Look, I know what we’re going through isn’t exactly an ideal time to throw a party, much less a sleepover, but this is something fun you can plan out with your friends to do after quarantine ends. Where I’m from, high school parties aren’t really common, so my classmates and I threw a huge sleepover party late last year to compensate for all the partying we never did. I had so much fun, and I made so many new memories that I will treasure forever. Of course, a party isn’t a party without fun things to do, so here are some ideas for a sleepover party that can make up for all the time you’ve lost with your friends throughout this quarantine.
1. Have a bake-off
Unleash your inner baker! This is a super fun activity which might get a little messy, but you’ll end up with some sweet treats at the end of it. Even if you don’t, it’ll still be funny to have a taste test and reevaluate your baking skills. It can be a boys vs. girls bake-off, or if it’s strictly an all-girls or all-boys sort of night, just split up into even teams.
2. Watch the sunset or sunrise
Who doesn’t love sunsets or sunrises? (Well, maybe not the sunrise if you’re not a fan of waking up early, but you still can’t deny that it has a pretty view.) Do your research and find the closest spot where you can enjoy the pink and purple skies. Once you get there at sunset or sunrise, just take in the view and enjoy being in the company of your loved ones.
3. Play some board or card games
Some games which are great include Twister, Werewolf (also known as Mafia), and Pictionary. You could also play some classic card games like Uno, Cheat!, Go Fish and Poker. This is a great way to get everyone involved and bring out some fun competitive spirit.
4. Play Hide and clap
Now this is a fun one. So, if you don’t know, hide and clap is basically a hybrid of Marco Polo and Hide-and-seek which was popularized by the horror movie, The Conjuring (2013) directed by James Wan. No, it does not summon any demons, so you don’t have to worry.
To play, you need to blindfold the seeker and spin them around a few times, and then the other players have to go off and find a hiding place. The seeker can then ask for the other players to clap by shouting out, ‘first clap,’ where they then have to rely on their ears to guide them to the other players. The seeker has to be careful, though, as they can only ask for three claps. When the seeker finds a player, they have three guesses as to who they have found. If they guess correctly, the person who got caught has to take over as the seeker. If not, the seeker has to continue playing as the seeker.
If you choose to play this game, make sure to play it in a safe space by restricting the area where you’re able to hide, and guide the seeker when they’re about to exit the area you’ve all set. Trust me on this - my classmates and I played this in class and no one warned me that I was walking out of the class as the seeker, and let me tell you that the teacher I bumped into was not happy to see me walking down the corridor blindfolded. Here’s a link to a scene in The Conjuring where Hide and clap is played: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MqvYSOSm7
5. Sing your heart out with some karaoke
We’ve all got an inner Beyoncé, and now is the time for you to unleash yours! You could have fun screaming all the lyrics to your favorite songs with your friends, or even take turns performing for each other. It’ll be like your very own mini music festival! You’ll need to watch out for the neighbors, though. If possible, try to soundproof the walls by covering them with egg cartons. It’s tedious, I know - but extremely worth it. Plus, it’s only temporary.
6. Watch some movies
Who doesn’t love a good movie session? If you and your friends are huge movie geeks, then you all should totally watch a serious, dramatic movie which is insightful and has many layers. Then, you all could discuss the movie together and gain multiple perspectives of the same movie. Or, if you’re not in the mood to stress your brain out, you could go for a comedy or a chick flick and relieve some of your stresses by laughing with your friends. My friends and I always go for comedy movies, and so a few suggestions I have are Mean Girls (2004), 3 Idiots (2009), and 13 Going on 30 (2004). Disney movies are always an option, and a trip down memory lane with your friends is never not fun!
7. Play beer pong, but trade in the beer for soda!
Or don’t, if everyone’s down to get drunk. I’m kidding! To play, you need to fill some cups with a drink and arrange them at two ends of the longest table you can find. Under these cups, there’ll be papers with dares written on them, and these dares are written by everyone present at the party. As a general rule for the dares, the person who writes the dare must be willing to do the dare themselves. For example, if person A writes down the dare, ‘put ice in your underwear for 3 minutes,’ person A must be willing to do that dare if they got it. If they aren’t willing to do it, then they should not write down that dare and instead choose something else they’d be willing to do.
