Below are all the ideas you need to pull off an amazing sleepover for your 8-year-old and their friends!
Here are some extremely fun sleepover ideas for 8-year-olds that will definitely help you create a night that the kids will love, and which allows for good, safe fun that kids deserve!
Sleepover Ideas For 8 Year Olds
Would You Rather?
Would You Rather? is definitely a game that 8-year-olds will love to play! Look online for ideas for the Would You Rather? game, and print out sheets to read from.
Let the kids each take a turn asking a question, and hearing the funny answers that they get!
Scavenger Hunt
Keep them busy while still letting them have some fun by creating a scavenger hunt for them.
Pair the kids off into teams and give them a list of things to find around the house.
The first team to come back with all their boxes ticked wins.
Design-A-Pillowcase
For this, you will need enough plain white pillowcases for each child, some fabric markers, and some fabric paint.
The kids can sit around a table and decorate their own pillowcases however they want.
Let their parents know beforehand to send a pillow for them to place into their pillowcases, so they can use them that evening once the pillowcases have dried.
The Chocolate Game
This is always such a hit with kids!
Place a slab of chocolate on the table, and get the kids to sit around it. Each child has a turn rolling a dice.
If someone rolls a six, they need to quickly put on a scarf and gloves, and any other items you have that might make it fun, and try to cut the chocolate with a knife and fork, and eat as much as they can.
The other children keep rolling the dice, with the chocolate being eaten until someone else rolls a six, and it is their turn to dress up and eat some chocolate!
Play Sardines
Hide and seek indoors is not always easy, but sardines is ideal to play indoors at a sleepover.
One child is picked to hide, and the others go and look for them.
If a child finds the kid who is hiding, they have to hide with them.
This carries on until the last person finds all of the kids hiding in one spot, shoved together like sardines!
Pizza Chefs
Which 8-year-old doesn’t love pizza?
To make pizza night more fun, you could buy bases and all the toppings that kids love, such as bacon, pepperoni, cheese, and pineapple.
Give each kid their own pizza base, and let them make their own pizza. This way, you can be sure that everyone will be happy with their dinner!
If you want to make it more fun, you could let them roll their own pizza bases from dough.
S’mores Bar
Once dinner is done, you can set up a s’mores bars for the kids to enjoy.
Make it more authentic by having a little fire outside for them to roast their marshmallows over, or you can do it for them in the microwave.
Lay out a selection of cookies, marshmallow flavors, sauces, and toppings for them to choose from and make their own s’mores!
Camp Indoors
Instead of having the kids sleep in regular beds on the floor, set up some tents for them to camp indoors in!
You can either look for a company that hires these out near you, or you could even get the kids to build their own forts.
This just adds some extra fun to the night and makes it more of an experience for them.
Glow In The Dark Games
Kids love glow-in-the-dark sticks and toys, so it makes sense to create some glow-in-the-dark games for them to play! One idea is to have a glow-in-the-dark hoop toss.
Place glow-in-the-dark sticks in the ground (try to use thicker ones if possible) and make rings with other glow-in-the-dark sticks.
Switch the lights off and get the kids to try to get as many hoops on the sticks as possible. Whoever gets the most wins.
Neon Disco
Make disco fun for 8-year-olds! Let parents know to send a white shirt to the sleepover, one which they won’t mind being painted, and give the kids some neon paint to decorate the shirts with.
Set up a UV light in the living room (they are fairly cheap, or you could hire one), set up a speaker, switch the main lights off and play some of their favorite music!
Paper Plane Target Shooting
This can be a double activity for the sleepover.
The first part involves laying out paper and supplies for the kids to make their own paper planes.
You might have to help to fold a few, but the kids can decorate them as they want.
Then, have a target board set up, with three different-sized holes cut into the board, with different amounts of points for each.
The kids then take turns throwing their planes towards the boards and seeing if they score any points by the plane going through any of the holes.
Nerf Gun Fight
There is no way that the kids will not love the idea of a Nerf gun fight!
Get the kids to bring their Nerf guns from home, and make sure you have some spare for kids who do not have.
Load up on bullets, give the kids some camo face paint and let them go wild in the garden.
Pair them into teams and set up flags for them to capture from either team if you want something more structured.
Watch The Sunrise
8-year-olds don’t often get to watch the sunrise, so why not set an alarm for them to get up and watch as the sun rises in the morning if you have a viewpoint close to your house.
Pack some snacks and warm drinks for the occasion to keep them up. They will be so excited to get to watch the sunrise!
What Should A 8 Year Old Bring To A Sleepover?
You can’t just drop off your kid with a toothbrush at their next sleepover!
When preparing for a sleepover, you have to make sure you pack all the essentials and then some for your child.
A couple if the things you should pack for your 8 year old are:
- Pajamas
- Change of clothes (top, bottoms, underwear, socks)
- Toothbrush, toothpaste
- Small snacks
- Teddy Bear or Blankie, if applicable
- Pillow
- Sleeping bag
- Any small toys or card games you have
- Current book (to promote reading)
- Telephone number
- Any prescription meds or ‘just in case’ meds like pepto bismol
Ask your son/daughter what they want to bring as well. This is a great opportunity for your kid to start learning how to manage their belongings and pack a bag.
Even though 8 years old may seem young, they will learn a lot of about self-management and it’s never too early to get them started on the right foot.
Enjoyed this? Make sure to check this list of fun sleepover games for teens next!