Do you remember how much fun it was to have a sleepover with your friends when you were younger? A night of excitement, giggles, bonding, and just probably doing everything but sleeping. As a parent, planning a sleepover may feel more stressful than fun.
How do you keep a group of young adults and tweens occupied and having fun for a night?
There is a lot of planning that goes into a sleepover and we are here with 101 ideas to help you plan yours!
Before we get started, here are some helpful tips for organizing a sleepover:
- Where to set up – depending on how many friends are coming over, you can set up a sleepover in your kids’ room or somewhere more spacious like the living room.
- Make sure everyone has comfy jammies to hang out in.
- Have extra pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, mattresses, etc.
- Plan activities ahead of the sleepover.
The Ultimate List of Fun Sleepover Ideas and Activities For Teens
Sleepover Games To Play For Teens
1. Truth or Dare
This one has been around for ages and can be played by both girls and boys. Everyone gathers in a circle and a bottle is used, like spin the bottle. Whoever the bottle lands on will need to choose whether they want to tell the truth about something or do a dare. Keep the questions light and funny and the dares silly and safe!
2. Act Out
This activity can be theme-related or random. You need enough shopping bags for each team and items to fill the bags, such as wigs, hats, scarves, and other random objects. Divide the group into teams and allow each team to pick a bag. They then have to use the items in the bag to create a skit or commercial.
3. Name That Song 🎤
With this game, players need to figure out what the song is before the artist starts to sing. You can use themes with this, like 80’s music, broadway shows, or sports-themed songs. Whoever guesses the songs the quickest wins.
4. Balloon Tennis
You will need some balloons, two hairdryers, chairs, and a net for this game. Hairdryers are plugged in at opposite sides of the room. A net is set up with chairs on each side for the players. Players have to use the hairdryers to toss the balloons over the net to the other team. You can’t use your hands and if the balloon hits the floor, the player who missed loses a point.
5. Have a Talent Show
Teens love to show off, so what better way to have fun than to show off their unique skills? To make it more fun, players can showcase their weirdest talents and see who has the most unique skill out of the group.
6. Be Creative
If you have a creative group of kids who like to make stuff, organize a crafts hour. You can make all sorts of things, from picture frames to dreamcatchers and even sock bunny’s. Set up an area with all of the items needed to decorate.
7. Indoor or Outdoor Camping
This is an activity that you can plan for either outside if you have the space, or indoors. Remember how fun it was to make tents in your house as kids? You can set up your living room with a camping atmosphere the same way. If you have the outdoor space, you can roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and tell spooky stories.
8. Scavenger Hunt
This activity can be done indoors and outdoors. Items are hidden around the area and each team is given a list of things to find. Whoever finds their items first is the winner.
9. Video Game Night
For groups who are hardcore gamers, you can set up a video game night where everyone gets to play their favorite games and compete to see who gets the best scores. You can even go one step further and make it a themed night for games like World of Warcraft, and have everyone dress as one of their favorite characters.
10. Movie Night 🎬
With this activity, you can have a theme, make a home theater sign, have a pretend ticket booth. If the group of teens is Star Wars fans, for example, you can have a Star Wars movie marathon and have everyone dress as a favorite character. If the sleepover is around Halloween, you can do a scary zombie night, watch horror flicks, and make some spooky-themed foods. To make popcorn extra special, try serving it up in these adorable popcorn bags!
11. Make-over with a Twist
With this game, you will need to gather some basic make-up items, such as lipsticks, blush, eyeliner, etc. Each girl gets a chance to be blindfolded and then has to give the girl next to them a make-over.
12. Pamper Sleepover Party
Who doesn’t love a spa night and spending girlie time giving make-overs, facials, face marks, pedicures, manicures, and hairstyles? Add some extra fun by supplying the girls with ingredients to make their own facials. Spread out pretty and pink-colored puffy pillows, spa-themed baloons and garland, a sign and have some seriously delish snacks.
13. Have a Dance-Off
Teens love their music and love to dance. You can create a club-themed sleepover, make fun non-alcoholic drinks, and even have a dance-off. The best part, it burns off that extra energy so kids will sleep well.
