Sleepover Games

Sleepover games in the order of the night, from the doorbell to breakfast: press Pick 3 new games.

Sleepover Games

  1. Copy the Fruit Skewer Pattern1. An adult puts out bowls of cut fruit and blunt wooden sticks. 2. The adult builds one skewer in a pattern and shows it for five seconds, then hides it. 3. Guests build the same pattern from memory. 4. Compare. Everyone eats their own skewer sitting down, whatever the pattern came out as. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: cut fruit and blunt wooden sticks.
  2. Pajamas On in Three Minutes1. Everyone takes their overnight bag to a bedroom or a bathroom and shuts the door. 2. On go, change into pajamas, put the bag under your pillow and come back to the rug. 3. An adult counts down three minutes from the hallway. 4. Everyone back in time earns the first pick of a bedtime snack. Nobody is timed against anybody else. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  3. Pizza Faces, Guess the Chef1. An adult sets out small pizza bases with sauce, and bowls of toppings. 2. Each guest builds a face on a pizza and tells nobody which is theirs. 3. The adult bakes them and brings them out on one tray. 4. Guests guess whose face is whose before anyone eats. The adult handles the oven and the hot tray. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 25 min. Props: small pizza bases, sauce and toppings.

Next step Would you rather questions for kids

How it works

These games to play at a sleepover follow the night for three to eight children aged 7 to 12, from the first doorbell to pick-up. There are no dares, no pranks on a sleeping guest and no phone games.

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By the hour of the night

The All games menu follows the clock: When everyone arrives, Pajama, pillow and sleeping-bag games, Flashlight games before lights-out, Quiet games in the dark that end in sleep, then the craft table and the morning after.

Turning the volume down

More filters, the last entry of that menu, sorts by minutes and by noise. Lively is for the early evening, Quiet for after dinner, and Whisper keeps only the games played lying down with the lights out.

Tips
  • Run one whisper game after lights-out and stop there: each one is built to fade out by itself.

Questions and answers

What games can you play at a sleepover with no phones?

All of these. Early on, try Every Pillow in One Stack or Musical Sleeping Bags, Share to Stay In. After dark, Name the Walker by the Shadow needs one flashlight and a blank wall.

Are these slumber party games for girls or for boys?

For any group of friends aged 7 to 12. No game depends on who is playing, and none is about who likes whom.

What do you play at a sleepover when it is time to be quiet?

Choose Whisper. The Alphabet Whisper, Goodnight Round, Softer Each Time and Pass Two Taps Along the Sleeping Bags are played in sleeping bags with the lights out, and each gets quieter until it ends.

What can kids do the morning after a sleepover?

Guess the Pancake Shape runs through breakfast, Stray Sock Detective finds everything that was lost, and Tightest Bedroll Stands on End gets every sleeping bag packed before pick-up.

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All 46 games

When everyone arrives 7

  • Draw a Number for Your Sleeping Spot 1. Before the guests come, an adult numbers the sleeping spots with slips of paper. 2. Each guest draws a matching number from a bowl on arrival. 3. Two guests may swap if both agree. 4. Everyone lays out a sleeping bag on their number, so the question of who sleeps where is settled by luck before it starts. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: numbered slips and a bowl.
  • Evening Plan on Six Cards 1. An adult writes each part of the night on a card: games, dinner, a film, pajamas, a flashlight game, lights out. 2. The guests arrange the cards in the order they think is best. 3. Dinner and lights out are fixed by the adult. The rest is theirs to decide. 4. Tape the cards to the wall, and move a clothespin down the list as the night goes on. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: cards, tape and a clothespin.
  • First Photo, Faces Called by Card 1. The guests line up on the sofa for the first photo of the night. 2. An adult holds up a card for each shot: surprised, sleepy, fierce, proud. 3. Everyone makes that face and holds it. 4. Take four photos. In the morning, take the same four and compare. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: four face cards and a camera.
Show all 46 games (43 more)

When everyone arrives, continued

  • House Rules Poster, One Silly Rule Each 1. An adult writes three real rules on a big sheet: which rooms are open, where shoes go, when lights go out. 2. Each guest adds one silly rule that harms nobody: "Say good evening to the cat." 3. Everyone signs the poster. 4. The silly rules count all night. Anyone who spots one being broken gets to ring a bell. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a large sheet, markers and a bell.
  • Pajamas On in Three Minutes 1. Everyone takes their overnight bag to a bedroom or a bathroom and shuts the door. 2. On go, change into pajamas, put the bag under your pillow and come back to the rug. 3. An adult counts down three minutes from the hallway. 4. Everyone back in time earns the first pick of a bedtime snack. Nobody is timed against anybody else. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • The Toys Check In at the Front Desk 1. The host child sits behind a table as the hotel clerk, with a notebook. 2. Each guest brings a soft toy to the desk and answers for it: its name, what it eats for breakfast, when it likes to be woken. 3. The clerk writes it all down and hands over a paper room key. 4. At breakfast, the clerk reads the wake-up orders back. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a notebook, a pencil and paper keys.
  • Whose Toothbrush? 1. Every guest drops a toothbrush, still in its travel case or wrapper, into one cup. 2. The host child holds one up. 3. The others guess whose it is and say why: the color, the case, the stickers. 4. The owner claims it. After the last one, the toothbrushes are lined up by the sink with name labels. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: a cup and sticky labels.

