When you're a kid, one of the funniest and most exciting things you can do is throw a sleepover. The difficult part is planning the event and putting all the details in place. Once your friends arrive you will be able to have a fun and unforgettable night… as long as you have some fun ideas to propose. If you want to know how to give a sleepover, keep reading the article.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Making a Plan
Step 1. Think of a theme for your sleepover
People often throw a sleepover for their birthdays or just to have some friends all together. However, if you really want to get creative and add whimsical props and costumes into the mix, then you can consider a more elaborate theme for your sleepover. Here are some fun themes:
- A certain historical period - for example, the 60s, 70s and 80s
- Crazy hair
- Clothes worn backwards
- Disguises
- Western
- Hawaiian party
- A "party in pink"!
- Pop-Star
- Twilight
- Harry Potter
- Inspiration taken from a book
- A party based on chocolate or vanilla
- A tea party
- Role play games
- Celebrity (they will all dress up as famous people)
- Easter, Valentine's Day or Christmas
Step 2. Prepare a guest list
Discuss with your parents about the maximum number of people you can invite. Typically, around 4-8 people attend, but it really depends on what you intend to do. Invite people you like to hang out with, who make things funnier, and who look good together. Also, try not to hurt anyone's feelings by forgetting a few friends in your group.
If you have a shy friend who really doesn't know anyone, you need to decide if that person will actually have a good time or if they'll make you spend the night worrying about having to involve them in all your games
Step 3. Write and send invitations
You can send them, email them, call them, text them, use Facebook or even invite your friends in person. Also, try to prepare the invitations according to the theme of the party, so that your friends have an idea of what to expect. Remember to include any special information, such as what guests will need to bring. Talk to your friends privately to prevent others from feeling left out.
- You should specify to your guests what time they should arrive and when they are expected to leave. Some people actually tend to stay the next day until they get bored, but if you have something to do or if your parents want them out of the house at a certain time, you should specify this in the invitation. You can also let them know if you will offer them breakfast at a certain time.
- You don't have to be too formal either. If you want to call every friend and tell them about it, that's okay anyway. It's all in the energy you want to spend.
- If you want to create beautiful invitations online, you can try a site like Paperless Post. It will cost you a little for each invitation, but not as much as you would have had to pay for most paper invitations.
- Don't be angry if some of your guests can't attend. Some parents don't let their children sleep in their friends' homes.
Step 4. Get all the supplies you need
Sit down and make a list of everything you'll need to get hold of to make your sleepover a success. Don't forget about food, dinner, snacks, movies, drinks, decorations, or anything else you might want. Make sure to check with your guests that they don't have any food allergies or are vegetarians.
- You will probably have to go with your parents to buy the things you need. In general, take a little more than you expect to need, so as not to run out of food or surprises for your guests.
- If you plan to keep your guests for breakfast, you should make sure you have some ready-made food, such as pancake mix and fruit.
- If you are going to play games you don't have, buy them or have a friend bring them to you.
- If you have decided that you will be watching a movie, prepare it first.
Step 5. Make a plan in advance to keep your siblings busy
During the sleepover they may want to stay with you, but you may also want to hang out with your friends doing your thing. If this is the case, then you should ask your sibling to give you some alone time with your friends. You could also promise him to do something in return, like just going out with him the next day.
If you can get your siblings to hang out with other friends during the sleepover, that's even better
Step 6. Make sure your friends don't have allergies
After you invite them to the party, you can check with them to make sure they are not allergic to animals, if you have any; if they absolutely cannot be together with the animals, you will have to tell them that they will not be able to come to your party. Most people allergic to pets have antiallergic medications that can help them, so knowing in advance what they are may save them a sleepless night. Some people also have allergies to certain foods - for example, to peanuts - so you'd better inform yourself about this possibility in time so that all your guests stay healthy.
Part 2 of 3: Give an Outstanding Sleepover
Step 1. Be friendly when your guests arrive
They will most likely arrive with their parents, so you need to have a friendly attitude and show them that you are a nice guy with a nice home. Tell your friends where to hang their coats, where to put their shoes and where to put their things for the night. Ask if they want any food or drink. Show them the house so that they become familiar with it. Be sure to indicate the places where they can and cannot enter. Also show them where the bathroom is!