14. Neon Themed Party
You’ll need all things-neon for this neon glow-in-the-dark sleepover theme .
15. Create a Hair Salon
Another fun idea is to set up a beauty parlor in your home. Get some hair chalk, hair accessories, and let them try out crazy hair colors and hairstyles on each other. Add some curling wands, crimpers, and straighteners and see what creations they come up with.
16. Beauty Parlor
You can create your own beauty products to try on. For example, making your own flavored lip gloss. All you need is some Kool-Aid and coconut oil. You can also make your own eye shadow, blush, or facials to try out.
Food and Snack Ideas
It’s not a sleepover without having lots of snacks to munch on! Here are some fun food ideas.
17. Snack Boards
Whether your group likes cheese and crackers, intricately crafted charcuterie boards, fruit, or party food, setting up a snack board lets the group snack through the night. It’s a good idea to find out if anyone has food allergies or preferences and offer a nice variety of things to eat for everyone to enjoy.
18. Hot Chocolate Station
This is great for those cozy winter sleepovers. Set up an area for making hot chocolate. You should have cups, marshmallows, whipped cream, or anything else that you like to add to your hot chocolate. Don’t forget the cookies!
19. Make Your Own Munchies
Instead of splashing out on expensive takeout food, why not have the group make their own munchies, like mini pizzas, tacos, and other easy food recipes.
20. Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Mocktails…just because it’s non-alcoholic doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and taste great! There are many creative and cool-looking drinks that look like an adult drinks but are made especially for kids. This includes non-alcoholic pina Coladas, daiquiris, and margaritas.
21. Chocolate Paradise
This is a great option for chocolate lovers. You can melt different types of chocolate, such as white chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel-flavored chocolate, etc., and set out fun things to dip in it, like strawberries, pretzels, marshmallows, etc.
22. Popcorn Bar for Movie Night
If part of the sleepover involves movie night, create an awesome popcorn bar for the kids to snack. Set out different flavors of popcorn, and other yummies like gummy bears, M&M’s, chocolate chips, just like you get in movie theaters.
23. Milk & Cookie Shots
Try this great treat for sleepover nights: Milk & Cookie Shots “Shot glasses” are made from baked cookie dough that you can pour milk right into. It’s a great twist on an old before bedtime treat.
24. Banana Before Bed
Did you know that having a mashed banana before bed can help you sleep better? Why not try this out at your next sleepover? This is especially helpful when you have a sleepover for toddlers and younger kids,
25. Pj’s and Pancakes
After a fun night of snacks and games, and a good night’s sleep, you’ll have a group of hungry kids to feed for breakfast. Continue the fun with a PJ and pancake morning. Set out a dish of pancakes and toppings, donuts, muffins, and anything else that makes for a yummy breakfast.
More Fun Activities
26. TikTok Vids 🔥
With silly videos being all the rage on platforms like TikTok, teens can make their own silly videos, dances, or anything else they like and record it to watch later. The sillier the better!
27. Blanket Forts
You are never too old to build an epic blanket fort! Grab those extra sheets, fairy lights, and a lot of pillows and create a cozy fort to hang out in through the night. Let them get creative! You can find a lot of ideas for building blanket forts on Youtube like this one below.
28. Board Games
Board games are still a thing and you can find a variety of games to suit all age groups. From Pictionary to Operation, board games can keep kids entertained for hours.
29. Karaoke Night
What can be more fun than trying to sing your favorite songs? You can do a theme karaoke night or sing group songs from musicals to make it more fun. The best singer can win a prize!
30. Party Favors
A nice way to wrap up a sleepover is to give your guests a party favor or two to take home with them. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive, just something fun to remember the occasion, like mini picture frames, small stuffed animals, or some fun jewelry.
31. Make Your Own Jewellery
Another fun and creative activity are making your own jewelry. Whether it’s friendship bracelets or pretty beaded necklaces, you can make something memorable. Other things that you can make are keychains, bookmarks, phone bobbles for mobile phones.
32. Kiss, Marry, Avoid
This is a game that can be played by girls or boys. You can use celebrities or people that you know for this one. The idea is to take 3 names and rate them: who would you kiss, who would you marry, and who would you avoid?
