15 Fun Sleepover Games

Children love sleepovers with their friends and family. Making memories, laughing so hard their belly hurts and getting up to mischief. They are kind of a big deal to our little ones.

When you have a sleepover, there’s nothing better than playing exciting games. We’ve got the best slumber party ideas for kids right up to their teenage years. Not only are our ideas fun but some of them will also help children’s development. Plus, they’ll use up some energy, ready for a good night’s sleep.

Scavenger hunts are great for kids because they encourage their creativity and allow them to use their problem-solving skills. They are super fun for kids of all ages. Of course, you’ll have to make it more difficult for older kids.

Firstly, you’ll need to think of random items in your house. It can be anything from socks to post-it notes to a toothbrush. Then, create a set of clues that will give everyone hints as to where they are. Whoever finds all the items to the clues first, wins!

Smiley faces, cute animals and silly expressions – we all know and love emojis, even our kids. Emoji bingo is a fun take on regular bingo. All you need to do is, create or print out a free emoji bingo card for each guest.

You’ll need some spare emojis to cut out individually and put into a hat. Either you or a volunteer will need to be the bingo caller and pull the emojis out of the hat.

The first person to get a full house and shout “BINGO!”, wins.

If you have two decks of cards lying around, then Memory is the perfect game for a sleepover! Children will have loads of fun trying to match up pairs. They just need some good old-fashioned memory skills to win this one.

To play, lay two packs of cards face down across a table. Each player then takes turns to turn over two cards to try and find a pair. If the cards aren’t matching they’ll need to turn them down again. But, if they are then they can remove them from the table. Play the game until there are no cards left. The player who has collected the most sets of cards in the end wins.

We hope everyone remembers to bring their dancing shoes to the sleepover because this game will have everyone busting a move. It’s a great way to be playful and practice coordination skills at the same time. Let’s play! Here’s how…

1. Clear a room in your home so everyone has plenty of space to dance
2. Play some upbeat music and encourage them to dance freely
3. At random times you’ll need to suddenly stop the music
4. This is when everyone in the room needs to suddenly FREEZE!
5. The aim of the game is to keep as still as possible, if someone moves whilst the music is stopped then they are out of the game
6. Turn the music back on and repeat the process
7. The last person left dancing wins!

This is a classic game that you’ll probably remember from your childhood—but now you can play it with your kids and their friends.

We’re sure everyone knows how to play this game but just to remind you… blindfold each child, place a paper tail in their hand, and spin them around a few times (careful not to make them too dizzy). After this, you’ll need to guide them to a picture of a donkey on the wall. The player whose tail comes closest to the donkey’s bottom wins.

Painting, paper mache and colouring in – if you’ve got kids then we’re sure you’ve got some arts and crafts lying around your house. What better time to get stuck in than at a sleepover?

Get all the kids to sit around a table filled with art equipment and materials and let their imaginations fly! Taking part in art and crafts provide children with a sense of accomplishment. This will allow them to take pride in their work and boost their confidence.

There are also more benefits to it. Here’s what The National Curriculum in England says about the purpose of art and designs study:

“Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.”

Never have I ever had a sleepover with my friends. Just kidding! You’ve probably played this one before too as it’s great for all ages, even us adults.

Perfect for inspiring creative thinking, start with everybody holding up ten fingers. Take turns saying something that you’ve never done before. If you have done it, then you’ll need to put a finger down. The person that’s left with the last finger up wins.

To make this sleepover game even more exciting, instead of holding your fingers up, you could play with sweets.

Find more sleepover inspiration with our post on how to host a fun sleepover.