Step 2. Prepare the food
If, with the help of your parents, you have already bought food to eat, such as hot dogs and burgers, then you should prepare it if guests arrive around dinner time. Don't leave hungry people standing. While they wait, you can offer them soda or snacks, such as French fries and salsa or guacamole. You can also order pizza, which is quite commonly used at sleepovers, or some Italian, Chinese or even Thai food if your friends like it.
- Make sure you offer snacks, such as fries, veggies, or pita and hummus, so guests have something to snack on while you're about to order food.
- For dessert, you could make biscuits, brownies, cupcakes, go to the store and buy lots of candy and popcorn. people are always hungry.
- Make sure there are enough sodas for everyone, as well as water, orange juice or anything else for those who don't like fizzy drinks. If you don't want your friends to be upset and stay up all night, you can always limit your caffeine intake.
Step 3. Put on some music and dance
If your friends like to listen to Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift or some other group they like, put on their most famous songs. Play a little foolish and dance - you'll probably have to burn off some of the energy produced by all that food and drink! He also finds to walk away dancing to make a scene.
Step 4. Have a pillow fight
These fights are fun, exciting and high in energy. They usually happen spontaneously, so if you want to make one, just start gently by hitting one of your friends with a pillow and wait for the fun to begin. You should first move to where everyone keeps their accessories for the night so that everyone has a pillow to throw away. Be careful not to hurt anyone and make it clear that you are only playing.
Step 5. Play video games
If you and your friends love to play Wii or other video game systems, then you will need to make sure your guests bring their own controllers in advance so that as many people as possible can play. You will need to make sure that the game is not too competitive. If it seems to you that some guests are feeling left out, then you can do something else. Remember that not everyone loves or wants to play video games: you certainly don't want to oust your less tech-savvy friends!
Step 6. Take photos
You will surely want memories of this beautiful night! You could even do a mini photo shoot with your friends. Grab your camcorder or cell phone camera and start taking pictures of you and your friends while doing stupid things. You can even pull out some ridiculous costumes and old clothes and clown while wearing them. If your parents are still standing, you can ask one of them to take a group photo.
Step 7. Try to respect those guests who want to go to bed earlier
Not everyone may want to stay up until two or three in the morning, so let people who want to get some sleep rest. If others are really making a lot of noise, you can also let the guest sleep in your bed or in a different part of the house, so as not to disturb him. You just need to check that this is okay with your parents too.
Step 8. Try to propose suitable games for the evening
Games are truly a fun way to have fun at a sleepover. Make sure they're easy enough to follow and don't take too long. For example, Monopoly is a beautiful game, but it takes too long: choose something more suited to your and your guests' attention span.
Step 9. Tell scary stories
Grab a flashlight and make sure you take turns telling ghost stories. You can also think ahead of a disturbing story or ask all your guests to prepare one. Whoever tells the scariest story wins a prize. Make sure, though, that none of your guests get too scared - not everyone likes to get scared or stay in the dark.
Step 10. Watch a movie
Watching a movie or TV is another good idea for a sleepover, but late in the evening, after you've burned off most of your energy and want to lie down. It would be helpful to decide on a movie in advance - maybe you want to watch a horror movie or something fun and romantic. Sometimes people spend so much time deciding which movie to watch that they end up not seeing a single one - it's not nice that the decision-making process ruins the mood.
Bring out popcorn, cookies, and other goodies. This will help make the environment more festive. You can also offer the snacks that you normally buy at the cinema
Step 11. It is also okay to just sit around and talk
While many games and activities can make a sleepover fun, sometimes it's more fun to sit together and laugh with friends. You can gossip, tell stories about your awkward moments, look at the yearbook to talk about your crushes or you can just get to know each other better. If people are laughing and having fun, you don't have to change the mood by coming out with lots of activities to do. Let your guests have fun.
Step 12. Make sure everyone is comfortable
If someone starts arguing or annoying other people, take it upon yourself. If there are noisy people keeping others awake, kindly explain to them that if they want to talk, they can do it in another room. Try not to take sides and listen to both sides. You certainly don't want to make enemies at the sleepover!
