Are you a teen girl who wants to have some fun with friends? Try hosting a sleepover. Sleepovers are great for girls. They can relax, hang out, mess around, and have fun. However, no girl has fun at a sleepover when they have a bad hostess. Learning how to host a sleepover correctly can guarantee everybody has a great time. Follow these steps to find out how you can host the ultimate sleepover.
Steps
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Let your friend(s) know ahead of time to make sure everyone can make it. Make sure you have alternatives if some of your friends can't come to the party. Try to invite people who get along with each other, and avoid inviting people who cause drama or pick fights.
- Set a limit on how many people will come. Big sleepovers can be fun if you have lots of friends, but can also become extremely chaotic; small sleepovers can be a great way to spend time with a close friend but may feel a bit lonely if you tend to spend time with more than one or two people.
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Clean your house before the sleepover starts. That way, you don't need to be embarrassed by how untidy your house is. Prepare your room (or whatever room you and your friends will be sleeping in) for the sleepover, and clean the bathrooms too, as your guest(s) will be using them. If you're having trouble cleaning up quickly enough, ask your parent(s) or sibling(s) for help.
- You may want to ask your parents or guardians which rooms are off-limits to guests.
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Get your activities and supplies ready. Make sure you have everything you need for activities. Recommended items include nail polish, makeup, an iPod, a TV with a DVD player, teenage movies, and phone chargers. Be sure to have lots of food and drinks that fit into your meal plans for dinner and breakfast.
- When it comes to food, check beforehand to see if your guests have dietary restrictions of any sort (for example, they have allergies, or can't eat certain foods because of their religion or lifestyle).
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Decorate your house. If your slumber party is themed, consider decorating the space you'll be sleeping in. It's always fun when decorated. Make sure to play the music that you and your friends like - and that your parents or guardians allow if they don't want you listening to certain songs.
- Cover the windows with black butcher paper. Hang twinkling light strands all around the party area. Scatter inflated balloons that are your favorite colors all over the floor. It's also good when it's dark because that means party time!
- If available, color-changing LED lights would also make for a good mood in the room. Use playful colors such as blue, green, and pink. Dancing water speakers also can create this effect and will keep the party exciting.
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Invite your guests in once they arrive. Show them where to hang their coats (if they have one), and stash their belongings. If you have a rule about shoes, now is the time to tell them. Also, inform them about any pets you have. Make them feel welcome, and offer them a drink. Find something they can do until the other guests arrive. Most girls talk with guests that are already there. Wait until everybody expected to come shows up before moving on.
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Choose an activity to do. There are countless things you can do at a sleepover. Here are some things you can do. Be flexible when choosing what to do, and try to choose something everybody wants to do.
- Manicures. Play some of your favorite music, get out the nail polish, and paint each other's nails.
- Make up a special day. If you want to maximize the fun, and you want a theme for your party, just make up a special day, for example, Music Video Day! You can dress up and have a fun time on social media, or even just record it and keep it for yourself.
- Makeovers . Get out all your makeup, and see who wants a makeover. Take pictures of all the different makeup styles you use. In the end, choose the one that looks the best. Or even do blind makeovers. A good game to do that with is Blind Fold Makeovers.
- Play Master Chef. Get some food items and make a mini-mystery box challenge with your friends. Judge them and then enjoy a yummy meal. You can even film it to see all the fun memories.
- Talk about crushes. A sleepover is one of the few times people can talk about the person they like. Remember to keep secrets. Nobody wants one of their secrets out!
- Do a prank competition. After 10 PM, tell everyone to stop eating food that will keep you awake, like caffeinated drinks and sugary food. The first person who sleeps gets pranked by the other guests. However, make sure that everyone is fine with this competition, and don't go too far with the pranks.
- Have some good sleepover snacks. Caffeinated drinks and sugary foods are good for staying up all night. Examples include popcorn, pretzels, cookies, crisps, gummy bears, chocolate, and cupcakes. You can also ask your friends to bring things to the sleepover if you're not sure what to provide.
- Watch movies. You can rent them, pick some from your own collection, or ask guests to bring movies and vote on them. Just make sure that everyone there is comfortable watching whatever movie you pick and no one gets too scared! (If you and your friends are younger teens, you may want to avoid R-rated movies, so that nobody's parents get upset.)
- Plan some fun slumber party games and activities:
- "Pick a Question": Everyone writes down a few questions, such as "Who will be the first to get married?", then everyone answers them on a note pad.
- Play truth or dare .
- Play Charades , Sardines , or Manhunt , which are great group games.
- Play Murder in the Dark or Ghost in the Graveyard .
- Board games and card games are other options. Ask people to bring their favorites.
- Game console games. This includes Wii, PlayStation, and Xbox games. If you don't have enough remotes, take turns. Remember, nobody should feel left out.
- Tell secrets. Make up ghost stories or read them from a book.
- Buy a plain pillowcase and some permanent markers and have you and your friends sign it and doodle on it.
- Have your computer ready! You can use your computer for streaming music, movies, and so forth.
