, if there's no backyard available, you can try roasting marshmallows in a skillet.)
Get the recipes for the best s'mores»
Go on a Night Walk
Grab flashlights or headlamps and blaze a trail at night. See if you can spot owls or other nocturnal animals.
Play 'Celebrity'
It's Charades with a twist: Everyone writes down the name of a celebrity (real, fictional, or historical) and puts it in a bowl. In the first round, players can say anything but the celebrity's name to get their teammates to guess who's on the paper. For the second round, the same names go back in the bowl, but this time players can only use one word before the team guesses. The last round, the same names go in again, and no words are allowed — players have to act it out like charades. The better kids get at it, the more names you can put in the bowl.
Do a Science Experiment
It might seem like homework, but kids will basically take any opportunity to add baking soda and vinegar and watch things explode. (This "elephant toothpaste" experiment from Babble Dabble Do has a big "wow" factor.) They might even learn something.
Get ideas for at-home science experiments »
Design a Pillowcase
Set up an activity and give kids a party favor — it's a win/win! You can get a pillowcase that has an image on it that just needs to be colored in, or you can go free-form with white pillowcases and fabric markers.
Dance Contest!
Or, if you balk at the competitiveness of an individual dance contest, you can have them split into two teams and work together to choreograph a group routine. Send a video of their hard work home with them.
Go Watch the Sunrise
Cross your fingers that the kids got at least a little bit of sleep beforehand. But, if you hear giggling in the early-morning hours, you can herd everyone to a good sunrise spot.
Pancake Brunch
Everyone can talk about all the fun they had the night before while whipping up a batch of super-easy pancakes. Whipped cream and fruit toppings are optional.
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