Slumber Party Advice

Hi L., I have had many slumber parties in for my daughter now 21, but we just ordered pizza's a couple of their favorite movies, and with girl talk they did the rest. But for me the more the merrier, with only allowing 3 some friends may feel left out. J.

Keep it simple.
The girls just want to laugh and giggle.
Have pizza for supper... make some popcorn... pop in a movie and leave them a stack of others and disappear.
LBC

We started sleepovers around age 5-6. My daughter is 15 and we still have 1-3 girls per weekend. I've had as many as 15 sleeping over.

My entire upstairs is used when there are a lot of girls. 3 bedrooms, game room 2 bath. Girls seem to love it. I keep the little hotel samples of shampoo, etc in a basket for them and they know where everything is. They don't bother us because our master is down. They know house rules and the only issue I've had is nail polish in carpet. They came to me right away and told me about it, apologized and I got it cleaned up right away.

I don't plan things. All I do is provide breakfast, dinner and snacks. Lots of fruit but I do buy a little junk food.

They watch movies, play pool, play wii cheer, wii sports, wii rockband, manis/pedis, sit and talk talk talk.

Relax and let them have a good time. My house is the one chosen for the hangouts. I like that because I know what they are doing!

EDIT: I noticed TP'ing a friends house on 1 response. BIG NO NO... that is vandalism. Unless you want a visit from the local PD, I'd say no. Some parents don't care.........we do ........our daughter is not allowed to participate in that and we have 2 outstanding police reports due to vandalism at our home.

I would start with active games ~something like twister or something outside if they will be over early enough. burn off some of that energy. I would serve cake and ice cream, and any other sugary snacks early too (if you are going to have them) so that when the time to sleep rolls around it will be out of their system. When it's time to settle down for the night, I would set them all up in the living room (or rec room or playroom, whatever have you) with a movie...

Hi L.,

My daughter had a sleepover party for her 8th and again for her 9th birthday and loved it! The key is to keep it simple, but organized. Here's what we did:

Kept it to a total of 4-6 girls.
Had her friends dropped off at 5pm in their PJs and picked up 10:30am the next morning.
Each girl brought their own pillow, stuffed animal, and sleeping bag.
I planned to have all the girls camp out in their sleeping bags in the living room.

What I kept was a sequence of activities.
Even at this age, the girls need structure.

1. PIllow Fight
2. Sleeping Beauty game - each girl took turns pretending to sleep while the others each try for 15 seconds to make her laugh without touching her
3. Some kind of board game that everyone can play - we have a Candy Matching conventration game
4. Dinner - we served pizza, salad, baby carrots & ranch dressing to keep it simple.
5. Guess Who's in the Sleeping Bag game - while each girl took turns being out, all the girls would hide in a different sleeping bag, and guess who is in each sleeping bag.
6. Nail Polish game - I decorated a wine bottle to spin. Whoever it points to got to polish one nail. Whoever finished all ten fingernails wins!
7. Birthday Cake time
8. Freeze Dance - play music and whenever the music stops, they freeze
9. Open birthday gifts.
10. Everyone brushes their teeth & washed up.
11. Glowstick time - I got glowsticks, turned off the lights & let them run around the house. Lots of fun!
12. Winding down with a movie.

And then in the morning, we served them waffles, fresh fruit, and bacon! We had all the girls clean up after themselves and get their things together before the parents picked them up.

Hope this helps!
J.

I've done LOTS of sleepovers between my 9 & 6 year olds with birthdays, girl scout troops, and softball parties. I've always found it best to plan for a Friday night instead of the traditional Saturday night. This works better for us (especially during the school year) because the girls are up early and are usually more tired at the end of the night than they would be on a Saturday when they likely slept in later. Make sure you have an even number of girls as to not run into one being left out after the others have "grouped" off (it happens every time, lol). I NEVER plan games or activities for them. They really don't want to be bothered by mom's "silly activities" because they want to just hang out and do their own thing...even the younger girls. Now, if they start getting too catty or snippy, then I'll bust out the Twister game or start a Just Dance tourney :) Don't start any earlier than 7 pm, and if you have a group of picky eaters, make sure they know to eat at home before coming over that way you don't have to worry about accomodating specific tastes. I always make the pick up time 9 am the next morning. Chances are, one of them will get up by 6 am and have the rest up and going as well, and by 9, you'll be ready to have your house back, lol. Make sure you have plenty of snacks and juice (or whatever else you want for them to drink). Popcorn is always a good one...usually 2 bags can suffice 8-10 girls. Good luck with your first sleepover!

