35 fun things to do at a sleepover for kids or teens

Lining up a few movies and supplying a big bowl of popcorn is a great way to keep kids entertained at a sleepover.

Let them pick some of their favourites to watch – just make sure they're age appropriate, particularly if you have younger kids coming to the party.

Check out our list of the 100 best kids' films of all time for some ideas.

Dust off the karaoke machine and let the kids sing their hearts out (you might want to invest in some ear plugs).

If you don't have a karaoke machine, you can search for karaoke versions of songs on YouTube and use a hairbrush for the mic. This activity is best done early in the evening (pre 9pm), unless you want the neighbours to complain.

It's always fun to paint each other's nails. Gather a selection of different coloured polishes and nail gems and let your guests get creative.

If you're having a sleepover in the summer, then kids will love camping in the garden. It gives them some independence but they're still close to home, so you can keep an eye on them – and they can use the toilet!

If you're planning a camp out for younger children, it's a good idea to camp with them or sleep in a smaller tent next to theirs, just incase anyone gets a bit frightened in the night.

If the weather's not playing ball, camping inside can be just as exciting as camping outdoors. You can erect a teepee in the bedroom or living room for the kids to sleep in.

Alternatively, there are lots of party companies offering sleepover parties for kids. You can hire teepees, decorations, airbeds and everything you need for the ultimate slumber party with themes ranging from army camps to unicorns.

Find sleepover party hire companies near you.

If your child and their friends love video games, then a sleepover gaming tournament will go down a treat. Just make sure you have enough controllers and a big screen so those who aren't playing at any time can still watch the action.

You can hire new video games or ask your guests to bring their favourites along, so you've got plenty to choose from.

To make things more exciting, maybe consider buying a trophy or small prize for the winner.

Make your sleepover dinner into an activity by getting kids to make it themselves.

You can buy ready-made pizza bases – or older kids and teens may want to have a go at making their own dough. Set out a selection of different toppings and let kids design their own pizza, that way no one is given anything they don't like to eat and they have fun doing it.

Check out our easy homemade pizza recipe.

From French braids to heatless curls, there are YouTube tutorials for every type of hairstyle out there and kids will love giving them a go.

Just make sure you don't let preteens loose with any heated appliances or they could burn themselves.

If you get parental approval, you could also help your guests put coloured streaks in their hair with washout coloured hair spray.

Cupcakes are a great sleepover snack and decorating them can be a fun activity in itself. Gather a selection of different coloured icing, sweets, sprinkles and edible glitter and let the kids go wild.

You can buy undecorated cupcakes or have a go at making your own with our easy cupcake recipe.

Most kids love a selfie and a photo booth is a great way to make taking snaps even more fun. All you need is a background – a sparkly curtain or fabric works well – and some props such as wigs and hats.

You can also buy selfie props from party shops, or have a go at making your own, with cardboard glasses, speech bubbles, lips etc on sticks.

You can take photos on your phone and email them to guests after the event, or use a Polaroid camera if you want them to have something to take home.

You might need to pop your head round the door if things get too boisterous but a pillow fight is a fun part of any sleepover.

Set up an arena away from any sharp edges, lay down the rules (no contact apart from with the pillow) and let the kids have fun.

Give the kids some glow sticks and glow-in-the-dark bracelets and when the lights go down, let them have their own mini glow-in-the-dark disco. If the weather's good you could even do it outdoors – just don't disturb the neighbours!

Check out our guide to the ultimate kids' disco party.

Kids and teens love trying out different face masks. Not only will it give their skin a pampering treat, some of the peel-off masks look hilarious, so will give them a good laugh too.

They could even have a go at mixing up their own all-natural face masks. Try this quick recipe:

Mash up half an avocado, mix in a tablespoon of honey and apply to the face for a super moisturising treat. Leave for 10 minutes, then wash off.

Be sure to check with the party guests' parents before letting them get stuck in though, in case of allergies.

If you're camping or having a summer sleepover, kids will love making s'mores over a campfire or barbecue.

Originating in America, s'mores are a delicious, gooey sandwich of biscuits, chocolate and toasted marshmallow. Yum.

Check out our simple s'mores recipe here.

A classic kids' party game, in charades, one child has to act out a book, film or TV show title and the others have to guess what it is.

Charades can be played as individuals or in teams. Simply write out the names of some shows and movies on cards and let kids act them out.

Find more classic party game ideas here.

Older kids and teens will love watching the sun go down in the evening – give them some blankets and let them sit outside to watch, weather permitting. They'll be able to get some great pictures and videos for TikTok.

They might want to wake up early to see the sunrise, too, (or probably not sleep at all).

Twister is loads of fun for all ages so let the kids tie themselves in knots at their sleepover.