Pajama, pillow and sleeping-bag games 8

  • Blanket Burrito, Roll In and Out 1. Lay a blanket flat on a carpet with space all around it. 2. One player lies along one edge, arms by their sides, and rolls up in it with their head out. 3. Then they roll back out. A buddy stands by to stop them at the edge of the carpet. 4. Time each roll in and out. The neatest burrito also gets a cheer. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a blanket and a timer.
  • Bounce the Bear on a Blanket 1. Everyone holds the edge of a blanket, pulled tight, with a soft toy in the middle. 2. On three, lift together to bounce the toy into the air and catch it on the blanket. 3. Count the bounces before it falls off. 4. Beat the count, then add a second toy. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: a blanket and a soft toy.
  • Every Pillow in One Stack 1. Collect every pillow and cushion the adults allow. 2. Together, the guests stack one tower as tall as they can. 3. It must stand alone for a count of ten. 4. Measure it against the tallest guest, then try to beat it with a different stacking order. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: pillows and cushions.
  • Musical Sleeping Bags, Share to Stay In 1. Lay the sleeping bags flat in a ring and play music while everyone walks around them. 2. When the music stops, each player sits on a bag. 3. Take one bag away each round, but nobody goes out: players share the bags that are left. 4. The game ends when the whole group fits on one bag, or laughs too much to try. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 4 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: sleeping bags and music.
  • Pillow Balanced on Your Head, There and Back 1. Clear a path across the room. 2. Each player balances a pillow on their head and walks to the far wall and back with their hands behind their back. 3. A pillow that falls goes back on where it landed. 4. Then try it backward, and then with a soft toy on top of the pillow. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: a pillow each.
  • Slipper Curling to the Rug 1. On a smooth floor, mark a target with a folded towel. 2. From a line, each player slides one slipper along the floor with a push, never a throw. 3. The slipper that stops nearest the towel scores. 4. Play six rounds. A slipper that knocks another one closer counts for the slipper that was knocked. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a slipper each and a towel.
  • The Slowest Pillow Fight Ever 1. Two players face each other on a carpet, each holding a pillow. 2. They act out a pillow fight in the slowest slow motion they can manage. No pillow may actually touch anyone. 3. The others judge the acting: the swing, the dodge, the dramatic fall onto a sleeping bag. 4. Any fast move ends the turn. New pairs until everyone has performed. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 4 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: two pillows.
  • Ten Soft Toys Into One Pillowcase 1. Pile soft toys in the middle of the room, ten for each team. 2. Teams of two get one pillowcase. One holds it open and the other stuffs. 3. On go, pack in ten toys, then hold the pillowcase up closed. 4. Swap jobs for a second round. Add up both times. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 4 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: pillowcases and soft toys.

Flashlight games before lights-out 7

  • A Circle of Light for Ten Seconds 1. One player holds a flashlight steady on a spot on the floor. 2. In turn, each guest steps into the light and does anything at all for ten seconds: a bow, a robot walk, a line from a song. 3. Stepping in and bowing is enough. 4. The audience claps in silence, by waving both hands. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a flashlight.
  • Find Your Own Name Card by Flashlight 1. An adult hides a card with each guest's name on it around one room, each with a corner showing. 2. Turn the lights down. Every guest has a flashlight. 3. Players search for their own name only. A card with another name is left where it is, without a word. 4. A player who has found theirs sits on their sleeping bag and shines the light at the ceiling. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: name cards and a flashlight each.
  • Name the Walker by the Shadow 1. One player sits facing a blank wall. 2. Behind them, an adult shines a flashlight at the wall, and the others walk through the beam one at a time, sideways on. 3. The player names each shadow. 4. Walkers may change their shape with a hood, a pillow or a funny walk. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 4 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a flashlight.
  • One Blink for Yes, Two for No 1. One player thinks of an animal and holds a flashlight under a blanket. 2. The others ask questions that can be answered yes or no. 3. The answers come only as blinks through the blanket: one for yes, two for no, three for "sometimes". 4. Whoever names the animal goes under the blanket next. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a flashlight and a blanket.
  • One Sweep of the Beam, Then Remember 1. An adult sets ten things on a table in a dark room: a slipper, a spoon, a toy car. 2. One slow sweep of a flashlight passes over them, and the light goes off. 3. Each guest whispers to a partner as many of the ten as they can recall. 4. A second sweep checks the answers. Then one thing is taken away for the next round. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: ten small things and a flashlight.
  • Red Thing, Blue Thing by Flashlight 1. Turn the lights down. One player is the caller. 2. The caller names a color. 3. Everyone sweeps a flashlight around the room to find something of that color and holds the beam on it. 4. The caller checks each one, then passes the job on. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: a flashlight each.
  • Tape Arrow Trail in a Dark Hallway 1. While the guests wait in one room, an adult sticks ten paper arrows along a hallway and into the rooms that are open, low on the walls. 2. Lights down. The guests follow the trail together with one flashlight, taking turns to hold it. 3. The last arrow points at a bowl with something small for everyone. 4. Walking only, and stairs are not part of the trail. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: ten paper arrows, tape and a flashlight.