One of my daughter's favorite and talked about party was her pajama party (not a sleepover though). It was from 6-10pm (parents loved it because they got a night out LOL!). Girls arrived and they painted wooden picture frames and decorated them with glitter/fake jewels. AS they dried, the girls played freeze dance, hot potato, musical chairs (it was a princess party so I tied princess balloons to each chair and the "potato" for hot potato was a toy glass slipper from the party store). I served them finger foods such as carrot/celery sticks and dip, pizza english muffins (which I let them do themselves--they loved it), and Burger King chicken nuggets (because they were shaped like crowns). When their tummies were full they watched a princess movie of their choice, while they painted their toenails. After the movie they had a pillow fight and played a game where they had to keep the hitting the balloons back and forth with their partner and not let it hit the ground. I made a castle birthday cake and we sang and had cake as the parents arrived so that everyone could mingle as discuss the night. I think the games they played were simple and can be worked into any theme. If you have or can get a play microphone the girls will love singing and dancing along to the radio/cd player. Give out little prizes or a small treat like lollipop, small bag of fruit snacks at the end of each game. Let party favors be the frame or craft they make, a balloon, and the treats they get at the end of the games. You can even give out a small bottle of nail polish, an eye mask for them to use while sleeping, or those cut lil body sprays from the Body Shop (you can get 3 for $5--at least where I live). Don't stress about and you'll do fine and your daughter and her friends will have fun!

Hello, When my oldest daughter was in Brownies, I was the leader her last year. We had a large troop which consisted of 2nd and 3rd graders. The month of the sleepover at the girlscout headquarters was also my daughter's birthday month. She wanted a sleepover. Well, the second graders weren't able to attend (some kind of rule in the girlscouts back then), so to accommodate them, I also had a sleepover with them at my house. So that made three. Well, my son also wanted a sleepover that month (his birthday was at the end of the month). I just planned that they would watch movies, play some games and hang out and giggle most of the time. We had pizza. They were aloud to stay awake as long as they wanted, as long as they weren't real loud and keep up the rest of the family. My husband and I survived. We did have to go in and ask them to keep it down a couple of times, but eventually, they all fell asleep.
Patience is the big word.
Good luck with your precious little girl.
K. K.

Hello L.,
I absolutely loved giving slumber parties to my daughter. They were some of the funnest memories of her birthdays. I would always have pizza, easy eating, a movie with popcorn and licorice, maybe root beer floats or ice cream sundaes. I always had it on a Friday night, it seemed the children were more tired and would wind down easier. I would have a craft for them to do also. Girls like to keep busy. They have little craft kits at Michael's or through Oriental Trading. It can all be done really cheap and fun. We also made our own pizzas one year with english muffins and I just had tons of fun toppings. I hope this helps!

We always toilet papered our friends house. Don't expect them to fall asleep until really late. IF your daughter is into playing make up and hair, I would buy some cheep make up and hair supples so they can have fun. Make sure to have plenty of kid type dvds. you can rent movies from redbox for $1 a night. Lots of snacks and drinks. Ask the moms if teir daughters have any food restrictions before you go shopping. Maybe waterballons or a whip cream fight in the back yard. Even the adult at our family get together would grab a can of whip cream and have fun. I always end up having a head full of the stuff. Tell them to bring old clothes for that activity. The kids love ganging up agasinst the adults and emptying their cans.

Hi, L...
I have thrown more slumber parties than I can/care to count! My daughters are 7 and nearly 11. We've had small ones like you're planning all the way up to having 13 (not including my two). The simpler, the better. First off, have them bring sleeping bags, pillows, toothbrushes, hair brushes and a favorite stuffed animal/toy. If you can have them come after they eat, that will cut down stress levels. If not, order a pizza or any other easy to deal with meal and use paper plates and disposable cups. This way, you're not stressing in the kitchen cooking and cleaning! :) I find that renting a movie or game is good. For snacks later in the evening, pop some popcorn and have fruit snacks on hand. Let them eat the popcorn while the movie is on. Easy entertainment. If you feel daring, and if it's okay with the girls' parents, go to the dollar store and pick up some disposable makeup and let them do "make overs"... this is a little more crazy, but it's easy and they can do it to each other. Believe me, this is a memory maker. We have photos from MANY make over parties, and kids are still talking about the ones we had 6 years ago! Also, you can pick up those glow necklaces and bracelets at the $ dollar store, and they'll have fun playing with those as they drift off to sleep. I generally have the girls all sleep in the living room-- there's more room and you can peek in on them easier in the night if you feel like it. Also, with them in the living room, it makes for a quicker clean up in the a.m.

Now, for breakfast, I generally set out bowls, spoons and a variety of cold cereals and some breakfast type pastries and fruit. This way, they can help themselves if they awaken before I do. I usually have the pick-up time about 10 a.m., this way, you still have most of the day for you and your little one to recuperate and do whatever errands you may need to do.

I hope this helps, and sorry it's so long. If you need ideas for games/activities, you can send me a note. I have a lot of those up my sleeve as well! But you did say you wanted it stress free and relatively simple....

Just remember.. kids this age will occupy themselves easily, so just kick back, take some photos and enjoy.

L.

Just let them play talk, giggle.. Have a choice of videos so they can decide what they want to watch..

Have games board games available. Serve dinner then do the cake and ice cream for dessert. Open gifts.. then leave them alone.. Tell them your goal is for them to start settling down at 11:00.. I tell them "I would like for you to get some sleep, but if you stay awake, to only speak in whispers."

