Hide and Seek
To play Hide and Seek, take turns hiding while one person (who is “it”) counts down—from 30 seconds, 20, or even 10, whatever you’d prefer. After that, have the person who counted search for everyone hiding; the last person to be found wins. Alternatively, if you’re looking to shake things up, try these variants: Sardines. Change the rules so only one person hides while everyone else counts down. When someone finds the hidden player, they must hide with them until there’s only one “finder” left. In the dark. After the person who is “it” finishes counting down, they must use a flashlight to find the other players (and play the game in a totally dark area).
Charades
To play Charades, have each guest write a word or phrase on a piece of paper. Then, take turns drawing pieces of paper blindly and acting out the prompts on them while everyone else tries to guess what the mystery phrase is! Alternatively, you could assign each player a category (movies, songs, sports, animals) and have them act out words in that category. Want to change up the game since you’re at a sleepover? Turn out the lights and use a flashlight to give every actor a “spotlight” when they act out their prompt.
Trivia
Either play a trivia board game (like Trivial Pursuit) or try an online trivia quiz and see which of you can get the highest score. You could take a quiz on any topic from world history to pop culture—and if you and your friends share some common interests, you could even come up with your own trivia questions and take turns quizzing each other. No matter how you decide to play a trivia game, the person who answers the most questions correctly wins! To make the trivia more challenging, set a time limit (5 to 10 seconds, for example) for each question. Add some fun stakes to the game by giving the winner a prize. You could make a trophy at home or get something small—like a gift card or dollar store toy.
Truth or Dare
Take turns asking one another questions. When it’s your turn, ask someone in the group: “Truth or dare?” If they say “truth,” ask them a question that they must answer truthfully, and if they say “dare,” dare them to do something risky or fun. Then, when someone else asks you “Truth or dare,” choose one of the options and do the prompt they give you! Truth examples: Are you crushing on someone right now? What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you? When was the last time you cried? Do you believe in aliens? Dare examples: Try to juggle 3 things that the group chooses. Make up a song about your favorite movie. Eat a spoonful of mustard. Impersonate everyone else in the room.
Would You Rather?
Write game questions on a piece of paper that begin with “Would you rather…” (like “Would you rather eat cake or pie?”). Let everyone in the group write a few down so there are questions from all of you on the paper. Then, take turns reading and answering each question, and see how you all answer the different prompts! Example questions include: Would you rather carry a flip phone or use a desktop computer? Would you rather only use Netflix or only use Hulu? Would you rather be an only child or have ten siblings? Would you rather eat spicy wings or bite into ice cream? Would you rather be allergic to chocolate or allergic to bread? Would you rather have a mansion or a private jet?
Never Have I Ever
Sit with everyone in a circle, hold up five fingers, and pick someone to go first. Whoever starts must say “Never have I ever” and then name something they haven’t done before. Anybody else in the circle who has done whatever they’re describing must put down a finger. Then, the next person in the circle must come up with their own phrase—and the game goes on. Once all your fingers are down, you’re out. The last person with fingers still up wins! Example “Never have I ever” phrases include: Never have I ever lived alone. Never have I ever broken a bone. Never have I ever sleepwalked. Never have I ever met a celebrity. Never have I ever broken the law. Never have I ever seen a ghost. Never have I ever been told I snore loudly.
Flashlight Tag
Make sure you have at least 3 players and several flashlights for this game! To start, choose one player to be “it.” They must chase the other players around (like a normal game of tag) and use a flashlight to try and tag them. You can play Flashlight Tag indoors or outdoors when it’s dark out—and once the person who’s “it” tags someone, that new person becomes “it.”
Spin the Bottle (Modified)
The old-school version of Spin the Bottle involves kissing people randomly, but there’s also a way to play without physical contact! Have everyone sit in a circle with a bottle in the middle (on its side). Take turns spinning the bottle—and whichever player it points to when it stops spinning can either answer a question of their choice or do something silly (like dancing or telling a quick story). If everyone in the group enjoys painting their nails, try playing Spin the Nail Polish! Set up several nail polish bottles on the floor around the spinner, and let the spinner determine which color you paint your nails.
The Floor is Lava
Play this game in a room with furniture that’s safe to step on! The goal is simply to cross the room without touching the floor (while pretending it’s made of lava). You could step from a couch to a coffee table or chair or toss couch cushions to try and make a safe path across the room. Be creative—but be sure to step carefully and ask permission before walking on the furniture. To create a challenge, try setting a timer. See who can get across the room fastest—or, alternatively, who can stay off the floor the longest.
