Has your child gotten their first invite to a sleepover? You should get ready to host one soon. Finding activities to keep teens and younger kids occupied all night long is a tough task. So, we’ve curated a list of fun activities for both teens and younger kids.
1. Play a Game of Truth or Dare
Truth or dare is a classic sleepover game. Teens can come up with their own questions, but you must approve of them before the party. First, write the questions and dares on small pieces of paper, then fold them carefully and place in jars. Label the jars appropriately, and you’re good to go!
The players sit in a circle to play the game. One person spins a bottle, and whoever it points at when it stops spinning will choose to answer a truth question or do a dare. The game continues until everyone has taken a turn. There’s no winner and no loser. It’s all fun and getting to know more about your friends.
If you’re hosting younger children, find age-appropriate questions and challenges for them. The truth questions can include:
- When did you lose your first tooth?
- What’s your favorite movie?
- Have you ever peed in a swimming pool?
Dares can include:
- Pretend to be your science teacher
- Hold a pen in your mouth and draw a circle
- Dance without music
2. Reinvent the Scavenger Hunt
Traditionally, a scavenger hunt involves a lot of people. They pair up in teams, go out into the playground or neighborhood to search for certain items, and the winning team gets a prize. But if you can’t find an inclusive playground, there are mini versions of the game that you can host in your home.
For instance, you can hide some junk items and treats around the house, then pair the guests in twos or threes to look for them. Give clues such as ‘find it in the bathroom’. To make it more interesting for teens, ask them to take photos of the items they find. At the end of the hunt, the team that finds the most items wins a prize.
3. Explore Indoor Camping
Bring the great outdoors into your home with indoor tents, sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, and anything necessary for a comfortable sleep.
If you don’t have a tent, you can hire one or get the kids to build one. Gather some chairs or couches, then drape a large blanket over them like you’re trying to build a fort. You can also get ropes and make a line on the wall to attach each end of the blanket.
If you have a fire pit or fireplace, help the kids to cook some hot dogs to bring in that outdoorsy effect. They can also share some stories around the fire pit.
4. Organize a Fashion Show
Kids like to dress up, and a sleepover is an opportunity for them to do so. If this is something you’d like them to do in a slumber party, provide a box of costumes for the activity. Don’t forget to bring a camera and cool music for the runway.
Instead of clothes, you can bring wraps of aluminum foil, colorful threads, and ribbons. Each guest will create a style following a particular theme that they choose. Themes could center around the beach, a wedding, or a cocktail party. The kids will wear their creations and then display them on the runway.
If you’re doing this with teens, give them a heads-up so they can bring their own clothes and accessories. It’s more fun when they style themselves from makeup to hairdo. They can also play a game of ‘no-no’ – wearing dresses that don’t match. They can take photos and share them on social media or make a scrapbook so they can have a good laugh later.
5. Get a Karaoke Machine
What’s a sleepover without music? If you have a karaoke machine at home, allow the kids to sing along. Download and print the lyrics or display them on the TV. If you don’t have a karaoke machine, some karaoke apps are available for Android and iOS.
6. Host a Talent Show
A talent show is an opportunity for teens and younger children to display their special abilities. Some talent show ideas include stand-up comedy, singing, dancing, playing a musical instrument, and lip-syncing. Record the activity so everyone can replay it and choose the best act.
Teens can do a reverse talent show. Instead of the best performances, the show will feature the worst performances. The participants will sing off-key or tell a terrible joke.
7. Create a List of Movies for a Marathon
Get a collection of movies or allow the kids to make their pick, but ensure the movies are age appropriate.
They could be a comedy, horror, or movies from older generations, anything that can keep them glued to the screen without getting bored. Although it’s a sleepover, the idea is for guests to stay awake for as long as possible.
You can find suitable movies on Netflix. Go ahead and create a playlist, then connect it to your TV. But don’t forget to supply enough popcorn for the event.
8. Make Flavored Popcorn
You should never run out of popcorn during a sleepover, especially when you’re hosting a movie night. As part of the activity for the night, teens can make popcorn in an oven or on a stovetop and choose their own toppings. The ingredients required are oil, popcorn kernels, and salt.
If you’re hosting younger children, get some prepackaged popcorn and heat them in a microwave. Apart from the butter or salt toppings, here are other options the kids would love:
- Crushed chocolate cookies and cream
- Toasted coconut and caramel
- White chocolate and vanilla extract
- Dark chocolate and cherry
9. Copy a Nail Art Design
Teens can search the internet for simple nail art designs or you can print some for them. They will pick their favorite designs and try to replicate them in their partners’ hands.
The designs may not look as perfect as the original, but that’s where the fun lies. Ensure there’s a nail polish remover handy to erase them.
