Hosting a sleepover is a rite of passage for many children. Letting your child get involved with the planning and doing will teach them valuable skills and build their social confidence.

Talk with your child about what they want from their sleepover

A few conversations with your child about what they’re expecting to happen during their sleepover will make the whole process much easier and they are less likely to disagree with you about snacks, entertainment and ground rules. It can be helpful to ask them about their experiences at other people’s sleepovers, too.

Do a web search for sleepover ideas together and talk about food, decorations, drink and fun activities.

Plan a cosy sleepover space

One of the best things you can do to ensure everyone has fun at your sleepover is to make the space welcoming. It’s surprising how much room five or six children need, not to mention space for any activities you have planned. Rather than use your child’s bedroom, your living room may be the best space for a sleepover.

Move furniture out of the space to clear the floor for sleeping bags, and also get any fragile objects out of rooms your young guests will be using. You could even put some furniture in your storage unit for a few days so you can get the best use out of the space you have at home. Encourage your child to help with cleaning and tidying the space, too.

Think about whether the bathroom is easy to find in the dark, and make sure landings and stairs are tidy and lit. A few inexpensive battery fairy lights or night lights are ideal for helping your young guests move around.

Another good use for your storage unit is to stash some ‘surprises’ for the sleepover: for example, a spa kit or a pop-corn machine.

Coach your child on how to be a good host

Talk with your child about what makes a good host, and encourage them to role play, for example, welcoming guests. Or Wikihow has an article about hosting a sleepover.

Ask about any worries, and find out how they would deal with the situation before giving advice. Remind them of house ground rules during the planning process. If you don’t want guests using your en-suite, for example, let your child know.

Plan plenty of sleepover activities – but keep your expectations low

It’s worth having activities ready to keep your sleepover guests out of mischief. But do keep it fairly low key, and don’t load it with high expectations. If the children are having fun playing a board game, or reading together or just chatting, don’t hurry them on to another activity just because you’ve organised it. You can always send a craft kit or snack home with each guest if they don’t get round to it.

Use a film to encourage lights-out

It’s definitely worth enforcing lights-out at a slumber party. This will ensure that the children do get a little sleep. Putting on a film is a good way to mark the run up to sleep time, particularly if you turn the lights down low. Older children may resent you trying to timetable them, so do play it by ear. There will be some whispering and giggling after lights-out, but most children will fall asleep in due course.

What to serve for breakfast at a sleepover

A self-serve breakfast is best, especially if the children get up early. Packets of fruit buns, and boxes of cereal are easy for children to manage. Put milk and juice in jugs that your child can handle without help.

Hosting a sleepover is a great learning and social experience for a child, and with your support they will have a great night – even if they don’t get much sleep.