Sleepover Themes
Part of the fun in planning a sleepover is planning one with a theme. When creating your sleepover invitations, make sure you stick with the theme you are going for. For example:
33. Super Hero Theme
Send invites out on mask-shaped cards. Each person can come dressed as their favorite superhero and they can spend the night watching their favorite superhero movies, like X-Men, the Avengers, and so on.
34. Princess Theme
You can make invites using glitter and have activities like spa hour for manicures, pedicures, and facials. Have a craft activity making your own princess crown, dress up, and watch your favorite princess-themed movies.
35. Star Wars Theme
Star Wars has remained a classic for decades. Buy glow sticks and materials to make your own lightsaber. Have a Star Wars movie marathon and let the kids come as their favorite Star Wars Character. Play Star Wars trivia games where whoever gets the most right answers wins a prize (Star Wars related of course).
Ideas for Teenage Boys
A lot of the ideas mentioned so far can be used for either a girls or boys’ sleepover. Here are some ideas that boys will find more fun:
36. Nerf Wars
This is more of an outdoor activity. Supply the boys with Nerf guns and split them into two teams. You can set up two sides, each with a flag, and the goal is to steal the other team’s flag. If you get hit 3 times with a Nerf pellet, you are out.
37. Target Practice
You can use Nerf guns for this or toy arrows. Set up a bottle pyramid using cups. Each cup can have a number of points on them. See who can knock down the most cups and get the most points. You can also hang cups from the ceiling and see who can hit them from a distance.
38. Glow Bowling
For this activity, you will need plastic bottles, some glow sticks, and a small ball. Put the glow sticks in the bottles, set them up like pins in bowling, and then turn out the lights. See who can knock down all of the “pins” in the dark.
39. Sports Night
For your group of sports fans, use their favorite sport as a theme. They can play sports video games all night, watch sports-themed movies, or have an arts & crafts hour of making things like a football shirt or sports trophy.
40. Gamers Night
This is a perfect idea for your hard-core gamer boys. You can choose their favorite video game to base the theme on, for example, World of Warcraft. There are food recipes found in the game that you can have them make at the sleepover. The ideas are endless with so many video games out there.
More Craft Ideas
41. Bath Bombs
Creating your own fizzy bath bombs is a fun and fairly easy craft idea to use for a sleepover. You can use ingredients that you would normally have in the home, like baking soda.
42. Make Personalized Pillow Cases
For this activity, you will need some plain white pillowcases and things to decorate them with, like paint, ribbons, buttons, and so on. Have a look at this Tie-Dye pillow video.
43. Glowing Lanterns
Another fun craft idea is making glow-in-the-dark lanterns. All you need are glow sticks or glow-in-the-dark paint, and some jars or paper tubes that you can cut designs into. The lanterns can be used as night lights later on.
44. Hat & T-shirt Decorating
You can buy plain white caps or T-shirts for this one. Gather together some supplies, like fabric paint, glitter, buttons, and anything else that you can think of. Don’t forget the glue gun! Let the kids create a personalized shirt or cap that they can take home with them. You can even have a contest for the best, most interesting, or colorful design.
45. Sleepover Scrapbook
Each person can create their own scrapbook and then decorate it with pictures that you take during the sleepover. It helps if you have a printer and a way to print images from your digital camera or mobile phone. Don’t forget to have some decorations that can be used in the books as well!
More Games
46. Murder In The Dark
For this game, one person is the murderer and the rest are the victims. On pieces of paper, write murderer on one and victim on the others. Each person takes a piece of paper but doesn’t reveal which role they have. When the lights go out, the murderer has to touch one of the victims. The lights come back on and everyone tries to determine who the murderer is. This keeps going until there are no victims left or the murderer is discovered.
47. Who Am I?
You will need some post-it notes for this game. Write down the names of famous people. Each person takes a turn placing a post-it note on their forehead, without seeing who the famous person is. Everyone else has to give clues until the person guesses who they are.
