The thought of having a group of pre-teens or teenagers staying overnight probably sends shivers of fear through most parents. With advanced planning though you can host a stress-free and fun slumber birthday party at your home.
If this is your first time hosting a slumber party, then keep the guest list small. Let your child invite no more than 2 or 3 guests. You can send out a written invitation through the mail, but call the child’s parents to introduce yourself (if you don’t know them) and ask them if it is okay for their child to come. If you do not know the parents let them know they are welcome to come over and visit over tea and coffee and take a tour of your home.
Tell each guest that they will need to bring a sleeping bag to the slumber party. You may want to have some spare ones in case someone forgets theirs. If your child does not have a very big room then you may want to designate the family room or basement as the sleeping room. Couches, chairs and beds should be off limits for sleeping so that everyone is equal.
Have an assortment of board games to play as well as some party games. Good ones are Life, Monopoly, Pictionary, and Trivial Pursuit. Some fun party games are dressing one of the party guests as a mummy with toilet paper, a scavenger hunt, and telling ghost stories.
Movie time is always a hit at a slumber party. Let your guests help out in the kitchen to prepare snacks for it. Pop popcorn and bake cookies. Have various toppings (butter, salt, cheese, cinnamon-sugar) so that each slumber party guest can top their own popcorn. Decorating cupcakes with frosting and sprinkles is fun even when it is not a birthday party. Have a wide range of movies to choose from but make sure they are all age appropriate.
Here are a few other tips. Remember that a slumber party will probably be loud at times with giggling and screaming. Go with the flow. Don’t expect that much sleeping will be done even after you declare lights out. It may be best to have a slumber party on a night when you do not need to be anywhere the next day. Plan ahead and your child will have a great slumber birthday party.
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