Beware of any kind of tension that may arise. If you notice guests starting to argue a bit, you can change the topic of conversation to try to avoid the conflict
Part 3 of 3: What to Do in the Morning Next
Step 1. When you get up, be sure to gently wake all your guests as well
You should only do this when it's time for people to leave. If you happen to get up early, you shouldn't wake them up for any reason. Be respectful of those who want to continue sleeping. When people start getting up, give them a moment to recover instead of trying to run them for breakfast.
Step 2. Ask if your guests are ready for breakfast
If they are hungry, ask what they want for breakfast. If your parents are awake, ask them if they can make you breakfast. Try to make something that most people don't normally get a chance to eat, such as homemade waffles, but remember to make simple cornflakes or other grains as well. Not everyone likes a big breakfast, and your friends may still be full from all the awesome food they've gobbled up the night before!
Step 3. Walk your guests to the door
This is something any polite guest should never forget to do. Even if you are sick of having guests around and are ready to be alone for some time, you should be polite enough to walk your guests to the door and thank them for coming. If the parents are waiting for them at the door, you can say hello to them too and thank them for visiting you. You can also offer to help bring your friend's things to the car.
Step 4. Clean everything
Throw out the popcorn and collect the plastic cups off the floor by putting them in the bin. It was a party, so you have to clean up the mess, not your parents. If you do it yourself, they will be much more likely to allow you to throw another sleepover. If possible, you should clean up a little already overnight or get some friends to help you during downtime, but it's no fun to interrupt a cleaning party. Once everything is back to normal, you can relax and enjoy some time for yourself!
Advice
- If you have vegetarian or vegan friends, make sure you have enough fruit and vegetables at home.
- Play "Truth or Dare" or other fun group games. However, make sure you don't hurt anyone's feelings by asking too personal questions and keep things from getting out of hand.
- Make sure everyone is comfortable and enjoying themselves.
- Think of an original and varied breakfast, in order to satisfy everyone's tastes.
- If you like to go to bed early, practice a few days earlier and fall asleep a little later. Either way, go to sleep early the night before so you don't feel tired on the night of the party.
- Clean the house, especially the bathroom and sleepover room before guests arrive, to make a good impression!
- Ask your guests to bring magazines, CDs or films; thus, you will have more choice.
- Make sure you have plenty of music to listen to. Keep the volume low to prevent neighbors from complaining.
- Take pictures! After the party, send them to your guests. During the sleepover, you could also create albums or frame photos. In case you send thank you cards, enter the most beautiful.
- Don't invite people you don't know well. While your guests don't necessarily have to be your best friends, you should still have a good relationship with them. Not sure how to choose? Follow this rule: If you've never been to someone you want to invite and they've never been to yours, you don't know them well enough to call them for a sleepover.
Warnings
- Don't watch TV throughout the sleepover or you'll end up bored.
- Depending on the age of your guests, someone might want to go home at some point. Try to prevent this from happening by keeping guests busy and entertaining them; If, however, someone absolutely wants to go home, tell your parents or call theirs.
- Make sure everyone knows where they can and can't go in your home. If they enter a forbidden room, you and them will be in trouble!
- Make sure you don't overdo it. It's just a sleepover, so make sure it's simple. Don't invite too many people, especially those who have problems with each other. The last thing you want is for there to be arguments.
- Take lots of photos and, if you like, post them on Facebook. However, avoid embarrassing, provocative photographs that show illegal activities (such as drinking alcohol if you are still a minor) or that could otherwise get you into trouble or make fun of you. Also, if someone asks you not to be tagged, respect their wish. And, if you've already done so, remove the tag immediately.
- Make sure no situation gets out of hand. If this happens, contact your parents.
- Don't target anyone your other friends don't like.
- Buy some popcorn to munch on while watching a movie. Either way, if you know for sure that one of your guests is wearing the appliance, buy other types of snacks as well.
- If someone is afraid of your pet, keep them away from guests.
- If you plan to serve chips, wiping them through a dish drainer prevents crumbs from remaining on the bottom.