10. Have a Massive Pillow Fight
Pillow fights are not just for fun but also a form of exercise. Jumping on a bouncy mattress and receiving several pillow jabs can snatch sleep away from the eyes of your guests, keeping them wide awake for the rest of the night.
To avoid injuries, make sure younger children play on a flat surface without sharp edges. Set rules for the pillow fight such as:
- No punching
- Avoid holding another player’s hands
- Avoid hitting a player’s head
11. Organize a Video Game Tournament
Video games help to improve critical thinking skills, teamwork, and hand-to-eye coordination as players calculate and make their moves within split seconds. That’s why they’re a perfect addition to the sleepover you’re hosting.
Several video games are available for sleepovers. Look out for those that accommodate multiple players. Also, set up a large screen so that non-players can join the fun. To create that tournament effect, the winner of a round will compete with another player until a new winner emerges.
12. Make Homemade Glow Sticks
Kids and teens love glowsticks because they’re attractive. And if you plan to turn off the lights when they’re watching a movie, glow sticks could be the perfect distraction so they won’t feel afraid.
To make homemade glow sticks, get some bottles of Mountain Dew and pour about half of the soda into a glass. Add a little quantity of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda into each bottle, then shake to get a uniform mixture. You can now turn off the lights to see the magic you’ve created.
If you can’t get the materials mentioned above, place glow-stick bracelets in balloons before inflating them.
13. Organize a Dance Contest
If the kids are too energetic, you can organize a dance contest and record their moves so they can watch it later. You can also attach a small gift for the contestants. But remember that everyone’s a winner in this game.
14. Make Room for Sleeping Bags
Guests should come over with their sleeping bags but make sure you have enough room for them. If you don’t have enough room inside the house, they can set up sleeping bags outside like an outdoor camp.
15. Play Classic Board Games
Board games are old but not out of fashion. Games such as snake and ladder, scrabble, and monopoly are great options for sleepovers.
16. Create Sleep Masks from Scratch
Teens can create custom sleep masks using a simple template. Get printable patterns, pencils, pins, fabric, scissors, thread, elastic, and batting. Here’s the procedure for creating a simple sleep mask:
- Place the pattern on the fabric, then pin and cut two pieces.
- Trace the pattern on the batting and cut one piece.
- Measure the length of elastic that will go from the side of your left eye all the way to the right eye. Try to stretch the elastic a bit while doing this so you won’t have an excess.
- Pin the elastic to the right side of the fabric at both edges.
- Place the second fabric with the right side facing down, then place the batting.
- Pin everything and sew around the edges by half an inch, but leave a small opening to turn in your fabric.
- Trim any excess fabric after sewing, then turn the mask to the right side.
- Fold in the opening and close with a fine stitch.
- Viola! You now have a beautiful handmade sleep mask.
17. Learn New Hairstyles
If you’re doing an all-girls sleepover, it’s an avenue for them to learn and try out new hairstyles. There are tons of tutorials on YouTube that the girls can explore.
18. Put on an Organic Face Mask
Turn your home into a mini spa and make natural face masks for your sleepover guests. The ingredients are readily available in the pantry, so you don’t have to break the bank. Try out these combinations:
- Mashed strawberry, ground rice, and yogurt
- Baking soda and water
- Mashed avocado and mango, honey, and olive oil
19. Make Homemade Body Paint
Kids can make beautiful designs on their hands and legs with a henna kit. These would last for some days before they finally wash off. But you should note that some kids are allergic to henna. So, ensure to seek permission from their parents before going ahead with your plans.
Instead of henna, the kids make body paint at home using a few drops of baby lotion, food coloring, and cornstarch. Homemade body paint is temporary but safe to use.
20. Make Healthy Smoothies
Stock the kitchen with fresh fruits, such as bananas, oranges, pineapples, and strawberries, so that your guests can make healthy smoothies. Since most sleepover snacks are sugary, you want to tone down the number of calories that teens and kids consume in one night.
21. Prepare a Bowl of Healthy Food
Teens can create healthy eating habits with this activity. A healthy food bowl should contain vitamins, proteins, and other classes of food with a blast of colors. Avoid adding processed foods.
22. Create a Friendship Bracelet
There are different methods of making a friendship bracelet and guests could learn one, two, or all methods. Whichever method you choose, YouTube tutorials will come in handy.
23. Roast S’Mores
Whether your guests are camping outdoors or indoors, it’s never complete without s’mores. They can roast them in a fire pit, an oven, or a skillet pan.
24. Watch the Sun Rise
Hopefully, your guests will be semi-awake by morning to see when the sun rises. Get them to a nice spot where they can take pictures to make the end of their sleepover.
25. Make Pancake Breakfast
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Making some pancakes is a merry way to go over the events of the night. Add toppings such as strawberries, coconut chips, and whipped cream.
Wow these are really good things im doing it with my twin sister Eleanor I’m one minute older than her