10 Fun Things to Do at a Sleepover

Are you planning a sleepover? Well, that’s just fabulous! Inviting a bunch of your closest friends to sleep overnight at your place is always a blast. You're sure to make many memories and inside jokes.

You'll find lots of options of things to do at a sleepover, but that doesn't mean that all of them will be fun. Forget the cards and boring board games. Use this time to connect with your friends. Doing this may involve putting everyone's phone away for a night, a seemingly daunting task these days. The question you need to answer is: how are you going to keep everyone busy for so many hours without getting bored?

If you have a dull sleepover, your friends may not want to stay over again. We can't have that happen, so I've compiled a list of 10 fun activities to help you out below!

1. Makeovers. Who doesn’t enjoy the occasional makeover? From dressing up each other’s hair and makeup to painting nails fun colors, find ways to make everyone look and feel beautiful. Go the extra mile by busting out a camera and striking some poses together!
2. Spa Night. Steam up the bathroom for a sauna and give each other facials and massages. Every girl deserves to be pampered sometimes, and a sleepover is a perfect opportunity! Your bodies will thank you. You’re welcome.
3. Play Manhunt. Manhunt is a classic favorite. This is not the ordinary game of “hide-and-seek” you played as a child. It always happens outside, in the dark. If you live on a large piece of property or have wooded areas nearby, Manhunt is a lot of fun! Be safe and bring flashlights.
4. Watch Movies or TV. The perfect way to wind down after a long night of fun is to watch a movie or two. Grab a big bowl of popcorn and pop in your favorite DVD or television series. You probably won’t end up paying much attention to the screen, but that’s even better!
5. Bonfire. You'll need adult supervision for this one. Start a bonfire, roast marshmallows, and make s’mores! Tell scary stories or even secrets by the light of the fire. This is a night with your friends, so make some memories!
6. Camp. If you and your friends are okay with roughing it, try camping somewhere. Even if it's just in your backyard, camping can be a whole lot of fun if you do it right.
7. Truth or Dare. This is another classic favorite that should be on everyone’s list of things to do at a sleepover! Choose carefully and proceed with caution, I double-dog dare you!
8. Swim. Swimming is always a blast, but everyone knows that swimming at night takes the fun to a whole new level! Invent games using glow sticks, and you can have yourself a glow pool party!
9. Pig Out. Everyone loves food, especially good food. Sleepovers are a great excuse to stuff your face with indulgent foods like popcorn, chips, soda, and chocolate! Just don’t forget to brush your teeth before bed!
10. Pranks. If there are parents, siblings, or even friendly neighbors around, pull a harmless prank or two. Not only will you all be entertained, but you will also remember this night forever. Just make sure your victim has a good sense of humor!

1. Water Balloon (or Silly String) Battle. Divide into teams to make the battle more strategic and entertaining. Go outside for this one, or your mom will put an end to the fun before it begins.
2. Build a Skateboard, Bike, or Scooter Obstacle Course. Set up obstacles around the yard (a pile of leaves, a stack of cardboard boxes, etc.) and take turns maneuvering around them. See who can go the fastest, and add more complicated obstacles to add excitement.
3. Wrecking Ball. Build a tower of paper cups together. See how big you can get it! Then hang a string from the ceiling or an overhead tree branch, tie a ball to it, and take turns swinging the wrecking ball to knock the tower down.
4. Go Glow Bowling. This is a game to play in the dark, either indoors or outside. Fill ten empty plastic 1 liter soda bottles with water, then drop a glow stick into each one. Line them up like bowling pins, then take turns rolling a bowling ball (or another big, heavy ball) to knock them down.
5. Spoonful of Taste Test. Choose eleven foods and number them from 2 to 12. Take turns rolling two dice twice: Each roll selects one ingredient to add to the spoon. After two rolls, the player has a spoonful of two ingredients to eat. For example,
   #2 peanut butter (ask about allergies first)
   #3 marshmallow fluff
   #4 ice cream (pick an unusual flavor like banana or green tea)
   #5 Nutella
   #6 whipped cream
   #7 soy sauce
   #8 extra-spicy chips (crush them to use as a sprinkle)
   #9 potato chips or french fries
   #10 corn nuts or corn chips
   #11 relish or pickle juice
   #12 cottage cheese or sour cream
   If a player rolls a 4 and then an 10, he eats a spoonful of banana ice cream mixed with corn nuts. If someone rolls double, they get to choose the second ingredient.
6. Would You Rather. . . ? Set this one up before the party starts by writing questions on slips of paper, folding them, and putting them into a hat or bowl. Example questions: Would you rather be famous during your lifetime and forgotten after death or unknown during your lifetime but famous after death? Would you rather look 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into anyone else's? Would you rather live alone for the rest of your life or be continuously surrounded by irritating people?