Quiet games in the dark that end in sleep 9

  • The Alphabet Whisper 1. Lights out, everyone in their sleeping bags. 2. The first player whispers a word that starts with A. The next whispers a B word, and so on around the room. 3. Each word must be softer than the one before. 4. By the middle of the alphabet nobody can hear the words, and that is the end of the game. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
  • Fifty Down to Zero, a Number a Whisper 1. Starting at fifty, players count backward around the room, one number each, in a whisper. 2. Leave a slow breath between numbers. 3. A player who yawns passes their turn without a word. 4. If the counting stops before zero, the game has worked. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
  • Goodnight Round, Softer Each Time 1. The first player says "Goodnight" and the name of the player on their left, in a normal voice. 2. That player says goodnight to the next, a little more softly. 3. The goodnight goes around and around the room, softer on every lap. 4. When it is too quiet to hear, it has done its job. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Hum in the Dark, Whisper the Guess 1. One player hums a few bars of a tune everyone knows, as quietly as they can. 2. The others whisper a guess to the room. 3. The first right whisper hums next. 4. A hum that nobody can hear counts as a win for the hummer, who then says goodnight. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
  • Left Foot Says One Thing, Right Foot the Other 1. An adult, or one player, whispers a choice of two: mountains or beach, pancakes or waffles. 2. Everyone answers inside their sleeping bag, by wiggling the left foot for the first or the right foot for the second. 3. Nobody can see anyone else's answer, and that is the joke. 4. After ten choices, each player whispers the one question they most want the answer to at breakfast. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: a list of this-or-that pairs.
  • Night Noises of the House, a New One Each 1. Everyone lies still and listens for one minute. 2. In turn, each player whispers one sound they can hear: the refrigerator, a car outside, the heating. 3. No sound may be named twice. 4. A player who cannot find a new sound whispers "goodnight" and listens on. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: none.
  • Pass Two Taps Along the Sleeping Bags 1. Lay the sleeping bags close enough that each player can reach the next. 2. The first player gently taps the next sleeping bag twice. 3. The taps travel around the room in silence. 4. When they come back, the first player sends three taps. A lap that does not come back means someone has fallen asleep, and the game is over. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Place a Dream Order 1. In turn, each player whispers a dream they would like to order, in one sentence: "I am flying over a city made of bread." 2. The player on their right adds one detail. 3. No scary orders: the kitchen is closed for nightmares. 4. At breakfast, anyone who remembers a dream reports whether the order arrived. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: none.
  • Three Best Bits, Whispered 1. Each player thinks of the three best moments of the evening. 2. In turn, whisper one. 3. Go around three times, with no moment repeated. 4. The host child goes last and whispers a thank-you to each guest by name. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 6 min. Props: none.