I used to tell them.. "No smoking, drinking or cursing and no going outside without my permission. The car is off limits because none of you is insured." I told them this even when they were 6 years old and continue to tell them this even though they are 20 years old.. Hee, hee.. they always say it along with me now.. .. .

Take them out to get their nails done, take them to eat, rent a DVD for later that night, provide lots of snacks, and pray they go to bed before 12am. Don't forget to tell the parents a specific pick-up time like 10am.

Don't stress, it's very easy when you only have 4 (total). The biggest problem you may face is if one of the girls isn't ready for a night away from home.

It's proably best to invite them to arrive around 5pm and you can serve dinner, ask your daughter what she wants, pizza is the usual. With just a few girls, I've taken them out for pizzza. Less mess in my house, and the girls seem to enjoy going out. If she wants something else, cook it ahead of time.

Ask your daughter what type of activities she would like to do. If a movie is planned, pick out 2 ahead of time. If you give them a large choice, it'll take them forever to decide and on one will agree. Don't forget about the popcorn.

Having music available is always a good idea. Encourage them to do silly dances or teach them one from when you were growing up.

You really don't need to spend a lot of time with them as they will keep themselves occupied. You may want to consider one activity, maybe manicures or a craft project.

Before lights out, make sure they know where an extra blanket is if they get cold, make sure there's a night light(s) so they can see the way to the bathroom. Let them know if there's a problem they can come get you, or have your daughter get you. Make sure they have access to water if they get thirsty, you can give them water bottles or leave cups in the bathroom.

Make sure you have a list of emergency phone numbers so you can get ahold of the parents.

Plan a simple breakfast for the morning. Our favorite, bagels w/cream cheese, some fruit and some yogurt and juice.

Let the parents know what time to pick them up. Arround 10:00 is good.

Make sure you schedule some quiet time or nap time for yourself the following day.

Have fun!!!

My daughters are 12 and 14 and we have had many slumber parties that were loads of fun.
Sometimes we have set up stations of fun little things to do...an art project, dot art, I painted their fingernails, my sister painted their faces. We have gone on scavenger hunts just for fun..make the list simple and go with them to people in the neighborhood. We have done simple cooking or just decorated cupcakes or make their own sundae.
A movie is a great thing to do after it's dark. They all got in sleeping bags and we made popcorn.
They are young, s0 lights out is pretty easy.
I have parents pick them up by 10 or 11 at the latest.
Board games are fun, too--we love Apples to Apples!

Relax and enjoy--the years go way too fast!

L., YAY Slumber Parties! I have 2 daughters (now 9 & 11). Their birthdays are one day apart & we often have slumber parties that include a bunch of friends for both of them. The last one was 23 girls! You have gotten a lot of good advice about what to do at the party; here is my advice for you personally: Please remember that they are 8 now & don't need you to plan every minute for them. My role (and that of my sweet, adventurous husband!) is to make sure they have food & are safe. If I cook, it is done before they arrive so that I can focus on greeting everyone and putting all their stuff in one area. We give them the "house rules" before anything starts. Then, they have music, paint & other art stuff if they want, and games they make up on their own. We are usually in the next room listening to their silliness. We have an agreed-upon "get in the sleeping bag" time & that's when they have the choice of watching a movie or just chatting. Plan for the morning! Let them know what to do if they wake up before your daughter. I always tell the girls: If it is still dark, go back to sleep. They laugh. They can watch tv in a separate room. They can wake up my daughters and one of them will come down & get me. Seriously, think about what stresses you out & concentrate on eliminating that stress. It is your daughter's party & you should be able to enjoy that time; enjoy seeing her with her friends, not stressing out. If you start to feel stressed, over worked, stop & ask yourself why & change what you are doing. Hope you both have a great time! Peace, B.

Best thing about sleep over parties is that you don't have a bunch of parents to entertain, and the girls will entertain themselves! We had a pajama party for my daughters 6th b-day. They had pizza and some veggies, decorated their own cupcakes, sang Happy b-day, ate their cupcakes, opened gifts, put stickers on their nails, danced around, then ate some popcorn while watching a movie. Don't over-plan, keep it simple but make sure they know the rules of the house as soon as the party starts.

Simple activites:
A rainbow of different colored nailpolishes (used while sitting on newspapers)
A basic cookie recipe that they can bake together and add creative things to like M&M's, marshmallows, Toffee bits, etc.
A favorite movie
A favorite craft like build your own necklaces with beads.

Don't worry! It'll work out great. :)

Definitely have a few things planned so they don't get bored, but don't over plan. I think nail painting and jewelry making would be fun. Ask your daughter what she would like to do at her sleepover. Have music and movies available that she and her friends like, along with snacks... it'll be fun!

We just gave my 8 year old son his first slumber party last weekend and it went very well. I'd do it again. Activities, games & fun food are key. We did "boy" stuff like water ballon fights, skateboarding & video games but you could do "girl" stuff that your daughter likes. We let them swim for a couple of hours which was a perfect way to let them burn some energy so if you have access to a pool I highly recommend that. A few parents hung out at the pool with us for extra supervision. We ended the evening with a movie and all the boys had a blast. My son said it was his best birthday!