- Dance to music, provided your guests want to. You can create a playlist on your iPod or phone, or use music streaming services and YouTube to give everyone an opportunity to play songs they like. However, be respectful of anyone else in the house - if other people are already sleeping, keep the music off.
- Prank calls. Prank calls are fun - just make sure you don't prank call people after 10 PM. Don't prank call strangers or businesses. Friends are usually okay to prank call. Never prank call someone who can't take a joke. Also, make sure the prank calls are not threatening.
- Read the latest teen magazines. Go buy some or have the ones you already have out and ready to be read by your friends. Don't bring out ones that are more than a year old, because then the news in them will be old.
- Take selfies. If you girls have social networking sites like Facebook or Instagram, you can post and share the pictures afterwards. You can also have fun with Snapchat filters.
- Have a fashion show in all your cutest clothes. If someone isn't very trendy or doesn't have nice clothes, have some on hand.
- Reader Poll: We asked 1511 wikiHow readers what their favorite type of party game is, and 51% said games that make people laugh. [Take Poll]
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Take a break from doing activities and eat dinner. Pizza is a popular dinner for teen sleepovers, but any food will do.
- Make sure you have a proper dinner so no one gets grumpy later.
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Be prepared for bedtime. Often, teens will stay up until around 3 to 4 AM at sleepovers. Make sure all your guests have a place to sleep. Avoid keeping sleepy guests awake. Don't prank them in their sleep, unless they have approved you to do so.
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Make sure everybody gets breakfast. Pancakes are popular, but if you don't know how to make them or your parent isn't there to do it, stick with cereal or other fun and healthy breakfasts.
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Continue with fun activities. Watching movies in the morning isn't recommended, but you still can. Watch movies mainly in the afternoon, evening, and night.
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Prepare the dinner for the guests. Order or prepare with your parents.
Expert Q&A
Tips
- Get yourself in a good mood before people start arriving. Don't let small things upset you and ruin your mood and your night.Thanks
- If you are trying to stay up all night, don't look at the time, as it will seem to make time move slower. Try watching movies or playing games. Catch up on the gossip.Thanks
- Invite friends that like or at least respect each other; never invite friends that hate each other--that would mean chaos.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
- Your room will likely get messy during the sleepover (drinks may spill, snacks may get on the ground, make up will be everywhere, etc), but don't stress during the sleepover. Just let loose and have some fun—you can worry about the clean-up tomorrow!
Warnings
- All secrets told at the sleepover should stay at the sleepover.Thanks
- Activities should include everybody. Girls will be upset if they are left out and fights might happen.Thanks
- Don't be too bossy as the host! Yes, it's your house, but let people have a bit of fun without your permission; sleepovers are supposed to be fun and free.Thanks
- If you do end up talking about crushes, keep in mind that your friend may not be straight, and may like girls instead. Try not to burn down on her feelings.Thanks
- Make sure to tell your parents if you might have a loud person or two that is coming, just so they know what they're in for!Thanks
- If you invite people that don't really talk, make sure that you invite someone else that is comfortable as a friend with that person.Thanks
- Some people you invite might not be allowed to sleep over, so just let them stay at your house for a long time (just check in with yours/their parents about how long they could stay).Thanks
- Make sure to have pads or tampons on hand in case a friend forgets to bring one.Thanks
- If you're playing truth or dare, don't force someone to do something they really don't want to do. Respect their privacy and don't force them to tell secrets if it's something really private.Thanks
- Don't be too loud. It'll annoy parents and neighbors if you're rowdy.Thanks
- Avoid telling ghost stories or watching horror movies right before you go to sleep (unless you all really love being scared). If you want to lessen the fear of the movie, watch a comedy afterwards. Also, respect the fact that some people just don't like horror movies and ghost stories.Thanks
- Don't make too much of a mess. It'll be a hassle when it comes to cleaning up after your friends leave. Make sure to go picking up plates and glasses as you go along so you don't have a lot to clean up afterwards.Thanks
Things You'll Need
- Movies
- Music
- Food and drinks
- Nail polish and remover (for spa sleepovers and if necessary)
- Makeup
- Computers/laptops
- TV
- Extra blankets and pillows
- Your PJ's and a change of clothes, including underwear
- Games and game consoles
- Face masks and other spa items
- Unused toothbrushes (in case one forgets)
- Crafts and anything else you need to create a sleepover worth remembering.
- Magazines for you to read
- Pads or tampons
- Hairbrush
About This Article
Hosting a sleepover is a fun way to spend a weekend, and with some preparation, you’ll be a great host! Before the sleepover, get your activities and supplies ready. You’ll probably want to have a movie ready to go, some food for dinner and breakfast the next day, snacks, and drinks. When your guests arrive, show them where they can put their things and then choose an activity to do. You could give each other manicures, listen to music, talk about crushes, watch a movie, dance, have a fashion show, take selfies, or watch Youtube videos. Don’t forget to take a break to eat dinner. While you may end up staying up late, set up your bedding ahead of time and make sure everyone has a place to sleep. To learn how to help your guests pack up in the morning, read on!