How to Host a Successful Sleepover Party
Most children at some point will start to beg the parents for a sleepover birthday party.
For some parents this causes no stress at all, but for others the blood pressure starts to rise just thinking about it.
How many children to invite? What to feed them? What to do if they just won't go to bed? What happens if the children want to go home in the middle of the night? Well once you have decided that you will go ahead with the sleepover party, the best thing you can do is plan it well.
Firstly, how many guests do you invite? This will of course depend on the age of the children.
If they are fairly young (say 8 or 9) it is really best to start with just a small number of children, 3 or 4 is usually a good number, and then as they get older you can invite a few more.
If the numbers start getting too high you can risk it getting a bit too chaotic and out of control.
Sometimes it is a good idea to have a larger number to a pyjama party with just a few of the kids to stay overnight.
Make a definite start and finish time and leave enough time for any planned activities and also for breakfast in the morning.
Don't allow too much time as the kids may start to get bored, especially after a night of very little sleep where you certainly won't want them hanging around too long after breakfast! Tired kids are not something you want to suffer for too long! Always check with the parents when they drop their kids off what they would like you to do in the event that their child is not happy and asks to go home.
Even if they have been to sleepovers before, you really don't want to get stuck with a homesick child in the middle of the night and worry about it being too late to call their parents.
Also make sure they have given you the correct contact details.
So what do you do for food? Something easy is always the best.
Kids really don't care if its not gourmet, they usually just want to get on with the party.
Definitely make sure they have a proper meal though so they are not just filling up on potato-chips and lollies.
Hamburgers or a sausage sizzle is a good idea, or even getting the kids involved and making their own pizzas is often a fun idea and an activity at the same time.
Of course popcorn and potato-chips will go down well watching a late movie and you cannot have a party without the party cake!! It is always a great idea to have some activities planned for the guests.
You don't want to stick to a strict plan, but having some sort of structure will stop the kids getting bored and silly, and hopefully they can get a little worn out by bed time.
It may be a bit of karaoke or charades, dancing games and definitely a late night movie (not a scary one though, if you want them to get a little bit of sleep) Speaking of sleep, what time should be lights out? Again that will depend on the age of the kids.
The younger ones (around age 8) really should be in bed by 10 pm, while the older ones can maybe have a midnight lights out.
Of course you will need to let them have a few giggles and whispers once the lights go out, but all fingers crossed, they will end up getting at least some sleep.
Most of all, make sure you have loads of fun and remember to not expect to get much sleep yourself.
That way, if you end up getting a little bit of sleep you will feel like you've hit the jackpot.
For some parents this causes no stress at all, but for others the blood pressure starts to rise just thinking about it.
How many children to invite? What to feed them? What to do if they just won't go to bed? What happens if the children want to go home in the middle of the night? Well once you have decided that you will go ahead with the sleepover party, the best thing you can do is plan it well.
Firstly, how many guests do you invite? This will of course depend on the age of the children.
If they are fairly young (say 8 or 9) it is really best to start with just a small number of children, 3 or 4 is usually a good number, and then as they get older you can invite a few more.
If the numbers start getting too high you can risk it getting a bit too chaotic and out of control.
Sometimes it is a good idea to have a larger number to a pyjama party with just a few of the kids to stay overnight.
Make a definite start and finish time and leave enough time for any planned activities and also for breakfast in the morning.
Don't allow too much time as the kids may start to get bored, especially after a night of very little sleep where you certainly won't want them hanging around too long after breakfast! Tired kids are not something you want to suffer for too long! Always check with the parents when they drop their kids off what they would like you to do in the event that their child is not happy and asks to go home.
Even if they have been to sleepovers before, you really don't want to get stuck with a homesick child in the middle of the night and worry about it being too late to call their parents.
Also make sure they have given you the correct contact details.
So what do you do for food? Something easy is always the best.
Kids really don't care if its not gourmet, they usually just want to get on with the party.
Definitely make sure they have a proper meal though so they are not just filling up on potato-chips and lollies.
Hamburgers or a sausage sizzle is a good idea, or even getting the kids involved and making their own pizzas is often a fun idea and an activity at the same time.
Of course popcorn and potato-chips will go down well watching a late movie and you cannot have a party without the party cake!! It is always a great idea to have some activities planned for the guests.
You don't want to stick to a strict plan, but having some sort of structure will stop the kids getting bored and silly, and hopefully they can get a little worn out by bed time.
It may be a bit of karaoke or charades, dancing games and definitely a late night movie (not a scary one though, if you want them to get a little bit of sleep) Speaking of sleep, what time should be lights out? Again that will depend on the age of the kids.
The younger ones (around age 8) really should be in bed by 10 pm, while the older ones can maybe have a midnight lights out.
Of course you will need to let them have a few giggles and whispers once the lights go out, but all fingers crossed, they will end up getting at least some sleep.
Most of all, make sure you have loads of fun and remember to not expect to get much sleep yourself.
That way, if you end up getting a little bit of sleep you will feel like you've hit the jackpot.
