It's birthday time again! My daughter was ten this month and we had our first big sleepover. We ordered the American Girls Pajama Jam birthday party kit . It's a bit expensive but we were very pleased with the quality of the items, especially the favors - glow-in-the-dark necklace, toothbrush, wand flashlight, and balls. We had lots of fun setting up all the neat stuff, and the glow-in-the-dark accessories made the party extra special.
Girls Slumber Party Activities
Keepsake Boxes
Instead of using the crafts from the Pajama Jam kit, we decided on this idea. I bought some small boxes from the craft store and several teen magazines. The girls cut out cool pictures from the magazines and glued them collage-fashion on the boxes. We finished the boxes with clear polyurethane. By morning they were dry to take home for a keepsake. You could do the same thing with empty soup cans or small flower pots to make pencil holders.
Me Paperdoll
If you have a digital camera, here's a cool project. Let the girls put on a leotard or swimsuit and stand straight against a plain wall. Take each girl's picture. Enlarge it with your photo software so that it fits on an regular size sheet of paper, then print it out. Let the girls glue the picture to a piece of cardboard, using rubber cement. Cut out the picture and you have a personalized paper doll.
Teen Idol Magnet or Pin
Use the technique described in this Wallpaper Project from Makestuff.com . Instead of using wallpaper, though, let the girls cut out pictures of their favorite teen idols from magazines.
I also found these craft activities for girls that would be fun for a slumber party:
- Jewel Socks from Hobby Lobby
- Friendship Bracelet from Amazing Moms
- Pony Bead Projects from Making Friends
- Daisy Friendship Bracelet from Making Friends
- Bath Bombs from Makestuff.com
- Craft Projects For Adolescents
We had some videos to watch while winding down. A friend recommended that we rent Ever Afterwith Drew Barrymore . Some more movie ideas for girls are these:
- Never Been Kissedwith Drew Barrymore (Movie Mom recommends for ages 12+; my daughter loved this movie
- Fly Away Homewith Anna Pacquin
- Passport to Pariswith Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen
- Switching Goalswith Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen
- The Parent Trapwith Lindsay Lohan
- Matilda with Mara Wilson
- Harriet the Spywith Michelle Trachtenberg and Rosie O'Donnell
- A Little Princess(1995 version) one of our favorite movies!
And, for easy party snacks try these. The girls could even do most of them.
- Yummers (kind of a cheese ball thing) from Makestuff.com
- No Cook Snack Mix from Makestuff.com
- Missouri Mud No Bake Cookies from Makestuff.com (we call them cow patties!)
- Snack Recipes For Kids Parenting of Adolescents - Teens
Tips from the Party: Don't bother with a lot of food during the first part of the party. The girls were too busy playing to eat very much. Instead, have the snacks on hand for a late-night raid on the kitchen. Let the girls do their own thing until you start to see that they are getting fussy with each other. Step in and start a project to distract them, and avoid the potential fights and hurt feelings that seem to be common in a girls' sleepover.
More of This Feature
- Kids' Birthday Party Themes
- Kids' Birthday Party Products
- Kids' Birthday Cakes
- Kids' Birthday Party Invitations
- Kids' Birthday Party Games and Activities
- Make Birthday Gift Enclosure Cards
- More Birthday Party Ideas
- Girls' Slumber Birthday Party
- Sponge Bob Birthday Party
- Share Your Birthday Party Ideas