Kids' Slumber Parties - Ideas, Tips, and Guidelines to Make Them Great

 Artsy-Crafty Party: Cover the table with newspaper or butcher paper, set out arts and crafts materials or kits and let the kids make-and-take their own picture frames, jewelry, decorative boxes, t-shirts, and purses.

 Cool Camp-In Party: Sing camp songs, make your own S'mores, tell not-too-scary ghost stories, have a scavenger hunt in the dark with flashlights, and read comic books.

 TV Talent Show Party: Play charades, put on a show, have each guest perform a talent such as sing a song, do a dance, or perform a magic trick, watch a marathon of your child's favorite TV series.

 Fab and Funny Fashion Party: Have the kids wear their least favorite outfits, then have a clothing exchange. Model dress-up clothes from the thrift shop, design gowns for each other using crepe paper, make paper dolls with each guest's face glued to the doll's head.

 Beauty Makeover Party: Set out a variety of makeup products, such as lip gloss, eye shadow, eye lash curlers, blush, and so on. Let the kids make each other over. Include hairbrushes, ribbons, and other hair products and have a wacky hairstyles contest. Take before and after pictures.

 Krazy Karaoke Party: Rent or borrow a karaoke machine and let the kids choose the music they want to perform. Have them take turns singing along, while you videotape the performances. Then play back the "show." Have judges make funny comments about each performance.

Snack Time!

   Kids get hungry when they're up all night, so have lots of treats and goodies ready, such as popcorn, veggie trays, and mini-sandwiches. You might also have activity time double as snack time and let the kids make their own snacks, such as pizzas, brownies, or cookies.

Bed Time....

   Wrap up the fun and games by starting a favorite video. This will help the kids wind down and even grow sleepy.

Don't Forget "The Rules"

   Make a list of rules to prevent problems ahead of time. Brainstorm with your child and jot down the list on poster board for all the guests to see. You might include rules like "No loud music," "No leaving the house," "No crank calls," etc. Then threaten the guests that you'll join the party in your pajamas if they break any of the rules-that should scare them into being good!

   Need more ideas? How about a Comic Book Party (with do-it-yourself materials), Castaway Luau Party (with a Hawaiian theme), Crack-Up Comedy Party (with kid comedy performances, jokes, and funny videos), Dance Dance Revolution (dancing with a DDR), Friends Forever (making friendship scrapbooks), Midnight Mystery (with a puzzle to solve), Now You're Cookin' (with recipes and ingredients), Silly Olympics (with funny stunts to perform).

Penny Warner is the author of "Slumber Parties: 25 Fun-Filled Party Themes"