If you haven't got a board and don't want to buy one, you can probably borrow one or pick one up cheaply secondhand.

Ask your sleepover guests to bring along some of their favourite clothing items and style each other for a fashion show.

For younger kids, give them a box of fancy dress clothing and accessories to dress up in. You can even use the landing as a catwalk.

One of the joys of a sleepover is eating things you're not usually allowed at times you wouldn't normally eat them. Make sure you have plenty of snacks – from sweets and pizza to crisps and dips – and set an alarm so kids can tuck in at midnight.

Check out our sleepover snack ideas for inspiration.

Teens can follow videos from their favourite YouTube and TikTok stars to create cool beauty looks on each other.

Tweens might want to experiment with some basic makeup – lipstick, eyeshadow and blusher.

Younger kids might like to have a go at painting each other's faces, or you could do it for them.

Make sure they wash their faces before they go to sleep though, or your bedding won't look the greatest in the morning.

Truth or dare is a sleepover classic. Players ask each other questions and they can choose to answer the truth or do a dare instead.

Teens will happily play on their own but for younger kids, you might want to write a selection of questions and dares for them to choose from to stop things getting out of hand.

Questions could include things like:

- What was your most embarrassing moment?

- What was the last lie you told?

- Who is your favourite teacher?

Dares could include:

- Do an impression of your favourite animal

- Try to lick your elbow

- Pretend to swim across the floor

Temporary tattoos and glitter tattoos always go down well with younger kids. Get a selection and let them apply them throughout the night.

If your child and their friend love books, a book swap is a great way to get them talking and give them some new reading material.

Ask each guest to bring some books they've read and let the kids swap them with each other. You can do this with clothes and video games, too.

Here are some great ideas for books for kids of all ages.

There are loads of dance routines for kids to learn available on TikTok and YouTube. Set up a big screen, choose a few appropriate dance routine videos with your child beforehand, and let them go.

Younger kids may want to perform their dance for you later, too.

The Who Am I? game involves putting a post-it note on a person's head with the name of a famous person on it. They then have to ask questions that have a yes or no answer to try and work out who they are.

Work out the names you're going to give people with your child beforehand, that way you can ensure they're people the kids will have heard of – pop stars and Marvel superheroes for example.

For younger kids you might want to use animals instead of famous people to make it easier.

Remember these from the playground? Paper fortune tellers are really easy to make and kids can write their own fortunes and predictions for the future in them.

Can't remember how to make them? Check out this simple guide from Origami Way.

This game is hilarious and can get messy (so best not played if you have white sheets!).

Give each child an After Eight and ask them to place it on their forehead. They then have to get their chocolate into their mouth by making facial movements – no hands allowed.

If you don't have After Eights you can also use a chocolate digestive.

Your guests will love to have a record of their evening to look back on, so why not document it all with a sleepover log (teens may prefer to do it on their favourite app).

Every hour throughout the night, someone at the sleepover takes a photo or video and writes a few words about what's happening. The log can be done on the computer or in a book using Polaroid photos.

Making popcorn is just as much fun as eating it. All you need is some corn and a large pan with a glass lid so you can see it popping.

Let kids choose their own toppings from sweet to savoury.

Check out or simple, sweet popcorn recipe.

Bingo is loads of fun whatever your age. You can find loads of free bingo cards online to print at home, all you need is a selection of bingo dobber pens and a number generating app or a bingo cage to pick numbers.

It's worth getting in a few small prizes for the winners, too.

If you're looking for a fun and crafty sleepover activity, try making some bath bombs. They're surprisingly easy to make (we'd recommend it for kids aged eight and above) and your guests will have something nice to take home with them, too.

Watch this easy bath bomb tutorial from BBC Good Food to find out how to make your own fizzy bath-time treats.

Younger kids are going to love this! Giver over the living room for the night and give them a supply of air beds, sheets, pillows and bedding to make a den.

They can watch movies on the TV from in there and even sleep in there (once you've checked its safe, of course).

Do your guests love Harry Potter or know everything about Fortnite? Test their knowledge with a fun quiz.

We've got 100 trivia questions for kids to get you started here. For older kids you can also have picture rounds and music rounds using their favourite pop songs.

Your guests can play in teams, pairs or as individuals. It's worth investing in a couple of small prizes or trophies for the winners.

This is best done in the garden rather than your house!

Arm the kids with some Nerf blasters and let them run around firing foam darts at each other. It should help them burn off some energy and, you never know, they might actually go to sleep later.

The morning after the sleepover your guests will probably want to have a debrief. So cook them up something special like a big batch of pancakes and let them have a natter about what happened the night before.

Try our recipe for fluffy American-style pancakes.