48. Memory
For this game, you will need a box and some random items. The items are placed in the box and each person gets 30 seconds to memorize what is in the box. They then have to write down what they remember. The winner is the person who gets them all right
49. Taste Test
You will need some different food items and blindfolds for this game. Each person has to taste what they are given and guess what the food is. You can use anything from fruit to condiments for this game. The wackier the better.
50. Body Pop
The object of this game is to pop balloons using any body part aside from their feet or hands. You can split everyone into teams and they each get 3 balloons to pop. Whichever team pops all of their balloons wins the game.
51. Olympics
You can have a mini Olympics night with activities that range from silly to competitive. Pillow fights, balancing things on your nose, standing on one leg the longest, the activities can be as serious or fun as you like and you can award prizes for the winners.
52. Ask the Ball
You will need an inflatable ball for this game. Write a bunch of questions all over the ball. One person tosses the ball the another. The question that is closest to their right thumb is the question that they need to answer.
53. The Hunger Games
For this game, players are required to eat gross food combinations, for example, a piece of chocolate with a pickle. Everyone’s name is placed in a bowl or box and whoever is picked must eat the gross combo. Just make sure no one is allergic to the foods that you choose.
Check out this site for some ideas: Gross Food Combos.
54. Blind Make-up Challenge
The trick here is to try to apply makeup without using a mirror. Your buddies can give you clues and help guide you with where to put what…or have some fun and have you put things where they shouldn’t go.
Sleepover Activities for Younger Kids
Sleepovers aren’t just for teens. We have some fun things that you can do for toddlers and older kids too.
55. Blowing Bubbles
Toddlers love to blow and pop bubbles. You can turn this into a contest by seeing who can burst the most bubbles before they hit the floor, or who can blow the biggest bubble. Use fun bubble wands as well, like those made for giant bubble making or shapes. You can make it more fun by adding some glow-in-the-dark paint to the bubble mixture to create glowing bubbles in the dark.
56. Coloring
For this activity, you can provide coloring books or pictures of some popular characters for toddlers to color in. It also gives them something to bring home with them. There are a lot of free sites online that let you download pictures for kids to color.
57. Make a Mural
This is an activity that lets all of the kids work together. You can set up a large area using paper or a sheet, and let the kids color or paint what they like. It gets them to work together and you can have them stick to a theme, like magical creatures or puppies and kittens.
58. Finger Painting
Young kids love to get messy. Why not be messy and creative? Finger painting has been something kids have done for decades, Make sure you use paints that are non-toxic.
59. Have a Pool Party
You need to have some fun activities before nap/sleep time. Setting up some small kiddie pools with a variety of toys, like rubber duckies, beach balls, and so on, gives toddlers some fun time. This is a good option if you are having a sleepover in the summer.
60. Crazy Dancing
Just like teens, toddlers love to dance too. Let them do their craziest dance moves, or make a game of it by stopping the music. Whoever is still moving once the music stops is out.
61. Create a Band
You can gather a variety of instruments, like shakers, drums, and horns, and let the kids make some noise. Or, try to get them to play along to fun tunes.
62. Fishing
This is a fun activity that rewards everyone who plays. You will need a big box, small gifts, and a rod that has a hook and rope at the end. Make sure the gifts are gift wrapped and let each child take a turn to fish a gift out of the box.
63. Bouncy Houses
These days you can hire a bouncy house or small ball pit for kids to play in. Make it more fun by decorating it with flashy lights and fun music.
64. Make an Activity Station
Having a variety of areas for different activities is a great way to keep kids occupied.
You can have a lego station, play dock station, block-building station, or anything else fun that lets them create something. You can even give a prize to whoever finishes all station activities first.
65. Crafting with Pom Poms
This is a fun one for little fingers. Using pom poms, get the kids to make their own pet. Supply things like pipe cleaners, scraps of cloth or paper, and googly eyes to help them decorate.
66. Arts & Crafts
Provide something for kids to decorate, like a picture frame, cup, or plate, and let them get creative.
It not only makes for a fun activity, but they also have something they can take home with them.
67. Outdoor Adventure
You can have a fun outdoor adventure in the safety of your backyard. Make it a scavenger hunt by hiding small objects or asking them to find common things in nature and then let your little Dora and Diego explorers loose.
