Slumber Parties have been a beloved childhood tradition for generations. The first time a child sleeps in a home other than their own is a significant milestone in their lives. The appeal of spending the night playing and partying with friends is a pastime that never grows old. Yet, despite the classic fun of sleepovers, it can be an extra special treat to add a little twist to the experience.

One of the best ways to take sleepovers from a night of fun to a party your kids and their friends will remember for years to come is to add some thematic flair to the traditional slumber party scene. Below is a list of some super cool ideas you can try at your child’s next sleepover to give you a little inspiration.

1. A Spooktacular Sleepover

Depending on the age of the children that will be attending, you can easily make this spookier or sillier as needed. It doesn’t have to be Halloween either. Scary movies are always in season, and ghosts and goblins like to hang out in haunted houses all year long. Add to the mood with some Halloween music or creepy sound effects.

Decorations

• Last year’s Halloween decorations pulled out the attic
• DIY Wall of Bats – A wall of black paper bats is a quick and inexpensive way to give any room in the house a nice, just spooky enough touch.
• DIY Cheesecloth Ghosts – Pick up some cheesecloth, and liquid starch at the store add an old water bottle and a Styrofoam ball, and you’ve got some frightfully fun ghosts. Hang them up and voila an instant haunted house.

Snacks

• Mummy Hot Dogs – It couldn’t be easier to make some yummy Mummy Dogs. All you need is a can of crescent rolls and some hotdogs. Wrap the crescent rolls around the hot dog like you’re wrapping a mummy and then bake according to the package directions, and you have an easy kid-friendly snack for all your guests.
• Witch brooms – Take some pull and peel cheese sticks and peel them part of the way up. Then insert a pretzel stick in the top for a broom handle.

Activities

• Spooky Movie Marathon – Gather some age appropriate scary movies and let the kids choose what they’d like to watch, just make sure you run your choices by everyone’s parents to make sure they’re comfortable with their child watching a particular movie or show.
• Glow in the Dark Slime – It’s super easy to make glow in the dark slime, and all it takes is three ingredients liquid starch, glue, and glow in the dark paint. Making slime is a great project for tweens, but it can be fun for almost any age, and as a bonus, the guests will have something to bring home with them at the end of the sleepover.

2. Christmas in July Sleepover

Beat the heat and bust summer break boredom with a Christmas in July themed sleepover. Put the air conditioner on high and ask everyone to bring a favorite holiday movie and wear Christmas pajamas.

Don’t forget Christmas music and some frozen hot chocolate. Who would like a Christmas cookie ice cream sandwich? Hang some paper sugarplums where the children will be sleeping, so they’re sure to have sweet dreams.

Decorations

• Christmas decorations and lights
• Artificial Christmas Tree if you have one (you can even let your guests trim it)
• DIY Christmas Decorations- The internet is chock-full of great do-it-yourself Christmas decorations, but don’t be afraid to stick to the classics like red and green paper chains or simple paper snowflakes.

Snacks

• Christmas Tree Fruit Platter – For a refreshing, healthy snack with a Christmas twist, slice up some kiwi in rounds to make a Christmas tree and decorate with berry and pineapple ornaments.
• Christmas Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches – Older children can make sugar cookie dough from scratch, but for younger ones, feel free to use a store brought variety. They can make the cookies and decorate them with holiday sprinkles and colored sugars. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, add a scoop of ice cream to make a cookie sandwich.
• Frozen Hot Chocolate – Looking for the taste of hot cocoa without the heat? Try some frozen hot cocoa instead. All it takes is some hot cocoa mix, ice, and milk, put it all in the blender, and then pour it into cups for your guests; it’s that simple.

Activities

• DIY Pony Bead and Pipe Cleaner Tree Ornaments -For these ornaments, each kid needs four pipe cleaners that are attached crisscross and pony beads to string onto the pipe cleaners. Younger children may need some help to string the beads, but older children and tweens will be able to do it themselves.
• Christmas Karaoke – Rent a small Karaoke machine (most party rental places will rent them out) and let the kids have a Christmas music Karaoke party.