Glow Stick Ring Toss
Ever heard of Ring Toss? This is an easy, fun version of the game. Simply twist several glow sticks into rings (using the connectors that come with them). Then, place two untwisted glow sticks into two empty drink bottles and place them a short distance away from each other. Turn off the lights, and take turns trying to toss your glow rings around the bottles! Make sure each player has the same number of glow rings. The winner is the first person to toss all their rings around a bottle!
Balloon Stomp
This game is totally simple—and hilarious! Fill balloons with things like confetti or paper scraps and give each player a balloon. Then, have all players stand in a circle; the goal of the game is to stomp on each other’s balloons without letting your balloon get crushed. The last player who still has a balloon wins the game!
Suck it Up
Give each player a straw and two plates: one with a bunch of Skittles (or M&Ms, whichever you prefer) on it and one that’s empty. Then, kick off the game! The goal is to try and move as many candies from one plate to the other using your straw (by sucking through the straw to grab each candy). The player who can move the most candies wins! You decide how long each player has to move their candies. You might set a one-minute time limit, 30 seconds, or another amount.
Flour Game
Start by shaping flour into a dome with a bowl. Then, place a small piece of candy on top of the flour dome. Have each player take turns slicing a bit of flour from the edge of the dome using a butter knife. The game ends when the piece of candy falls—and the winner is the last player to go before the person who made the candy fall! Plus, once the game is over, you have an excuse to eat some candy with your friends (so, really, everyone wins!)
Dance Competition
Dancing is tons of fun and fantastic exercise! Fill a playlist with your favorite dance tunes and set up a dance floor in a room with plenty of open space (like your living room, basement, or even your yard). Make sure there’s room for every guest to dance comfortably. Then, at the sleepover, have a friendly competition and vote on who can bust the best moves. To really set the mood at your dance party, you could also use decorations like string lights, streamers, glow sticks, and disco balls.
Limbo
To play limbo, grab a broomstick and get two volunteers to hold it horizontally above the ground at either end. Then, turn on some music and get the game started! Have each player take turns trying to limbo under the stick without touching it, falling over, or crouching—they have to bend backward and arch their back. After each round, lower the stick a little more. The last person standing wins the game! Make the game more interesting by playing Freeze Limbo! It’s like musical chairs, but you’re playing Limbo—every time the music stops, you have to freeze (even if you’re halfway under the Limbo bar!)
Guess the Song
Put together a playlist of the group’s favorite songs and split into teams (although you can still play with just two people). On each team’s turn, play out the first few seconds in a song (or recite a single lyric from somewhere in the song). That team must try to guess which song it is—and if they do, they get a point. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins! You could also play a version of the game where each team must try to finish a lyric instead of trying to guess the name of the song.
Card Games
All you need for this is a standard deck of cards! There are plenty of games you can play with cards, from Go Fish to Crazy Eights, Gin Rummy, Spoons, or SNAP. If not everyone knows the rules of a particular game, you can always teach them—or simply pick a game the entire group already knows well. There are also plenty of card-based party games to try, from Uno to Apples to Apples or Munchkin.
Board Games
If card games aren’t your thing, choose a few of your favorite board games to enjoy at the sleepover. Board games can be challenging and exciting, offering fun for hours at a time! They also test your problem-solving skills and ability to strategize. You could choose from board games like Monopoly, Checkers, Sorry!, The Game of Life, Clue, or Catan. EXPERT TIP Our Family Plays Games Our Family Plays Games Board Game Experts Our Family Plays Games, LLC is a family-owned business based in Omaha, Nebraska. Launched in 2018, their mission is to promote growth and awareness of the modern board game hobby and bring more BIPOCs and families into the board game community. In June 2020 they were featured on Good Morning America and have since been featured on NBC News Online, Senet Magazine (UK), Ligadas.com (Brazil), a variety of YouTube programs, podcasts, and on local television. In January of 2022, they launched a second program on their channel, called OFPG Voices to highlight other underrepresented voices in the hobby. In addition, they make special appearances at board game conventions all around the country and work with board game publishers from around the world. Our Family Plays Games Our Family Plays Games Board Game Experts Board games bring joy and connection. Board games are a great way for families and friends to spend time together, cultivating shared experiences and memories. We've even found community virtually through online board game nights on Zoom. If you are looking for something to do, dust off your favorite games!
Video Games
If you prefer video games to physical ones, there are plenty of games allowing more than one player you could enjoy during a sleepover! Choose a game you can easily play (meaning you have the console and equipment to play it) and get started. You could choose from games like Dance Dance Revolution, Just Dance, Super Mario Party, Mario Kart, and many more.
