10 Fun Sleepover Activities to Help You Plan Your Daughter’s Next Slumber Party
Did you know that sleepovers are important for your child? They can help your child become more independent, learn how to communicate, and get better at adapting to changes.
Although you may only hear giggles when your daughter gets together with her friends, there are plenty of serious developments occurring behind the scenes. If you want to help your daughter grow into the best woman she can be, hosting a slumber party once in a while will mean the world to her.
Not sure how to plan a successful slumber party for your daughter? Don’t worry. Read on for 10 fun sleepover activities that will keep her (and her friends) busy all night.
1. Set Up an Ice Cream Sundae Bar
Who doesn’t love a good hot fudge sundae? Your daughter’s friends will be blown away if you lay out an impressive ice cream spread.
Your sundae bar should include a few different ice cream flavors, but you don’t need to have as many choices as an ice cream shop. Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are sundae classics. If you want to spice things up, mint or rocky road would be appreciated, too.
Next come the toppings. Cherries, sprinkles, and an array of candies are ideal for your sundae bar. You could include M&M’s, Reese’s pieces, marshmallows, and gummy bears to name a few.
You can’t forget about whipped cream and sauces. Chocolate and caramel should be more than enough to get them excited. You can make this activity even more fun by spraying some whipped cream into their mouths straight out of the container.
2. Enjoy a Spa Day at Home
The perfect host makes their guests feel at home. There’s no better way to relax than by getting pampered with spa treatments.
Your spa night doesn’t have to be extravagant in order to be enjoyable. Simple facials, pedicures, and moisturizers feel amazing.
If you want to make your spa more special, you can get the girls matching robes to lounge in while they spoil themselves. Letting the other girls paint each other’s nails is a great way to build trust and deepen their friendship.
3. Friendship Bracelets: How to Make Yours Perfect
Friendship bracelets are an easy craft that girls of all ages enjoy. The best part is that these bracelets will always remind each guest how awesome her friends are every time she wears it.
All you need to make friendship bracelets is thin yarn in a few different colors, tape, and scissors. It’s that simple! Although this project doesn’t require a lot of tools, you’ll be surprised to see how much time the girls will invest to make their bracelet perfect.
Weaving the friendship bracelets isn’t as hard as it may look, but it could take some practice. It’s a good idea for you to try making your own bracelet before the event so you can help other girls who are struggling.
Read through this step-by-step guide so that you can become a master at making friendship bracelets.
4. Let Loose with a Dance Party
Cyndi Lauper phrased it best: girls just wanna have fun!
Make your daughter’s slumber party a bash by creating a playlist with her favorite dance songs. If you’re not sure where to start, you can ask your daughter to help choose the music. Just make sure the songs are age-appropriate in case other parents aren’t comfortable with letting their child listen to mature music.
When it’s time to rock out, you can blast the music and let the girls go wild. For even more fun, you could set up a strobe light and hand out glow sticks. Once you turn the lights out, they’ll want to dance the night away.
5. Classic Sleepover Activities: Have a Movie Marathon
Movies are the best at nighttime with a bunch of friends there to experience them with you. No sleepover would be complete without watching one or two.
If your daughter and her friends love films, you should prepare a list of sleepover movies they can watch. When you keep these movies on hand, you can give them the freedom to choose the ones that interest them most.
These options should also be appropriate for their age. Even if you’re more laid back about the content your daughter can see, other parents may not appreciate you allowing the girls to watch mature movies.
Of course you can’t forget about the popcorn and snacks to accompany their movie night. If the girls are up for it, they can watch the movie right after they build their sundaes so they can enjoy their treat and entertainment at the same time.
6. Get Crafty by Decorating Pillow Cases
Another great way to enjoy each other’s company is to decorate special sleepover pillow cases. There are a number of ways you can let the girls use their artistic skills.
The easiest way to decorate is to use markers that are safe for fabrics. Paying attention to this detail will help prevent any bleeding ink or staining whenever the girls wash their pillow cases.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can set up a tie-dye station. Although this method requires closer supervision and guidance, the results are stunning.