3. Indoor Campout Sleepover

Imagine all the magic of sleeping out under the stars without the mosquito bites and weather-related worries. Grab your tents, sleeping bags and tape some white Christmas lights to the ceiling for instant starlight! Add a fake campfire and some indoor s’mores and the kiddos are ready for a fun night of camping in.

Decorations

• Plastic plants and greenery will help give the room the feeling of being in a forest. If you don’t have any make some trees out of paper or cardboard boxes and paint
• If you have the room pitch a tent
• Tape some white Christmas lights to the ceiling for starlight
• Make a fake campfire by gathering some brown paper rolls for logs add some ripped red, yellow, and orange construction paper for flames and add some more Christmas lights or battery operated candles if you want to make it glow.

Snacks

• Make your own trail mix – Let the children create their own trail mix of nuts, pretzels, cereal, popcorn, and dried fruit. Just make sure you check with parents for food allergies before the day of the sleepover
• Indoor Skillet S’mores – They can have all the gooey chocolate and marshmallow goodness of s’ mores without having to leave the comfort of home. All you need is some chocolate chips, marshmallows, graham crackers, and a skillet.

Activities

• Galaxy Jars – To make Galaxy jars, you’ll need some clear plastic or glass containers, some Elmer’s glitter glue, and either glow sticks or pretend votive candles. Paint the inside of the jar with glitter glue, dry it, and add either glow sticks or a pretend candle to make the jars glow. Coolest nightlight ever!
• Pitch a tent – If you don’t have a tent, create one with sheets/blankets and furniture, it’s a childhood classic that never gets old. When it’s time for bed, the kids can sleep inside it.

4. A Night at the Beach Sleepover

This sleepover is especially fun in the middle of winter when everyone is tired of the cold and snow. Turn up the heat and light up the room brightly to give the feel of a sunny day. Have everyone wear their bathing suits (or change into them when they get to the house) and bring a beach towel. Play some tropical music in the background and watch movies with a beach theme. Gather some beach umbrellas and let the children sleep under them.

Decorations

• Paper palm trees on the wall with some blue paper on the bottom for waves on the beach give the house a tropical feel.
• Tiki Lights or other beach theme lights can also add a nice touch when hung up in the house
• Boogie boards against the wall can add a surfer girl/boy feel to the party
• Luau Decorations picked up at a local party store for some warm weather fun

Snacks

• Tropical Punch – Combine lemon-lime soda, Hawaiian Punch, and pineapple juice to make this kid-friendly punch, paper umbrellas are optional, but highly recommended.
• Berry Blue Jello Cups – Blue jello, strawberries, and gummy fish combine to make an attractive under the sea snack
• Flip Flop Finger Sandwiches -Bite size sandwiches cut in the shape of flip-flops are a cute and easy snack for a night at the beach.

Activities

• Balloon Beach Volleyball – You don’t need any fancy equipment, just blow up a balloon and tie a piece of clothesline or string on either end to make a net and let the children volley the balloon to each other.
• Sand Art – This classic kid party activity calls for some empty containers, some colored sand, and some spoons and funnels to put the sand into the containers.

5. Harry Potter Slumber Party

For fans of the wizarding world, a Harry Potter slumber party is an excellent choice for a fun-filled night. Turn your home into a school for witchcraft and wizardry for aspiring witches and wizards and watch the spells start flying. Amaze your guests with floating candles and homemade golden snitches, make or buy some house banners and decorate with house colors and don’t forget some magical snacks for the great feast!

Decorations

• Magic Floating Candles – Floating Candles are easy to make with a little planning, all you need is some paint and hot glue, some paper rolls, pretend tealights, and fishing line to make this showstopping but deceivingly simple decoration.
• House Banners either bought or made – If you don’t want to spend the money to buy banners, you can make them with felt and paper.
• DIY Dementors – Black balloons and lightweight black fabric or garbage bags add a delightfully scary effect.

