Alex’s Faux Slumber Party

For Alex’s 5th birthday party, she requested to have a slumber party. I explained that we will not be having any extra children sleep over our house until the 4 children that currently live here sleep through the night. By the looks of things, that could be many, many years from now. I offered to have a “no sleeping over sleepover party” or as we started calling it a “faux-slumber party”.  Alex thought it sounded absolutely fantastic. She wanted a slumber party for the pajamas, sleeping bags, etc. and said “I don’t like sleeping anyway”!

So I got to work coming up with party activities and decor to make a fun slumber party for 5 year olds. We invited everyone to come in their pjs and enjoy a night of fun and to leave “just in time for bedtime”. Here’s what the party looked like:

The Decor:

This was the most fun I have ever had decorating for a party. Alex and her big sister Maggie were so excited to help get ready for this party because I said: let’s collect all the pillow, blankets, tents and sleeping bags! We moved the furniture around to make more space for all the slumber party decor which the girls thought was even more fun. Alex had been wanting a sleeping bag and tent, so that was her big 5th birthday gift.

I couldn’t thinking of a better sleeping bag for Alex than one with a giant pink bow on it! The sleeping bag, teepee and little white pouf are all from The Land of Nod. We also have another tent from The Land of Nod that we set up for the party too. The Land of Nod has the cutest selection of sleeping bags and play tents I have ever seen. The little white pouf shown is fun for their bedroom but made great slumber party seating. I wish I had them for all the guests! The Land of Nod tents, sleeping bags and decor are great holiday gifts. Plus, they make great slumber party decor!

The Food:

Slumber party food is pretty simple: pizza, popcorn and birthday cake. We used disposable Snackeez at each girls’ place setting. My kids love their Snackeez for movie night, so I figured they went well with the slumber party theme. We found them at 5 Below but you can also get them on Amazon.

For a special addition, I had the local ice cream truck stop by. It was so cute to see all the girls in their pjs running out to the ice cream truck. We have a lady in town that will stop by, for no charge, you just buy the ice cream off the truck. I’ve done this for a few parties lately and it’s one of the most inexpensive party activities I have found and the kids love it. Plus, by the time they all select ice cream and eat it, it takes up more party time/ entertaining little ones time than you’d think.

The Activities:

Make Your Own Pillow Case:

I wanted to think of a really great craft for the girls to do that when with out sleepover party theme. I thought making their own pillowcases would be really fun and to make it extra special, I teamed up with my favorite Etsy shop for appliqués: Once Upon A Design. She loved the idea and came up with the idea to do all of the girls initials as iron ons. Then she made an assortment of other appliqués from hearts to horses.

This was a huge hit with the girls. They sorted through and found their initial and then picked 2 other appliqués to add to their pillow case. It was so cute to watch them “design” the pillow case and place each appliqué where they thought it would look best. Then they used fabric markers to put on some finishing touches. The only supplies needed for this were: a pack of white pillow cases (found on Amazon), appliqués from Once Upon a Design and fabric markers.

Manicure and Pedicures: 

What’s cooler than one of the “older girls” on the block coming to paint nails at a sleepover party? Not much. This was the highlight of the party for Alex. She loves our neighbor who is 13 and so awesome with kids. I hired her to come to the party to paint the little girls nails and she did such a great job.

Make Your Own Charm Keychains:

Alex and her friends love adding keychains to their backpacks, so I thought this would be a neat slumber party activity. I found fun plastic charms at the craft store and then got an assortment of beads. This was an easy, inexpensive party activity.

Pick a Snuggly Friend: 

This was a bigger hit than I expected. It was so easy: I filled a basket with little stuffed animals and made a sign that said “choose a snuggly friend”. The girls were so excited they got to pick a stuffed animal and carried them around.

And of course…. lots of time playing in the tents and sleeping bags! 

Once it got dark, the girls also ran around outside trying to find lightening bugs. I think getting to play outside “in the dark” was an added bonus for Alex because the slumber party felt a little more “real”!

 

This was one of the most fun kids’ parties I have ever hosted. Being that the kids are 5, it was their first slumber party experience and a total blast for everyone! Honestly, even as the kids get older, I think I like the idea of a faux slumber party better than an actual sleepover. You can have all the slumber party fun without a night of no sleep and cranky kids. Alex said it was her “best birthday yet”. Five is pretty fabulous and this was a great way to celebrate!