Seeking Slumber Party Suggestions from the Wise

Unless you want to be up all night taking the little girls back home, I'd say wait until they are 8 or even 9 before you host a sleepover. At 6 there will be a LOT of "I want to go home". Besides, at 9 they are better at entertaining themselves like painting toenails, making friendship bracelets, and watching American Girl videos.

make your own english muffin pizzas (so everyone is happy with dinner), snacks, snacks, fun movies, one activity, and a suspension of the "normal" living room rules. Have fun, that will be a lot of energy in your house. Maybe a quick talk about the other house rules too so the girls are on the same page as you.

good luck, nat

Simple craft project and everyone gets a little something to remember the party. You can buy a bead kit and they can make bracelets in their favorite colors or with their names spelled out in beads. Cheap! Also, games like Duck, Duck, Goose, donuts hung on a string from a broomstick and race to see who can eat her donut first without her hands, team sports like dropping a clothespin into a bottle(am I showing my age?), make-up and hairstyling contest (kiddie make-up, of course, and lots of ribbons, bands, and clippies), and a movie with snacks to settle everyone down for bed. Maybe even a story being read by you since they are still so young. Your daughter could pick her favorite one to share, or ask each child to bring her own favorite one, too. Have fun!

I have had several parties for my 9 year old daughter over the past few years, and there are a few parties we keep going back to and keep sharing with my daughter's friends as well.

1. Swim Club that has a full kitchen and playground, volley ball court and grassy picnic area and a pool staffed with full lifeguard at each end of the water and in the chair.
- We have ordered pizzas and just eaten them on the picnic tables.
- We have bbq'd everything from hamburgers to Tri Tip on the grills
- We then have them shower in their bathing suits to get all the chlorine out of the hair and body. They change when they get back to our house.

2. "Libby Lu" Style Parties (used to be in Downtown Disney and has been replaced minus the pink overkill and Jonas Brothers ah-blasting):
-Out here in Sourthern California, Downtown Disney had a place called "Libby Lu". It was $34.95 PER CHILD and the wait list was 6 months out even on school days. At Libby Lu, the girls got their hair and nails done and a little bit of glitter and fun dress up makeup things. Then they had containers full of really cute, but really inexpensive goodies, and they could take 5 goodies from the goodie bag.
-OK...now back to the REAL LIFE of throwing parties in the middle of a school year. I started doing the same couple of things at each of my daughter's parties, and then switch around other things to do, depending on what my daughter wants.

WHAT STAYS: Always the manicure/pedicure station!
- We paid our neighbor down the street (5th grade at the time) and between her and I, we were able to paint everyone's toes and fingers, all FULL of flowers and jems and they even got to soak their feet in a foot water massager!

OPTIONAL:
-Little Goodie Bag Option: The 99 Cent Store or Dollar Tree have TONS of little personal eyeshadows and lip gloss and fingernail polish and hair bands and clips. All you need to do is pick up enough for each girl to choose 3-5 items and then place each "grab bag goodie" in it's own bin. Then you put the bins out and have a parent or other older child watch out that people are taking what they should be taking :0).

-Canvas bags-BLANK TOTE BAGS @ Michael's with fabric paint helps them create a fun new handbag for the beach or any other outing!

-T-Shirts-There are so many appliques and fabric paint that you could make AMAZING fun shirts for less than $10.00 each! We have done this and it is so much fun to pick up your kids from school and see those t-shirts on the girls playing on the playground! Super fun.

3. Dance Party Celebration- (ex:Wii "Just Dance"). We have funny contests to see who can max out their "moves". This one is AWESOME and not only is it a BLAST to try and dance to some of the songs on the game, it is even BETTER...WAAYYYY BETTERRRR to watch parents and kids go at the game together.. This is a great way to "poop out" the kids before bed :0).
-OPTIONS ON THIS PARTY:
-If this is a boy's party, set up a XBOX 360 or PS3 game challenge. We created little point booklets and helped the boys record each game and we had some awesome prizes at the end for them to enjoy! Lots and lots of fun to have a Wii game challenge as well. It is hilarious to see people flailing around and jumping up and down playing "Mario Super Slugger".

