Fun Slumber Party Ideas to Set the Mood
Hang or float bunches of balloons throughout the party area, according to your child’s favorite colors. Twist together streamers in the same color scheme as the balloons, and hang them along the walls and doorways of the main party area, such as the room in which the children will sleep. For a fun touch, you can also hang long strips of streamers in a row across each entryway into the main party areas, creating curtains for your guests to pass through as they come and go.

Decorate the party area with glow-in-the-dark stars and planets. (These can be purchased at most local discount or novelty stores.) The kids will love seeing the sky appear when it's finally time for lights-out!

Make the party an indoor camping sleepover, and set up a few tents inside the house before your guests arrive. You may want to decorate the inside and/or outside of the tents with streamers and balloons. Or, for a camouflage touch that boys are sure to like, try draping fake moss or dried sheet moss over the tents.

Hang a lantern or flashlight near the sleeping area. If you're using a tent, hang it inside or place it close by on the outside so that light shines through the tent's walls. This adds realism to the "camping" experience while solving any night-light problems at the same time. Please only use safe, battery-powered lanterns—no gas or kerosene!

Make it a movie night! Help the kids make a "box office" and a "concession stand" out of cardboard boxes, then give them Monopoly money to buy tickets and snacks. Don't forget the Hollywood-themed clapboard for your "3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Action!" Set up lawn chairs or beanbag chairs where the kids can watch movies—but none that are too scary! Some good bets are:

• Old Classics - The Love Bug, Swiss Family Robinson, The Absent Minded Professor, The Shaggy Dog, The Apple Dumpling Gang.
• New Classics - Sky High, Cheaper by the Dozen, Holes, Hoodwinked, Chicken Little, The Incredibles, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone/Chamber of Secrets/Prisoner of Azkaban.
• Just for Girls - High School Musical, The Princess Diaries I and II, Raise Your Voice, Ice Princess, The Lizzie Maguire Movie, Ella Enchanted.
• Just for Boys - Star Wars: Clone Wars (Vols. 1 and 2), Justice League Unlimited: Saving the World, Batman: The Animated Series, The Iron Giant, Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows.

Last but not least, make sure you have plenty of spare pillows and blankets near the sleeping area so that your guests can help themselves and bed down whenever they're ready.

Birthday in a Box has dozens of other ideas for games for sleepovers.

Slumber Party Food

When it comes to food, partygoers are usually perfectly content to eat pizza or hotdogs, which is certainly much easier on the hosts! Popcorn, bowls of M&Ms or other candy, chips and dip, sodas, and juice are also good, quick snacks to have on hand the evening of a slumber party. Don't forget that you'll need to feed most of your guests before they leave in the morning, too, which is why we've prepared this list of fun and creative breakfast ideas:

Funny Face Bagels: Cut bagels in half and toast them, if desired. Slice smoked salmon into strips or chop chives to use for hair; cut small black olives in half for eyes; cut slivers of red peppers or halve small cherry tomatoes to use as mouths; cut baby carrots into quarters for noses; finely chop peanuts to use as freckles; and use any other fruit or vegetable you wish. Slather cream cheese on the bagels for a base that will hold all of the decorations. Then, let your partygoers make funny faces on their bagels using the pre-prepared fruits and veggies.

Smiley Face Pancakes: Make a batch of pancakes, and set them out along with canned whipped cream, chocolate chips, maraschino cherry halves, chocolate syrup, finely chopped nuts, blueberries or halved strawberries, or any other sweet treat that can be used to make eyes, a nose, a mouth, hair, etc., on each pancake. Let your guests decorate their pancakes the way they like.

Restaurant-Style Breakfast: Let the kids decide who will help cook, who will "wait tables," etc. They can create an actual menu, picking from standard breakfast foods such as pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and bagels. The "servers" can take everyone's orders and pass them on to the "chefs" who will be wearing chef's hats and aprons, and who will assist mom and/or dad in cooking breakfast for everyone.

Waffle Bar: Set up a waffle bar with a selection of syrups and toppings such as cherries, whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate chips, and nuts. Let each child make his or her ultimate waffle.

Fruit Pops: Let your guests make fruit pops using our recipe (below) or your own for a fun, yet nutritional, morning treat.

Ingredients:

• Long Lollipop Sticks
• A Variety of Cubed Fruit
• Peanut Butter 
• Honey
• Yogurt (flavored or plain) Coconut
• Candy Sprinkles

Directions: 

1. Slide a few cubes of fruit onto each lollipop stick.

2. Create a dip from 1/3-cup smooth peanut butter mixed with 1/4-cup honey. (More honey can be added to taste or for a thinner consistency, and the mixture can be heated in the microwave for easier mixing and blending.)

3. Give each child a fruit pop. Have them dip their fruit pops into the peanut butter-honey dip or yogurt, and then roll them in candy sprinkles and/or shredded coconut.

Enjoy!