Snacks

• Butterbeer – Make this drink with vanilla ice cream, cream soda, and butterscotch syrup, just put all the ingredients in a blender and combine.
• Basilisk Sandwich -Its just a submarine sandwich with olive and cucumber eyes and a red pepper tongue, but we won’t tell if you won’t.
• Golden Snitches – Simply glue some paper wings on any round candy with a gold wrapper like Ferrero Rocher or Lindt’s White Chocolate truffles to make your very own golden snitches.

Activities

• Create a wand – Put out some wooden dowels, paint, glitter, glue, and ribbons. Their imaginations will do the rest.
• Dragon Egg Hunt – Who doesn’t enjoy a good old-fashioned egg -hunt? Reuse those old plastic Easter Eggs you have around the house, fill them with candy or Harry Potter themed stickers, and hide them for your guests to find.

6. Star Wars Sleepover

Sith Lord and Jedi alike will have a blast at this Star War-themed slumber party. Bring them to “a galaxy far, far away” with Storm Trooper balloons, Droid Pizza, and even a Deathstar pinata. You will be Jedi Master of the sleepover scene.

Decorations

• Storm Trooper Balloons – Just blow up some plain white balloons and draw Stormtrooper helmets with a black permanent marker.
• Death Star Pinata – If you have a little time, you can make a Deathstar pinata using a large balloon and some paper mache. Once the paper dries, you can paint it gray and pop the balloon inside.

Snacks

• Lightsaber Fruit Kabobs – Slide pieces of fruit onto bamboo skewers and wrap the bottom of the skewers in duct tape for the handle, add lightsaber details to the duct tape with markers.
• BB-8 Droid Pizza – Add extra dough to the top of a traditional pizza to transform it magically turns into a droid.
• Storm Trooper Marshmallows – Pick up some jumbo marshmallows and a black food marker then just add a lollipop stick to make StormTrooper Marshmallow pops.

Activities

• Death Star Bean Bag Toss – Cut a piece of cardboard into a circle and paint it to look like the Death Star. Cut a hole in the cardboard big enough to toss a bean bag into and let the guests take turns trying to get the bean bags into the hole.
• Lightsaber Training – Cut pool noodles in half and wrap the bottom with duct tape for a handle. Next, have the guests try to keep a balloon in the air with their lightsabers.

7. “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” Pokemon Sleepover

Aspiring Pokemon Trainers will be delighted by this Pokemon-themed sleepover (not that anyone will want to sleep). Scatter Pokeball and Pokemon decor throughout the house. You can easily make your own Pokeball with white construction paper circles and red and black paint.

You’ll find a ton of Pokemon graphics online that you can print out and use as well. Get creative with Pikachu pops and Pokeball pizza. The guests can even make their own Pokeballs out of clear plastic ornaments.

Decorations

• Pokemon theme party decorations from your local party/dollar store
• DIY Pokeball Garland – Cut out some white construction paper circles and draw or paint a line through the center in black, add a black circle in the center and paint or color the top half red. Punch a hole in the top of the circles and string them onto a long piece of yarn for an easy Pokeball garland.
• Colored images of Pokemon printed off your computer

Snacks

• Pokeball Pizza – Spread Pizza sauce on a pre-made pizza crust cover one half with pepperoni and the other half with shredded mozzarella cheese. Then make a line and circle of black olives in the middle, bake and enjoy.
• Pikachu Peeps – Pick up a package of yellow rabbit marshmallow peeps. Using a red and black food marker make red circles on the rabbits’ cheeks. Then, color the end of the rabbits’ ears black to transform the rabbits into Pikachus.
• Pokemon Iced Sugar Cookies – Either buy sugar cookie dough or make it from scratch. The rest is all done with the magic of icing and decorating gel.

Activities

• Pokemon Scavenger Hunt – Hide pictures of Pokemon around the party area. Print out enough checklists for each of the guests and hand them out. The first one to find all the Pokemon on the list wins.
• Make a Pokeball – You can order clear plastic ornaments online or even pick up some plastic Easter eggs. Let the children paint the eggs or ornaments red, white, and put black electrical or duct tape around the center.

