subject: Fun Things To Do At A Slumber Party [print this page] Kids love slumber parties! There's a certain age when slumber parties are pretty much the best thing to do with friends. Entertaining and corralling a bunch of kids for a whole night can be somewhat trying for the host or hostess's parents though. If your son or daughter is itching to have a slumber party soon, have some childens activities planned ahead of time.
Having some kind of activities and time wasters planned will definitely make the night go smoother for you. A house full of bored children is about the worst thing you could have. Don't over schedule the too much since an over regimented slumber party is likely to backfire on you.
Having the children watch a video is a great way to pass the time. Rent a video beforehand or give each kid a pencil and paper and have them vote on which movie to get. While you are renting the tape, have the slumber party guests get their movie watching snacks and drinks ready (with adult supervision, of course).
Go through your stockpile of family board games and let the guests choose a few to play. Games with fairly simple rules and that don't take too long to play usually work best, especially if the slumber party guests are under eleven or so. That age group tends to have a short attention span. It's a good idea to have a deck of cards on hand, just in case.
You could let the kids create their own board game. Just supply them a few art supplies and let them run with it. Cardboard, colored pencils, and markers can be transformed into a wonderful custom game in the hands of a bunch of giggling kids. What a creative and productive way to spend a few hours! After they've finished, borrow a few dice and pieces from other games and play with them on their new board.
Let the children pick out an item from one of your cookbooks and help them bake it. Cakes, brownies and cookies are pretty easy for kids to make. Ice cream sundaes or pizzas are other options. Whatever they make, kids will love to eat their own creations afterwards. Depending on the age of the kids, you may need to operate the oven and cut anything that requires a knife.
Supply the kids with some extra blankets, quilts, and pillows and let them build a fort in your living room. To make the structure more stable, push your couches and other chairs together and drape some of the blankets over them. Adding pillows and stuffed animals will make the interior quite posh. No doubt the kids will want to move their sleeping bags in so they can sleep inside the tent.
When that most wonderful (to parents) time, bedtime, has arrived, have the kids gather in their fort. Hand each person a flashlight and spend a few minutes telling spooky stories. If the kids are too young for scary stories, read to them from a favorite book or let them take turns reading. By this time, they should be pretty tired. Have them brush their teeth and go to the bathroom before they fall asleep. Then congratulate yourself on a job well done and go to bed!