68. Toilet Paper Rolls
Hang on to those cardboard toilet and kitchen paper roll tubes!
You can use these to make fun craft animals, spaceships, or anything else a toddler can think of.
69. Play Pig Out
For this game, you will need some vaseline and a bowl full of cotton balls, Put a dab of vaseline on the tips of the kid’s noses. The object of the game is to get as many cotton balls out of the bowl as you can using only your nose.
70. Pass the Ball
You can use a ball, orange, or balloon for this game. The object is to pass the ball around the circle of kids without using your hands.
71. Burglar
For this game, you will need a timer or alarm. Set the alarm for 2 to 5 minutes and then hide it somewhere in the room. The kids are burglars who need to find the alarm before it goes off. Whoever finds the alarm gets a prize.
72. Glow in the Dark Pool
You will need some glow-in-the-dark solution, which can be found in craft stores, a black light, and a kiddie pool for this one. Add the glow solution to the water in the pool, or use waterproof floating Glow Sticks, turn on your black light, and let the kids play in the magical glowing pool.
73. Chinese Whispers
For this game, everyone sits in a circle and someone will whisper something into someone’s ear. The object of the game is to see how far the whisper gets before changing. Using tongue twisters as whispers can make this more fun.
74. Crepe Paper Maze
Set up a maze using crepe paper. The object is to see who can make it through the maze without touching the crepe paper. You can use string as an alternative.
75. Fashion Show
You know how much kids love to dress up in adult clothing. Why not make a fashion show out of it? You and the parents of the children attending can supply some clothing and you can add party wigs and other accessories to the mix.
76. Jenga with a Twist
Write an action on each of the Jenga blocks. As each person pulls out a block, they must do what is written on the block.
77. Activity Balloons
Write down different activities that can be done for an hour on pieces of paper. Blow up balloons and place the paper inside. Let someone pop a balloon and see what activity they get to do for the next hour. You can give prizes to whoever finishes the activity first.
Holiday Themed Sleepovers
Having a sleepover around festive times of the year can be a lot of fun, and can give you even more ideas for activities.
Festive Christmas Sleepover Activities
78. Make Your Own Stocking
What can be more fun than making your own festive Christmas stocking? You can buy craft stockings for decorating in a craft store, along with a variety of bits and bobs, including glitter, to write your name and decorate it.
79. Secret Santa
Having a sleepover close to Christmas? Why not have a secret Santa? Each child’s or teen’s name is put in a bowl. Everyone chooses a name as the person that they will be giving a gift to, but you aren’t allowed to reveal who that person is. You can buy or make a small gift for them and everyone exchanges gifts at the sleepover.
80. Gingerbread House
Making a gingerbread house around the holidays is another activity that has been done for decades. These days, you can buy the gingerbread house kits or make them yourselves. Have plenty of gumdrops, candy canes, candy buttons, and icing to decorate and help the other decorations stick. It’s a fun group activity that you can munch on later.
81. Wreathes
Another craft idea for a sleepover is making some festive wreaths. This can be done for any season as well! Use autumn leaves, spring flowers, seashells, bunnies, pine cones, or whatever represents the time of year/holiday for you.
Spooky Sleepover Ideas
Halloween is another fun time of year for having a sleepover. Here are some great ideas for your Halloween-themed slumber night.
82. Pumpkin Carving Contest
Let your kids show you how creative they can be carving their own pumpkins. You can get safety carving kits, use paint instead of cutting them up, glitter and glue, whatever you feel like using to create your Halloween masterpiece. Prizes can be given to the most creative or scary pumpkin.
83. Costume Sleepover
Why not turn your sleepover into a fun costume night? With so many wonderful onesie pajama creations, you can still keep that sleepover party mood too. DO you want to be a tired zombie or a sleepy witch? Go for it!
84. Horror Night
Watching movies is often an activity at sleepovers. With Halloween, you can have a horror movie marathon and scare yourselves silly. Ask everyone to bring over their favorite scary movie to share with the rest, sit back, and enjoy.
85. Ghoulish Snacks
Snacks are a big part of any sleepover.