8. Sleeping Beauty’s Slumber Party

For the princess in your life, turn your home into an enchanted castle. Ribbons, glitter, and flowers are crucial elements to this princess perfect pajama party. Petite sweets, pretty projects that your guests can take home, will guarantee sweet dreams and fun-filled memories for a long time to come.

Decorations

• Glitter Dipped Balloons – Everything is better with glitter (or pixie dust if you prefer), and these balloons are no exception. Blow up some brightly colored balloons and dip the bottom of the balloon in Mod Podge and glitter. When they are dry, tie on ribbons and string them up on the ceiling where they can catch the light a make everything dazzle.
• Flower Garlands – You can find silk flower garlands at your local craft store and some dollar stores. Drape garlands over furniture or attach along the wall.
• Streamer Chandeliers – Pick up some large embroidery hoops from your local craft store and some pretty colored crepe paper. Cut the crepe paper into streamers and attach them between the two pieces of the embroidery hoop. Hang the chandeliers above where the sleeping beauties will be getting their beauty rest for a truly royal touch.

Snacks

• Fairy Bites – Tiny sugar cookie bites are the perfect size to just pop in your mouth. Rainbow nonpareils add a pretty playful touch to this simple almond-flavored cookie. If you don’t like the almond flavor, any flavor extract can be substituted.
• Heart Shaped Tea Sandwiches – Simply cut your bread of choice with a heart-shaped cookie cutter and add whatever fillings you wish. It doesn’t get any simpler.
• Princess Party Punch – Combine pineapple juice, frozen pink lemonade, water, pink sherbet, and ginger ale to make a punch fit for royalty.

Activities

• Decorate a tiara – You can get crown decorating kits, or you can download a template online for free and raid your arts and crafts stash for glitter, sequins, stickers, etc. for your guests to decorate their very own crown.
• Pretty Princess Relay – Gather a collection of princess items in boxes such as tutus, magic wands, tiaras, and toy jewelry before the party. First, divide the children into teams and have the princesses standing at one side of the room and the dress boxes on the other. Have the teams race to see who can get their princess dressed fastest for the ball.

9. Jungle Slumber Party

Take a walk on the wild side with a jungle-themed sleepover. Green crepe paper vines, paper trees, and greenery, along with a generous sprinkling of jungle animals, makes this party a great choice for animal lovers and curious young explorers alike.

Decorations

• Crepe Paper Vines- Get green crepe paper and crisscross it along the ceilings and walls to look like jungle vines.
• Paper Trees- Cut out broad green paper leaves and attach them to large brown paper tree trunks and tape them to the wall to make a forest.
• Stuffed Animal Menagerie- Tuck stuffed animals in random places throughout the party area to give the illusion of jungle animals hiding out in their natural habitat.

Snacks

• Lion’s Head Veggie Platter – This vegetable platter is so fun they won’t even realize its good for them. Hummus dip in the middle will make the lion’s face add vegetables like olives, cherry tomatoes, and peppers, or crackers to make the details for the lion’s face and arrange baby carrots and pepper strips around the hummus bowl to create the lion’s mane.
• Muddy Animal Cupcakes – To follow along with the jungle theme without having to rack your brain too much for snack ideas, make some cupcakes with chocolate frosting, stick an animal cracker on top, and you have a cute and super easy jungle snack.

Activities

• Elephant Peanut Pushing Relay – Make two zig-zag racing lanes on the floor with painters tape. Divide the guests into teams and give each racer a pool noodle. The player has to push the peanut across the floor along the course to the end and back, the first team whose players all get their peanut across the finish line first wins.
• Nighttime Safari Hunt – Hide stuffed or small plastic animals throughout the party area and have a box labeled “Zoo,” turn off the lights and give all the guests flashlights to hunt for animals. When they find animals, they need to take them and put them in the zoo.