So now that you’ve got your cups arranged with the dares under them at the ends of the table, split everyone up into 2 even groups, and assign each person from a group a partner from the other group. Each group will stand at one end of the table, where the cups are arranged. Then, the pair of partners will stand at the ends of the table and take turns throwing a ping pong ball, where the goal is to get it into one of the cups on the opposite end of the table. If you successfully throw a ping pong ball into one of the cups, your partner has to down the drink or carry out the dare. When I did this, we had to down our drinks AND carry out the dare, which made it more fun. Everyone gets 3 tries each to try to get their ping pong ball into a cup, and then after those 3 tries are up, the next pair of partners get their turn.
If you do choose to use alcohol, make sure you dilute it with a lot of another drink, like Sprite or Coke. This also heightens the stakes for whether or not a player chooses to do the dare, but make sure that if you choose to drink, you’re doing it with a group of people you trust, and that you’re in a safe place. If you opt for the beerless beer pong, then you could switch it up and spice up your drinks with condiments like mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, salt, or anything else that shouldn’t be added to a drink. Either way, there’s no doubt that you and your friends will be laughing throughout the entire game!
8. Swim in the pool or ocean
Swimming is cool and all, but swimming with your friends? That hits different. You could all take a trip down to the pool or the beach. If you go to the beach, there’s a wider range of activities for you all to do, like building sandcastles, burying your friends (and yourself!), or flying kites. You could also stay out until sunset, which would be perfect in fulfilling point 2 of this list.
9. Have a photoshoot
As sad as it is, every moment won’t last forever, but having pictures of the night will help memorialize your favorite ones. You could take some candid photos of the night so when you look through these photos, it’ll feel more authentic. However, posing for photos with your friends is fun, too! Everyone could bring their craziest outfits, and bring some aesthetic-ish things to use as a backdrop like tapestries and fairy lights. You could even have a fashion show, and walk down a homemade runway while your friends snap pictures of you. Who knows? You might find out that you could potentially be the next Naomi Campbell!
10. Give each other some makeovers
In true Lizzo fashion, doing a hair toss and checking your nails will make you feel good as hell. You could all give each other makeovers, like trying out a new hairstyle on your friend or painting their nails. Everyone could also do their own nails and hair, and you could turn it into a tea spilling session with your friends. If you wanna have a little more fun, you could try turning this activity into a competition to see who is the best at doing makeovers and have a fun theme for everyone to follow. For example, you could all compete to see who can do the best clown makeup. If this is a ‘boys and girls’ party or sleepover, then the girls could do makeovers for the boys, or it could be the other way around!
11. Go on a midnight food trip
Midnight snacks are the best. If you and your friends get hungry in the middle of the night, you could order in, or go out to eat at whatever restaurant is open at that time. If none of your friends can drive, you always have ride-hailing services such as Uber to rely on. Since this is a midnight food run, make sure that you’re always sticking with a group, and be extra careful. Don’t stray too far - especially if you’re alone - and try to stay in places that are well-lit.
12. Have a pillow fight
This is a must for every sleepover. Do I really need to go on?
Extra notes!
If you and your friends are planning to stay up all night, you could tell your friends to BYOC - Bring Your Own Coffee. This way, your friend can chip in for some of the expenses by not having you spend more by buying extra coffee. Also, try to get everyone off their phones as much as possible. You’re all here to have fun in each other’s company, and no one can really do that if they’re looking at their phone screen all night. Finally, if you do choose to drink, make sure that you’re not drinking anything too strong straight out of the bottle (especially for first-time drinkers). Dilute it with another drink, and don’t drink too much. If your face is starting to get red, or if you’re feeling dizzy, take a breather and drink lots of water immediately.
Of course, these activities aren’t sleepover or party exclusive. These are still some pretty fun activities to do with your friends in a large group or a small one. It doesn’t have to be a sleepover either, as some of these activities are pretty popular party games in general. You don’t have to throw extravagant parties or sleepovers to have fun with your friends, and you definitely don’t have to throw or attend them if you don’t feel like it. Remember that party planning shouldn’t be too stressful, and it doesn’t have to be all on you! When my classmates and I initially planned this, we were all hiding off in a corner of our school because we didn’t want to be in the hall for some school event, and we all kind of co-planned it. It doesn’t have to be the perfect party, and what matters the most is that you and your friends are comfortable, and that you are all having fun. Keep in mind that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, and that extra precautions need to be taken. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean you can't plan for some future fun!
Happy planning!
Comments