Scavenger Hunt
Are you trying to throw an active and adventurous sleepover? Set up a scavenger hunt with a series of challenges—either around the home or in the neighborhood (if it’s safe). Each challenge can involve tracking down a special item (like a type of flower or leaf, an object of a specific color, or some sort of candy). The first person to complete every challenge and find every item wins! For example, your scavenger hunt might have challenges like: Find a pinecone in the backyard. Find any item that’s red and rectangular. Find a map somewhere in the house. Snap a picture of a neighbor’s funny lawn decor. Take a picture of a cool bug in the garden. Find a piece of paper and make a paper airplane.
DIY Obstacle Course
Set aside a space at home that’s open enough for an obstacle course—maybe a yard, hallway, basement, or living room, for example. Then, find materials you can use to make obstacles, including pillows, chairs, blankets, and boxes. Design a DIY obstacle course with physical challenges; whoever completes the course fastest wins! Physical challenges could include jumping over cushions, crawling under tables, or using a jump rope for 15 seconds. You could also include some mental challenges, like successfully answering a trivia question or riddle.
Who Am I?
Put a piece of tape on each player’s forehead and write the name of a famous person or character on the tape—something the person with the piece of tape will likely be able to guess. Then, have everyone stand in a circle. One tape-wearer must ask “yes or no” questions; if the answer is “yes,” they can ask another question, and if it’s “no,” the next player with tape on their forehead gets to ask questions. With this game, the first person to correctly guess the name on their forehead wins! There’s also a different game called “Who Am I?” that can be a great get-to-know-you game. In that version, have each player write down 5 things about themselves on a piece of paper. Then, mix up the papers and have the players take turns reading them out loud and guessing who wrote which one.
Talent Show
Before the sleepover, ask every guest to think of a talent they’d love to show off, whether that means cracking jokes, doing cartwheels, belting out a karaoke song, or any other talent under the sun! It could be anything, as long as it’s one of their special talents. Then, put on a talent show and give everyone a chance to showcase their talent. There doesn’t have to be a winner since you’re all showing off talents—but if you wanted to, you could have everyone vote on the best act of the show.
Blindfolded Makeover
Pair up so that every player has a partner, and grab some makeup and a blindfold. Have one partner cover their eyes with the blindfold while the other sits in a chair; the blindfolded partner must attempt to apply the makeup (including eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick) as best they can within 5 minutes. When time is up, the team with the best makeover wins! Alternatively, you could have blindfolded players try to replicate a specific look with their partner, and the team with the best recreation wins the game.
Pajama Fashion Contest
Set up a “runway” in a hallway or the living room using a rug or blanket—basically, anywhere with open space. Then, have each sleepover guest take turns strutting down the runway in their best pair of pajamas. Tell them about the fashion contest before the sleepover so they can bring their most creative or unique outfits! You could hand out prizes for different categories, including “best matching set” or “comfiest pair of pajamas.”
DIY Costume Contest
Costume parties are tons of fun, and they don’t need to be expensive or intensive. Either ask guests to put together their own costumes based on whatever they have at home or set out some materials from them to make a costume at the sleepover. Come up with a theme, too—to help everyone come up with costume ideas! For example, your theme could be pirates, animals, superheroes, Star Wars, or cartoon characters. After the contest, hand out prizes for categories like “most creative costume,” “most accurate costume,” or “funniest costume.”
DIY Photo Booth
It’s easy enough to take photos with your phone, but you could also snap pictures with a Polaroid camera for that extra authenticity! For the “photo booth,” set out props (like hats, signs, or silly glasses) for each shot and a backdrop to take pictures in front of. Even if you can’t buy props, you could challenge guests to find items around the house to pose with. If you and the other sleepover guests have been friends for a while, you could also bring some old favorite photos to look at and reminisce about together—while making new memories with the photo booth!
Cupcake Decorating Contest
Set out plain cupcakes, frosting, and toppings (like sprinkles, candy, fruit, and edible sparkles). Then, let everyone decorate a cupcake and give a prize to the best entry! You could also decide on a theme—like decorating the cupcakes to represent your favorite TV show or animal. Try using a scorecard to give each participant points and keep track of how they did with their cupcake creations. Consider giving out multiple prizes, like best-looking cupcake, most creative design, or most toppings used.
Movie Marathon
Come up with a list of everyone’s favorite movies and start a movie marathon that lasts the whole night! Be sure to bring plenty of popcorn and other movie snacks, and snuggle up in your pajamas and sleeping bags to watch in comfort. If you want to turn it into a competition, see who can stay awake longest—or try not to be the first to fall asleep.
Pillow Fight
Give everyone at the sleepover a soft pillow, gather in an open area—and start throwing pillows at one another! This game is fun for all ages; just make sure you’re not getting too rough or playing in an area with furniture that someone could trip over. For a little extra fun, why not have everyone decorate their own blank pillowcase before the fight? Use fabric markers and other decor to create a unique pillowcase, then let the fight begin!
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