Slumber parties are a such a fun tradition and a rite of passage when growing up. I'm sure, like me, you have your own fond memories of childhood sleepovers. Now it's time to create some special memories for your child! Have a blast throwing one of the best slumber parties ever using our top tips & tricks for planning the ultimate hassle-free party. From outfits, activities and sleeping arrangements to food and personalized favors, we've got you covered. Gather the Slumber Party Squad and get ready for lots of fun and the sound of happy giggles after the lights are turned out!
Kick off the excitement by sending over these Gold Foiled Pamper Party Invites. Tip: Limit the number of guests to half the age of your child. At age 6, invite three guests. At age 8, invite four guests, etc. Smaller numbers make it easier to manage a successful sleepover full of personal touches.
Gift guests with matching pajamas. Personalize white cotton t-shirts for each guest by adding sleeping eyelashes in black vinyl and the words "Slumber Party Squad" in a fun font using colored vinyl such as lavender. Add a pair of matching pajama pants or shorts to complete the ensemble. Bring a little bling to the beginning of the party with a Topps Ring Pop® Party Pack since ring pops never fail to disappoint!
Turn the room into the coziest of indoor camping spots so that sleepover guests won't ever want to leave. I used a mixed palette of pink, lavender, mint, and yellow to tie in with the Slumber Party Decor Line I used to decorate.
The ready-made White Sleepover Tents are affordable, easy to put together and instantly transformed our party space. Use my ideas for Quick & Easy Tent Sleepover Decor to make pre-party set-up a breeze. Make sure to pitch the tents close enough for nighttime whispers, but far enough apart to get them to sleep... eventually!
These tents are the perfect size for a standard twin air mattress. The tent comes with 3 sides making it easy to slip the mattress inside so it stays snugly in place.
Slip a fitted sheet over each air mattress, add a top sheet or blanket depending on the temperature then elevate the experience with plenty of luxurious pillows and soft, cozy cushions.
Every girl needs a stuffed animal or plush doll to cuddle up to at night! Rumor is these fun friends also help alleviate any homesickness. A Slumber Party Yarn Hair Doll is bound to become their new best friend.
To create a real five-star experience, add a Plastic Woven Square Storage Basket to contain slumber party essentials for each girl. Fill the baskets with a new toothbrush, toothpaste, lip gloss, a themed Lipstick Eraser, Slumber Party Scrunchies, Pamper Party Glitter Elastic Bands, Slumber Party Headbands and their own mirror and brush set.
Small details go a long way for any party! I used these Slumber Party Favor Bags as inspiration to personalize each girl's brush and mirror. I added their names in a similar font and included small stars above their names.
I used the same font to add their names to Plastic Homework Serving Trays. These trays double as both craft & food trays during the sleepover. I used vinyl to add eyelashes under their names and a moon, hearts and stars to tie in with the slumber party decor.
The final touch to their individual sleeping tents was a Slumber Party Sleep Mask. I wrapped each mask around a towel and washcloth as well. Let the pampering begin!
One of the most common phrases I hear from my daughter and her friends these days is "NO BOYS ALLOWED"! Makeshift handmade signs seem to magically appear on her door during playdates.
Making this bold statement in silver mylar balloons was one of the girls' favorite elements of the sleepover. Cheers of "No boys allowed," were heard anytime my son or husband even attempted to check out the party.
On the mantel I used Poly-fil® stuffing to create clouds and then added elements of the Slumber Party Decor Kit as well as Warm White String Lights into the clouds.
The perfect sleepover includes a good mix of kid activities; high energy activities that will tire them out, along with less energetic entertainment that'll let them cool down. Repeat, repeat, and repeat until everyone's ready to pretend they're asleep. A series of dance routines and gymnastics tired out our slumber party squad. For quieter activities, the squad loved making Heart Shaped Fleece Tied Pillows and decorating pillow cases with fabric pens.
I used black vinyl to replicate the t-shirt design on the pillowcases. The girls also added drawings and signatures to each other's pillowcases to remember this special occasion.
In the middle of the festivities I set up a low table on milk crates for eating. Down the middle of the table I used Poly-fil® as a cloud table runner. I then painted DIY Unfinished Wood Stars & scattered them throughout the clouds as well as attaching them to Clear Donut Serving Stands to float above the clouds. Clear glass votive holders were also thrown into the mix along with a pretty Light Pink Scallop Trim Votive Candle Holder at each end of the table.
Layer multiple plates at each setting for the various eating sessions that will occur during the sleepover! Mix in healthy munchies with the sugary treats to avoid the dreaded sugar crash. I used mint plates on the bottom, layered them with lavender plates, and then laid an Iridescent Star Paper Dessert Plate on top. For a fun sleepover vibe I used the sleeping mask tags from the Pink Glitter Pamper Party Pouches on top of each setting. Finish off each place setting with a pink fork and an Iridescent Napkin.
The final sweet touch to our table setting were delicious cookies from Trophy Baking in Portland. We ordered sleeping mask cookies as well as custom heart cookies that fit on the rim of each guest's cup! These treats were the perfect finishing touch for our dreamy table.
The selfie game is strong with this squad! Set up this fabulous DIY Star, Moon & Cloud Backdrop and let your squad take selfies all night long. Get all the details to make your own backdrop HERE.
We all deserve a little pampering now and then, and a sleepover is the perfect time to treat the entire squad. Set up a pamper station that can move with them (they never sit still!) and mark the spot with Pink Confetti Balloons.
I used a craft cart to store pampering supplies and placed 4 personalized chairs with foot soak buckets next to it. Personalize the chairs with removable vinyl names and stars and placed a Pamper party pouch on each chair. I filled these party pouches with emery boards, cucumber eye masks, nail polish and more.
I was able to stock the rolling cart with pamper products from 3 pre-made kits; the Convertibles Hair Tie Bracelet Kit, the Complete Glitter Beauty Super Set and the Fashion Angels Unicorn Hair Super Set. These kits have everything the girls will need to pamper themselves as well as create their own hair gels, masks and fun hair ties.
Add a nail polish selection to your pamper cart, but don't forget the nail polish remover! One color or polish is never enough.
I was able to get the cutest photos of our slumber party squad enjoying pamper time with cucumbers over their eyes. Warning: May cause laughter and some crazy beauty routines....excess cucumber coverage and extreme cheek blush!
Allow time for unscheduled free play and let imaginations run wild. Kids at this age love make believe!
Creating a food station is not only convenient, but it's a great way to give them space to be alone and have fun making up their own plate, snack or drink.
A milk and cookie bar seems like a no-brainer for a classic slumber party. This DIY Milk & Cookie Food Station has plenty of choices that work for the girls during the day as well as the next morning. Find out how to put your food station together HERE.
During a long sleepover it's important to have some games on hand. Create a scavenger hunt with treats hidden around the house, pull out board games or let your kids come up with their own food challenges. My kids love doing all sorts of crazy food taste challenges, so I incorporated a milk magic taste test into the milk bar for them. They loved it!
I always like to send cookies home with the kids. These cookies from Trophy Baking match the favor bags each guest took home. What a wonderful memory to take home and enjoy after the sleepover is over!
Time to wind down and send everyone off to slumber.....expect this to take a while! Put on a movie to help sleepover guests wind down before bed. Let them know when lights out will occur, dim the lights leading up to that time, then hand out flashlights or lanterns once the lights are off.
Once morning arrives it's bed hair don't care! Breakfast is the last event of a slumber party. Serve up waffles or pancakes in bed on their personalized trays and let them select any extras from the milk bar. No doubt your slumber party squad will leave the party feeling oh so full and happy.