The best part about including this activity on the sleepover itinerary is that the fun can continue long afterward. Once their pillow cases are complete, the girls can slip them on their pillows and have a super colorful pillow fight.
7. A Fun Twist on Commercials
Depending on how many girls are invited to the sleepover, you can organize games that involve acting and imagination. One idea is to have one or two girls try to sell the rest of the group a silly item.
This game is easy to prepare. First, you have to create a list of whacky characters like a scientist, hair stylist, teacher, hiker, and astronaut. The more creative the roles are, the funnier the results will be.
Next, you have to create a list of objects these characters can sell. Pencils, dogs, cupcakes, trees, and bicycles are a few examples of random items you could write.
Cut up these lists and place them in a hat or another object that the girls can pick out of blindly. Once they select their character and object, they have to create a sales pitch on the spot and get the girls to buy whatever they’re selling.
Not only is this game silly, but it helps the girls work on their public speaking skills, learning how to think on their feet, and mastering the art of persuasion. If an astronaut can convince other people that bicycles are helpful when they can’t ride them in space, you know that girl is clever.
8. A Tasty Donut Challenge
Since sleepovers are a special occasion, it’s okay to let the girls eat more junk food than normal. If this slumber party isn’t sweet enough, you can take it up a notch with a competitive donut eating competition.
This eating contest isn’t judged on quantity, so you don’t have to worry about buying a ton of donuts. Instead, the girls will compete to see who can eat one donut the fastest.
How could eating a single donut be challenging? When you hang the donuts from a string in the air and have the girls hold their hands behind their backs, this simple task becomes much more difficult. They’ll have to find a way to eat the swinging donuts by only using their mouths.
Make sure only two or three girls compete at a time so the rest of the group can laugh at the antics. If you want to make the event even funnier, buy powdered donuts so the sugar gets all over their faces.
9. Get Silly by Doing Blindfolded Makeup
Even if your daughter isn’t old enough to wear makeup, every girl loves to play with it. Let your daughter and her friends have fun experimenting with makeup in an exciting way.
If you blindfold one girl and lay out all of the makeup in front of her, she won’t be able to see what she’s applying to another girl’s face. No one is allowed to help her find anything or tell her how she’s doing. Make sure there are no mirrors in the room so the girl who’s getting her makeup done will be just as surprised as the artist.
Everyone will get a kick out of the finished results when the challenge is over. Be sure to keep a camera nearby so the girls can have a photo shoot with all their goofy makeup. Those pictures are something they will cherish the rest of their life.
10. Try a Homemade Slime Recipe or Other Fun Experiments
Getting a little messy with your hands is always an adventure. Gather the girls around the table to make a bunch of strange concoctions like mad scientists. The good news is that you can do a ton of exciting experiments with only a handful of ingredients.
If you want to make unicorn slime, all you need is five ingredients. When you mix together glue, glitter, baking soda, contact lens solution, and water, you can have loads of colorful and stretchy slime. Follow this easy Unicorn Slime recipe to get started.
Did you know that if you mix a little bit of water with cornstarch until it forms a thick paste you can create a mixture that is neither solid nor liquid? The girls will be amazed when they think they’re playing with a solid object. As soon as they stop touching the cornstarch mixture, it will start dripping like a liquid.
Another great craft is homemade playdough. Although this recipe involves the most ingredients, it still comes together in five minutes. Who knew that you only needed flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, vegetable oil, and food coloring to make your own playdough?
Ready to Make Slumber Party Invitations?
These 10 sleepover activities are sure to keep the party going all night long. Just remember to enforce a bedtime so the girls will have enough time to sleep!
Now that your slumber party planning is easier, you won’t have to worry about entertaining so much. If you’re ready to help your daughter host her own sleepover, why not start with the invitations?
These slumber party invitations are not only cute, but they’re also free, customizable, and can be sent many different ways. You can mail them, email them with RSVP services, or share them as a high-quality image on social media.
Once you see how easy it is to make elegant and fun cards, Greetings Island will be your ultimate tool to help you plan all of life’s celebrations.