• Talent Show. Everyone performs their best (or worst, or silliest, or most annoying) talent. Award prizes!
• Pillow Fight. Who doesn't love a pillow fight? (But if someone prefers not to play, they can be the announcer and describe the action for everyone to hear!)
• Silly String Battle. Divide into two teams, go outside, have each team build a "player" out of empty cardboard boxes and set it up in agreed-upon areas. Give each team 5 minutes to come up with a strategy. The team that covers their opponent's "player" with the most silly string wins.
• Twister. This game is always fun: One player spins the board to find out where to place their hands or feet. More players join in and soon, everyone's all knotted together in a giant pile.
• Caterpoozles. This game entails everyone climbing into their sleeping bag head first and blindly wrestling with any other caterpoozle they come across. It's like a mash-up between caterpillars and bulldozers.
• Goofball. This is a game you play with a camera. Each player goes into the other room with a camera, takes a selfie, then comes back in and hands the camera/phone to the next player. After everyone is done, take a look at all the photos and give a prize to the goofiest.
• Personal Chef. Making food together can be a lot of fun and it's a great way to make sure all your guests get exactly what they want to eat. Set out a bunch of different ingredients for personal pizzas or tacos and have each guest build their own meal. You could also make s'mores or decorate your own cupcakes. If you don't have any way to build a fire, you can even roast marshmallows inside over a stove burner. For breakfast, you could have a build-your-own pancake or waffle bar.
• Now or Later. Set out a bowl full of small, different-colored candies like Skittles or M&Ms. A player closes their eyes, selects two from the bowl, pops them in their mouth, then shows the other players which colors they have in their mouth. If the candies are the same color, then that player gets to eat them now. . . but if they're different, the player has to hold them in their mouth until their next turn. As soon as two of the colors in your mouth match, you can eat the whole mouthful! This only works when the player selects blindly and doesn't know which colors they have in their mouth.

Of course, girls might also like the games listed under "Boys Sleepover Ideas," too!

Pranks to Play on Your Guests

• Alarm Clock. Set an alarm to go off in the middle of the night. Hide the alarm in the room so nobody can find it to turn it off!
• Tickle Tickle. Gently tickle a sleeping friend and see how they react. Use a feather or just the very tip of a finger.
• Clothes Swap. After everyone is asleep, empty the contents of their sleepover bags into a big pile, mix it all together, then re-fill each bag with random items. When they try to get dressed, they'll be completely confused.

Pranks You and Your Guests Can Play Together

• Mailbox Shenanigans. If you have a bunch of friendly neighbors with senses of humor and no dangerous health conditions, you could put rubber snakes or plastic lizards in their mailboxes.
• Whipping Cream. Go out at night an draw smiley faces on all your neighbor's cars or lawns with cans of whipping cream.
• TP Tricks. If you have a friendly neighbor with a sense of humor, you can go out and throw toilet paper (TP) all over their car or front lawn. This entails taking a new roll of toilet paper, unrolling it a bit to form a tail that will help the unrolling, and throwing the rest of the roll over a bush, car, or tree.
• More TP Pranks. Take some toilet paper or a paper towel and shove it into the toes of a parent or sibling's shoes. Make sure to pack it in so they can't tell there's something in there—they'll just think their feet have suddenly grown too big for their shoes!

While you're planning your awesome slumber party, make sure to keep the following tips in mind to create a fun experience for everyone.

• Everyone has a different personality, so some of these activities may suit some but repulse others.
• Try to find a good balance of types of activities and include all of your guests.
• If necessary, have a few activities going on simultaneously so everyone is busy and happy. After all, they made a choice to spend their entire night with you.
• Don’t forget to mess with the first person that falls asleep. You know exactly what I mean! Just give everyone fair warning if you play by this rule to avoid upsetting someone. Do not fall asleep first, or else! Remember, even as host, you are not exempt from this rule!

I challenge you to do all of these things, even if it means you get no sleep. It'll be well worth it, and everyone will have a fun night to remember!