Here are some ideas off the top of my head that we have tried. I have others, so if you don't think any of these ideas will work, then feel free to email me at: ____@____.com then...hope these ideas are helpful! PARTY ON!!!

Kristen - Owner
Wishing Flower Creations
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First thing to remember is that slumber party does not mean "stay up all night" party. lol. Let them play and do whatever it is your have planned. Then about 8pm get them into pj's and settled in front of a movie. preferably not one that has scary stuff. about 10pm lights out. you will still have giggling but it should go great. next morning breakfast and out the door. my kids liked helping to make breakfast. so maybe plan something they can help stir, cut and dish up.

Keep the food simple and make it ahead of time, so you'll be able to spend more time with the girls. Yes, kids like the junk food. However, I was surprised when I put out some fruit and veggies and they all disappeared.

Ask a friend to help you out for an hour or two.

Although they'll entertain themselves quite a bit, you'll want to have a few planned games and activities. A craft project is good, then they have something to take home with them.

When it's time to settle down, a movie is great. Don't say what movie do you want to watch? Have your daughter pick out one or two in advance.

Ask each girl to bring their favorite stuffed animal to sleep with. There may be girls who want to bring their "friends" with them, but will be afraid they'll be laughed at. My daughters friends (ages 13 and 14) still bring their special stuffed animals over.

Have fun.

My Granddaugter was six when she had her first slumber party. We had a Valentines Day Slumber Party! It was great! Crafts seem to be the hit of the evening. We bought colorful foam shapes (squares, I believe) and cut them into hearts and lots of foam stick-on letters, shapes and anything else available. They had a ball creating their own little take home party gifts. Of course lots of colorful food. Fruit and Veggi Trays, Pigs in a Blanket (little smokies rolled in pilsbury cressants). Rice Crispy Treats, brought by one of the moms. Of course her choice for the cake. It was great fun, they played music and danced and when it came time for them to go to bed, problems began, everyone wanted to sleep next to the same people. SO I ask them to place their sleeping bags in a circle in the middle of the living-room floor and that way they could all be close to each other, HEADS TOGETHER. They loved the idea and all fell asleep about midnight. Next morning, sugar them up for the returning parents, "just kidding". I fixed pancakes, bacon, sausage and eggs and fruit and sent the little critters home. It was a fun and memorable experience for all. Take lots of pictures and have fun! OH, one more thing; send dad to a hotel unless he has an easy time with LOTS OF NOISE.

J.,
My daughter had her first slumber party when she was turning 7 and it was a lot of fun. I had a craft for them to make (girls love that kind of stuff), we made it easy with pizza, veggies and dip, and popcorn for a movie. We did have cake so that we could sing happy birthday to her. We got a couple of girlie Barbie movies or something like that back then. I made 12:00 the lights out time. The last one up was a neighbor girl who was a year younger and was just worried about not being at home. All in all it was a good time and the girls had a great time.

Funny I should read this now - I have girls right now slumbering at my house from a slumber party! I'll need a nap later, that's for sure. Just don't give them too much sugar. Settle them down with a movie and popcorn. For that age, probably have them tucked in at 9:30, and let them talk and giggle for a half hour in dim light, then lights out and only whispering. That's a little young for a slumber party, but since they are from the neighborhood, it should work out. Have they all been to a sleepover before? If so, it should work out.

Hi J. to make the slumber party UNforgettable have the girls get pampered. Little pedi's, mani's, robes and slippers. The girls can relax comfortable and take really cute pictures. Have the girls leave with their own favor bag. Check out my website: spatacularpartykits.com.. also on ebay under spatacularpartykits. EVERY PRINCESS DESERVES TO BE PAMPERED!!