You can get creative for a Halloween sleepover by making some ghoulish finger foods. Peeled grapes for eyeballs, party sausages that look like fingers, and snack trays that are laid out to look like a monster. Don’t forget to make some “Bloody Mary” drinks to go with it.
More Games and Activities
86. Movie Bingo
For this game, you will need to create bingo-style cards for everyone. Instead of numbers and letters, the cards will have things like “running”, “laughing”, “car ride”, etc. Basically, things that happen throughout a movie. Each person marks their card when certain things happen in the movie. The first person to fill their card wins.
87. Create a Story
Do you remember Mad Libs as a kid? The object is to create a silly or bizarre story. You start off with a sentence on a piece of paper. The first person adds to the sentence, then folds the paper so that only their sentence shows. The next person adds to that, folds the paper so only their sentence shows. This way, no one knows what the rest of the story says until the end.
88. Spin the Nail Polish Bottle
Instead of using a regular bottle, you use nail polish colors. When the tip of the bottle lands on a person, they have to paint a nail with that color. The person with the least amount of nails painted is the winner. You can use a different color polish for every couple of spins.
89. Raw Cookie Dough, the Safe Way
What is it about eating raw cookie dough that is so delicious? You do need to be careful though, because eating the raw ingredients in cookie dough, like eggs, is not safe. There are edible and safe ways to make raw cookie dough though!
90. Glow In The Dark Dinner
Whatever it is that you are doing at your sleepover, try doing it all by the light of glow sticks! This can be really nice and cozy if you are making tents and forts in the living room to gather around in. You can line food trays with glow sticks, wear glow bracelets and necklaces, or make some glow stick lanterns.
91. Temporary Tattoos
You can buy temporary tattoos and tattoo pens that wash off and create your own tattoo designs on each other. See who creates the best tattoo design. Make sure you have the parent’s permission first though! You can find temporary tattoos and tattoo pens online complete with a stencil kit and an an inspiration book.
92. Watch the Skies
If your sleepover is taking place at the same time as an astronomical event, like a meteor shower, why not set up a telescope outside and watch the night sky? You can set up a comfy seating area to lounge around and see how many falling stars you spot.
93. Escape Room
This task can take some planning, but it is well worth the fun. A room is set up with clues and puzzles that need to be solved in order for the kids to be able to leave the room. Solving one puzzle gives you a clue to the next puzzle and so on. Click here for some Escape Room ideas to do at home.
94. Make Music Videos
Choose your favorite song and try to create your own music video, or recreate one that you love. Once you’ve finished, you can upload it and share it with friends. It also gives you a great way to remember a fun night.
95. Obstacle Course
You can set up a mini obstacles course, either indoors or outside. Make small balance beams, use sheets that have to be crawled under, and set up actions like having to grab a ball and get it into a basket before moving on to the next obstacle.
96. Cup Cake Bar
Who doesn’t love cupcakes? Here’s a fun activity that kids of all ages will enjoy. You can buy or bake plain cupcakes and then gather together a bunch of toppings to try on your cupcakes. See who can make the fanciest cupcake using decorative cupcake balls, flowers, and icing.
97. Hide and Seek with a Twist
The game is called Sardines, where everyone is looking for one person. Once someone finds that person, they must hide in the same spot with them. This goes on until everyone is packed in like sardines and just one person is left.
98. Speed Games
If you like games and want to keep the energy going at a sleepover, try playing things like a times Twister game, or Scattegories, Pictionary, and Charades. These games are less drawn out than playing things like Monopoly, where some kids can lose interest.
99. Portrait Painting
Have each person try to paint a portrait of one of their friends. You can choose one person to be the model to be painted, or have teams where one person paints the other. See who does the best painting and award them a small prize.
100. Would You Rather
This one is a bit like Truth or Dare. You ask questions such as, “Would you rather cook for someone else or have them cook for you?” The questions can be as funny or bizarre as you want them to be.
101. Never Have I Ever
Another fun game, one person will say “Never have I ever,” and add something that they haven’t done. You keep track of who has done what with pieces of candy or holding up your fingers and putting them down for each thing you have done.