Kitchen and craft-table games an adult sets up 8

  • Copy the Fruit Skewer Pattern 1. An adult puts out bowls of cut fruit and blunt wooden sticks. 2. The adult builds one skewer in a pattern and shows it for five seconds, then hides it. 3. Guests build the same pattern from memory. 4. Compare. Everyone eats their own skewer sitting down, whatever the pattern came out as. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: cut fruit and blunt wooden sticks.
  • Decorate the Cookie the Card Says 1. An adult bakes plain round cookies ahead and sets out icing and a few toppings. 2. Each guest draws a card with a thing on it: an owl, a moon, a slipper. 3. In five minutes, decorate a cookie to look like it. 4. The others guess what each cookie is. A cookie nobody can guess is called modern art. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 12 min. Props: plain cookies, icing, toppings and picture cards.
  • Door Hanger for a Champion Sleeper 1. Cut a door hanger shape from card for each guest. 2. In ten minutes, write and decorate a sign for your own sleeping spot, such as "Quiet: champion sleeper at work". 3. Hold a showing. 4. Each sign gets a title from the group, and all of them hang by the sleeping bags. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 12 min. Props: card, scissors and markers.
  • Five Craft Scraps, One Invention 1. Fill a paper bag for each guest with five scraps: a cardboard tube, a rubber band, a button, foil and a paper cup. 2. In ten minutes, build an invention from all five. Tape is free. 3. Each inventor explains in two sentences what it does. 4. The group gives every invention a different award. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 15 min. Props: a bag of five craft scraps each and tape.
  • Fold a Fortune Teller of Kind Fortunes 1. An adult shows how to fold a square of paper into a fortune teller. 2. Each guest folds one and writes eight kind fortunes inside: "Someone will save you the last pancake." 3. Pair up and tell each other's fortunes. 4. Swap partners until everyone has had a fortune from every teller. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 15 min. Props: squares of paper and pens.
  • Pizza Faces, Guess the Chef 1. An adult sets out small pizza bases with sauce, and bowls of toppings. 2. Each guest builds a face on a pizza and tells nobody which is theirs. 3. The adult bakes them and brings them out on one tray. 4. Guests guess whose face is whose before anyone eats. The adult handles the oven and the hot tray. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 25 min. Props: small pizza bases, sauce and toppings.
  • Roll for Scoops at the Snack Bar 1. An adult sets out six bowls of snack ingredients, numbered 1 to 6, each with a small spoon. 2. Each guest holds a cup and rolls a die five times. 3. Each roll adds one spoonful from the bowl with that number. 4. Nobody knows what mix they will get. Trades are allowed afterward. The adult chooses what goes in the bowls. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: six bowls of snack ingredients, a die and a cup each.
  • The Waiter Remembers Every Warm Drink 1. One guest is the waiter and takes everyone's order for a warm drink without writing it down: cocoa or warm milk, marshmallows or none, big mug or small. 2. The waiter repeats the orders to the adult in the kitchen. 3. The adult makes them exactly as reported and carries the tray. 4. One point to the waiter for each drink that reaches the right guest. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: drinks made by an adult.

Morning-after games before pick-up 7

  • Draw Last Night, Guess the Moment 1. Give each guest paper and a pencil at the breakfast table. 2. In three minutes, draw one moment from last night without any words. 3. Pass the drawings to the left. 4. Each guest says which moment they think they are holding, and the artist answers. The drawings go home with the guests. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: paper and pencils.
  • Guess the Pancake Shape 1. An adult at the stove pours each pancake in a shape: a letter, a fish, a mitten. 2. The pancake arrives at the table on a plate. 3. Guests guess the shape. The guest who is right eats it, or passes it to someone who has not had one. 4. Each guest may order one shape. The cook decides what counts as a fish. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 15 min. Props: pancakes made by an adult.
  • One Thank-You Card, Signed Before the Doorbell 1. An adult folds a big sheet of card. 2. The guests have until the first doorbell to turn it into one thank-you card for the host family. 3. Everyone draws one thing they liked and signs it. 4. Present it when the first grown-up arrives. If the doorbell wins, finish it on the doorstep. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: a large sheet of card and markers.
  • Sleepyhead Stretch, Copy the Slowest Mover 1. Everyone stands in a circle, still in pajamas. 2. One player leads a stretch in very slow motion: reach for the ceiling, fold like a towel, roll the shoulders. 3. The others copy at exactly the same speed. 4. The leader changes every thirty seconds. Anyone moving too fast is sent back to bed, for three seconds. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 5 min. Props: none.
  • Stray Sock Detective 1. Everyone searches the sleepover room for things that belong to nobody yet: a sock, a hair tie, a soft toy under the sofa. 2. All finds go on one towel. 3. Hold each one up. The owner claims it, or the group works out whose it is. 4. The player who returns the most things is the detective of the morning. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a towel.
  • Tightest Bedroll Stands on End 1. Each guest rolls their own sleeping bag as tightly as they can. 2. Tie it with its cords or a scarf. 3. Stand every roll on end in a row. 4. A roll that stands for a count of ten passes. The narrowest standing roll wins, and every bag is ready to go home. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: a sleeping bag each.
  • Zip Up and Clear Out, by Checklist 1. An adult writes a checklist of five jobs: sleeping bag rolled, pajamas packed, toothbrush found, pillow on the bag, spot swept clear. 2. Each guest ticks the jobs off on their own strip of paper. 3. A buddy checks each finished list. 4. When every strip is full, the whole group has won, and the first game of the morning can start. Ages: 7 to 12. Players: 3 to 8. Time: 10 min. Props: checklist strips and pencils.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-03 for a sleepover of three to eight children aged 7 to 12, in our own words. The games are ordered by the hour of the night. Player ranges and minutes are our estimates. There are no dares, no pranks on a sleeping guest, no phone games and nothing about who likes whom. An adult runs anything with an oven, a stove or a hot drink. No facts are stated, so nothing was checked against an outside source. Licence: own work