21 (Really Fun) Sleepover Games That Everyone Will Actually Love
Sleepovers! They're a classic rite of passage for kids of all ages.
Nickelodeon
So we compiled some of best and most popular sleepover games for kids, tweens (preteens), and teens. And even if you don't have an upcoming slumber party to plan for, you can bookmark some of these games for your kid's next birthday or rainy day.
SLEEPOVER GAMES FOR KIDS
1.Minute to Win It Games
Minute to Win It Games are one-minute-long games that are easy to prepare and come in hundreds of variations. Each activity can be as simple as keeping a balloon up in the air for a minute or using chopsticks to stack a pile of iron nuts on top of each other.
Read more: Minute to Win It Game Ideas
2.Freeze Dance or Musical Statues
The game is simple: When the music plays, everyone dances and keeps moving. As soon as the music stops, everyone must freeze immediately. The last person to stop moving is out of the game, and the game goes on until there's just one person left standing.
Read more + Instructions: Freeze Dance or Musical Statues
3.Right, Left, Eat
Here, each kid starts out with three pieces of candy. Each person gets a turn rolling dice, with each number corresponding to either "Pass (your candy) right," "Pass (your candy) Left," or "Eat." The last person left with candy gets a small prize.
Read more: Right, Left, Eat
4.Pass the Parcel
For this game, you'll have to gift-wrap a small gift (something small, like a candy ring, squishy ball, or slime would work). While the music plays, everyone passes the parcel to their right. As soon as the music stops, the person who has the parcel gets to unwrap one layer. The game goes on until someone unwraps the last layer and gets to keep the gift.
Read more: Pass the Parcel
5.Musical Chairs
Is there any game more classic as musical chairs? You know the drill: Everyone walks around a number of chairs (that's one less than the number of kids) while the music plays. As soon as the music ends, everyone sits in a chair. The kid who's not sitting in a chair is out of the game. The game goes on until there's just one chair — and winner — left.
Read more: Musical Chairs
6.Sundae Bar
What's a sleepover without a sweet treat? Get a big tub of ice cream (taking note of any dietary restrictions) and prepare a few sides, like sprinkles, caramel and chocolate syrup, crushed Oreos, mini M&Ms or whipped cream. Make your cleanup easy by spreading a tablecloth or rolling out parchment paper underneath your setup.
Read more: Sundae Bar
7.Make-your-own Cupcakes
Everyone loves a good cupcake. To prepare this, simply pre-bake a dozen simple vanilla or chocolate cupcakes. Then, lay out some frosting (no need to pre-make this — you can easily buy some at the store), sprinkles, and small pieces of candy (like Reese's Pieces). This activity might get a little messy, so just make sure no one goes too crazy with the frosting.
Read more: Make-your-own Cupcakes
8.Sleeping Beauty
In this game, one person pretends to be asleep. Everyone else gathers around and tries to make them laugh without touching them. Compete to see how long the best competitor lasts!
Read more: Sleeping Beauty
*SLEEPOVER GAMES FOR TWEENS*
9.Twister
For something slightly active but not too heart-pumping, a classic game of Twister should do the trick. In this game, a referee spins a spinner and calls out a body part and color. Everyone must then attempt to place whatever body part is called out onto the right color. Inevitably, the game ends with lots of giggles and with everyone toppling over each other.
Get your own Twister kit: Twister
10.Pass the Orange
After everyone is placed into teams, a referee places one orange under each child's chin. The goal is then for each team to successfully pass the orange to the person at the end of the line without using their hands, using just their chin and neck. There's no way to play this game without looking silly, and that's half the fun!
Read more: Pass the Orange
11.Wrecking Ball
This game will require a few cheap supplies you can get from the dollar store, including some paper cups, twine, and a beach ball. Start by letting everyone stack paper or plastic cups into a pyramid shape, challenging them to build it as high as possible. Then, blow up a beach ball and hang it from the ceiling using some twine. Give everyone a chance to wreck the pyramid using the wrecking ball, with extra points for those who can wreck as much as possible with a single swing.
Read more: Wrecking Ball
12.'Would You Rather?' Questions for Tweens
Play a PG-rated game of Would You Rather, where everyone gets to contemplate hilarious scenarios, like, "Would you rather go for a week with only shouting or only whispering?"
Read more: 'Would You Rather?' Questions for Tweens
13.MASH
In this game, everyone gets to find out if they'll marry The Hulk or Harry Potter, and whether a life in Paris or New York awaits them. You can avoid any conflicts by making sure everyone uses fictional names.
Read more: MASH
14.Make DIY Slime
For a craftier project, gather a few simple household materials like Elmer's glue and baking soda to make safe slime. Throw in some food coloring or glitter for a customizable slime that kids can take home and play with long after the sleepover is over.
Read more: Make DIY Slime
15.Who Am I?
Save this game for the end of the night, when everyone's gotten a chance to settle in and bond a bit. In this game, everyone writes down five things they like, and five things they don't like on a piece of paper. Then, one person reads the list out loud, and everyone tries to guess who that person is. It's an easy way to get to know everyone in the group and reveal hidden interests.
Read more: Who Am I?
*SLEEPOVER GAMES FOR TEENS*
16.Neon Pool Night
Teenagers might not be of age, but that doesn't mean they can't recreate their own fun evening. To set up the pool, buy some glow-in-the-dark balloons and streamers, and throw some neon sticks into the pool. Then, accessorize everyone with neon bracelets and swim around in your own party pool.
Read more: Neon Pool Night
17.Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board
This spooky game will teach you how to ~levitate someone~ off the air — and also teach you a little bit about physics (if you're interested in how it actually works)!
Read more: Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board
18.Craft Friendship Bracelets
You don't have to be away at summer camp to appreciate the magical power of a friendship bracelet. Prepare a bunch of colorful embroidery to start, then add in some colorful beads to finish each bracelet with. Start out with a classic pattern, then try a challenging one if you get really into it.
Read more: Craft Friendship Bracelets
19.Telephone Pictionary
If you know how to play telephone, then you'll love telephone pictionary. It's based on the same concept as telephone: You start by writing a random phrase (say, "Cats dancing on flamingos"); the next person reads the phrase and illustrates it on their sheet of paper. The following person then attempts to interpret the drawing with a phrase. The process continues until the final drawings bear little resemblance to the beginning phrases.
Read more: Telephone Pictionary
20.Truth or Dare
As a teenager, no sleepover is complete without a shameless round of Truth or Dare. Ask questions or dares from a list, or think up the juiciest ways to draw out your friends' secrets and make them do ridiculous things. And remember: Before starting the game, think of a low-key (read: funny!) "punishment" for anyone who passes on both a truth and a dare.
Read more: Truth or Dare
21.Heads Up!
If you don't get aggressively competitive in a game of Heads Up, then did you even have a sleepover? This game of verbal Charades will test your trivia knowledge, as well as your ability to think fast and communicate with your friends. If you're as close to your friends as you think you are, you'll do well in this game.
Read more: Heads Up!
Any favorite games or activities to play at sleepovers? Share them in the comments!
Solve the daily Crossword
