15 Things for your Children to Do at a Sleepover

The past couple of years might have been a little challenging for our kids. Enjoying fun games at parties or having sleepover activities with their best friends have become unconventional. 

So if you’re here to get ready for your kid’s sleepover party, well, congratulations! You’re doing parenthood justice by being part of your kid’s social adventure. 

With a ton of different sleepover ideas available on the internet, there are a couple of fun things that stand out. So why not choose the most exciting ones that will make it a slumber party to remember?

We’ve listed fun activities and some party games per age bracket to make it easy for you. And don’t worry, you can still pull off a great one with a conservative budget. 

Middle Childhood (6-8 years)

6 to 8-year-old kids love a little challenge. They are creative and enjoy getting results from their efforts. It will be quite interesting to have activities that would bring out their competitiveness and imagination.

Scavenger Hunt 

When your kid’s friends hear you are staging a scavenger hunt-themed sleepover, expect them to get excited. Remember, they will love it when there is something in it for them, so make sure you prepare prizes that will blow them away. 

Check out these fun and easy activities like Color Scavenger Hunt and Around the House Scavenger Hunt that are suitable for situations like needing to stay in the house due to not-so-pleasant weather conditions. 

Fashion Show (girls)

Encouraging some girl power and friendly competition among young girls are always fun. But make sure they all get prizes. You can have prizes for best walk, best pose, most confident, most creative, and best overall. Prepare funny dress-up props and have everyone at the sleepover party bring their own outfits. You can even divide the show into different party themes, such as Disney, or make their own outfit from newspaper or foil. Don’t forget to take those selfies for keeps!

Spa Time (girls)

Maybe before the Fashion Show, you can pull up your old nail polishes for some manicure glam and makeover to complement their dress-up. Encourage some bonding time as they take turns putting on nail polish on one another. You can add some spa-like experience with foot and hand massages. 

Check out some homemade face masks that are perfectly safe for kids! You can consider doing this after the fashion show and slice fresh cucumbers for them. It’ll look pretty hilarious and cute.

Indoor Camping

Classic PJs and some DIY decor are perfect for a camping party theme! You don’t have to buy actual tents. If you are working on a budget, it’ll be easy to create your own forts made out of pillows, blankets, and sticks. Or you can also do an under-the-table fort! Just ask them to bring their own sleeping bags. To make it more thematic? Prepare some good old s’mores!

Middle Childhood (9-11 years)

Children ages 9-11 think logically and like to work on real tasks. They have a lot of natural curiosity about living things and enjoy having pets. Here are some activities that have real tasks that you can put on a piece of paper for them to cross out!

Go on a Night Walk with Pets 

Prepare an early meal for your kids so they can go on a night walk with their pets! Create a map and mark areas or spots they have to visit. You can even prepare some flashlights, headlamps, jackets, and even glow sticks for them to use and wearto make their trip look cool. 

See if they can spot different kinds of living creatures, nocturnal animals, or other pets along the way. You can even insert a photo scavenger hunt where you’ll give them a list of photos they need to take. 

If you’re worried about safety, maybe 1 or 2 parents can tag along from a distance. You can also break them up into teams and assign 1 adult per team as you share some life lessons during the walk. Set a time limit for their walk and surprise them with popcorn for movies when they get back home. 

Candy Charcuterie Board + Board Games

Since kids ages 9-11 like to work on real tasks, how about getting them to do some grocery shopping for a candy charcuterie board? Bake some cupcakes and sprinkles with them too! It’s for everyone to nibble throughout the evening!

Divide them into 2-3 teams and ask them to plan and list what snacks they want for their charcuterie board. You can even time their shopping to make it fun! The challenge? No candy or snack should be on the same charcuterie board!

After dinner, you can enjoy those piles of dessert while you’re playing board games or charades in the living room! But make sure it’s something everyone can finish. You don’t want to prepare too much food so nothing is left to waste. 

Make a Bucket List

Bucket lists range from summer bucket lists to back-to-school bucket lists. This will be a fun activity to do together so the kids can look forward to helping each other achieve their goals. Check out this site called Teachers Pay Teachers for some affordable digital and printable bucket lists. 

Pillow Fight!

Sleepover games are not complete without a pillow fight to cap the night off. Let them go crazy, but do set some ground rules such as no hitting on the face. Let everyone pick a space that is their home base where they can’t be attacked. You can even add a twist on the second or third round by letting them wear blindfolds. You might want to bring out highlighters and pens to doodle on their bodies as punishment. Just make sure you don’t stain those pillowcases!

Young Teens (12-14 years)

Trying to involve yourself in your teen’s sleepover party is easier said than done. Truth be told, adolescence can be a challenge for parents. Their attitude may be different from time to time. One minute they’re full of life, and the next day they can be gloomy and moody. But keep calm and stay cool!

The best way to involve yourself is to help with the preparations and suggestions. But don’t be too imposing. Let them decide what and how they want it. Always ask them their preference. Here are some suggestions you can offer.

Wade in a Kiddie Pool with Mocktails

Who says a kiddie pool is only for toddlers? Grab a kiddie pool (or two) and some inflatables for decoration. Make some mocktails and even add string lights to set the mood. This is one of the cool birthday party ideas that can totally rock a sleepover night. This setup is a good avenue for parents to get to know their tween’s friends “in a cool way”. Yes, you’re the cool parent who organized a pool party at their friend’s house. Don’t forget to take those ‘totally kodak-moments’ too, but not in a way that will annoy them!

Do a Teen Book Exchange

Your teens might have probably read a lot of novels when they were forced to stay at home during the lockdown. So, ask your tween to tell their friends to bring over a book they enjoyed and are finished with. They can do a book trade with each other and maybe create their own list of books they want to read. Encourage them to make it post-worthy on their walls. Adding a cash prize for every book read might be a good motivation to get them to read as many books as they can!

Produce a Lip-Syncing Video Together 

If your teens love singing and jamming, suggest picking out a song for them to lip-sync to and choreograph their own dance moves. If they’re down for it, why not? Maybe you can help them record!

Tiktok is also a fun platform for some dance moves. Maybe you can join if they have group dances. 

Teenagers (15-17 years)

Teenagers ages 15-17 are developing their personalities and interests. It’s during this time that they discover a clearer sense of who they are. They want to feel more independence and responsibility, and many of them start working. These sleepover activities are actually pretty helpful in their teenage journey!

Brainstorm a Teen Business

Encouraging entrepreneurship among teenagers is a good way to help them discover their interests and strengths. Your teen group can come up with either group or individual teen business ideas. Try to be positive and encouraging about their efforts. Maybe you can ask them to prepare a pitch they can present to close friends whom they admire. A good panel setup will set the mood. 

At-Home Karaoke

Let loose with some karaoke! If you don’t have a karaoke machine, you can go on YouTube and search for lyric videos from Disney tunes to Top 40 hits to get things started.

Plan a Senior Week Trip

If your teens are in their senior year, it would be good to be a little lenient about their trips! A 3 to 5-day beach trip sounds great. During the sleepover, your teens can start brainstorming their own senior week trip or fun activities after graduation.

Two Truths and A Lie

The friendships your children form at this age could last for a lifetime. Here’s a game that’ll help them get to know more about their friends – it’s better than the typical truth or dare. For this game, have each player write or say two truths and a lie and guess which ones are true and which one is the lie. Anyone whose lie is busted will face a consequence! They can even get creative with the punishments as long as they don’t go overboard.