Slumber Party Ideas and Tips!

Safe Celebrations For Kids

Slumber party ideas and tips for a safe birthday celebration for everyone involved.

For children between the ages of 9 and 15 years, slumber parties have become more and more popular. However, when hosting and planning for a slumber party, there are several tips parents should consider prior to the big event.

When considering the various slumber party ides, remember that your hosting responsibilities span a much longer period of time. Kids attending should not be too young, since there will be an increased amount of uninterrupted time with their friends – and you don’t want it to be necessary to drive youngsters home to their parents when they start missing their regular bedtime rituals.

The ideal sleepover will be planned to the point that parents will enjoy the event without having to make too many rules and regulations, and youngsters will enjoy having some independence while playing past their regular bedtimes.

Additional slumber party ideas and tips to ensure the perfect all-night birthday celebration include:

Start Time? Starting your slumber party at a later time (between 6-8pm) will make it easier for adults (the party planners) to remain calm and engaged for the entire event. Increased noise and activity around the house can become uncomfortable after some time. Starting later into the evening will decrease the total amount of time the party goes on.

In addition, kids won’t be playing hard for so long as they would be otherwise if the party begins earlier. Remind parents at what time they are to pick up their children the following day.

Say No to Co-Ed! Although many children have close male and female friends, slumber parties are not appropriate as a co-ed event.

Once bedtime rolls around, odds are that neither sex at this age will really feel comfortable sleeping in the same house. And even if they do feel comfortable, their parents more than likely will not.

Plan Around a Theme Make your slumber party stand out as a unique event. Use the many theme ideas located in the Theme section of this website to brainstorm the perfect slumber party ideas for themes.

Consider making the theme something everyone will relate to and will be inspired to participate in. Find out from your child what their favorite themes are and pick the slumber party them together.

Plan Multiple Activities Plan several activities that will first ensure the children are active and engaged in the celebration.

Games that require physical effort are great to get the party going, and will ensure that everyone gets involved.

As the evening progresses and the time gets closer to bedtime, plan activities that require less physical exursion – such as watching a fun movie.

Let The Party Work! Parents should be self-aware and realize that their children probably don’t want mom and dad hanging out with their friends the entire time.

Let your child know that you want them to have a good time playing with their friends and that you plan on just checking in from time to time to make sure everything is running smoothly.

An easy way to “check-in” is to keep the food and beverages coming throughout the nice. Ice cream, cake, popcorn and other snacks will be most welcome by all.

No Bedtime Surprise As mentioned earlier, you can encourage a reasonable bedtime by properly planning activities throughout the evening. However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with making it clear to all attendees early in the evening that bedtime will be “no later than” a certain time.

By setting a final bedtime upfront, you will minimize arguments later. Make sure to remind the children a couple of hours before bedtime, just to ensure cooperation.

In addition, about an hour prior to bedtime, ask the kids to change into their pajamas and spend some fun time creating a special sleeping area in a large room such as a den or family room that will easily accommodate multiple sleeping bags.

Understand that some kids will go to sleep more easily than others. Some will have a hard time refraining from giggling into the evening – but as long as the group is quiet and in their sleeping area, parents can let them stay up a bit longer than expected.

Remember, it’s a slumber party – giggling into the night should be expected. ;-)