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Slumber party guide

Kids in pajamas hanging out.

Whether you're hosting a sleepover for your friends or your kids and their pals, there's something special about slumber parties! Late-night snacks, chats and movies...what's not to love? We've got tips and ideas so you can plan the slumber party of your dreams.

Invitations

Start planning your slumber party by sending out an Evite invitation, like the Premium “PJs & Pancakes” invitation below, a Premium tent sleepover invitation or a free “Sleepover Soiree” invitation. Check out these other sleepover party designs for more options.

Decorations

Elaborate decorations aren't a must, but space is! So push back the furniture and make way for the sleeping bags! Gather extra pillows so guests are comfy on the floor while watching movies or playing games. String lights around the room to create a cozy, relaxed vibe that's perfect for watching movies or telling spooky stories. If your sleepover is for kids, you can even leave the string lights on to double as a nightlight.

Tips

Sleepovers can be a lot of work, especially if you're watching a lot of kids! If you want to ease some of the load off your plate, set the start time that cuts down on your to-do list. For an older child’s sleepover, starting at 8 PM means you don't have to worry about providing dinner for the kids. For younger kids, start earlier so that any kids who don't want to stay overnight can get picked up at bedtime.

Make sure you have parents' phone numbers and know all guests' allergy or medication info. If guests haven't been to your home before, make sure you or your child (they're also hosting!) show everyone where they can put their sleeping bags and where the bathroom is, give them a towel and let them know that they can ask you to call their parents anytime if they need to.

If the weather's warm and your guests are up for anything, consider having a campout in a tent in the backyard or back porch!

Activities

When it comes to slumber parties, you snooze, you lose! Keep the kids busy until the wee hours with this tried-and-true list of sleepover to-dos:

  • Put on a movie (for young kids, preferably a comedy; for older kids, preferably a horror movie starring a drool-worthy heartthrob)
  • Have a sleeping bag race, where kids have to wriggle across the floor in their bags to the finish line
  • Make up a line dance to a hit song
  • Put on a “news report” that you tape
  • Have a pillow fight
  • Decorate provided plain pillowcases with fabric markers
  • Play board games
  • Play charades
  • Give each other makeovers
  • Play “Truth or Dare”
  • Ask the Ouija board whose crush will be reciprocated
  • Tell ghost stories

If you're planning a sleepover for adults, you can still do the above activities, but here are a few more to add to your list:

  • Have a spa night: manis, pedis, sheet masks are just some options.
  • Have a movie or show marathon. This is perfect if everyone is in the mood for a very chill night.
  • Make your own cocktails and enjoy them with snacks

Food

Snacks are a must for any slumber party. If you do decide to do dinner, order a pizza or have the kids make mac ‘n’ cheese. When they pop the movie in, bring out the popcorn and theater candy faves like Milk Duds® and Junior Mints®. Later, let the kids make microwave s’mores or Rice Krispies Treats®, or pile scoops of ice cream in bowls and top them with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and a maraschino cherry to create super-duper sundaes. The above are completely applicable for adults (especially if you want to have a "throwback" kind of sleepover), but having cheese, crackers, and crudités are great options.

Keep breakfast the following morning simple: you can't go wrong with donuts or a bagel bar. If you're going for a fancier breakfast, pancakes, French toast, and waffles with eggs and bacon are classic. Your guests (kids or adult) might want to help with the cooking as well!

Drinks

For kids, have plenty of soda and juice on hand, but later on, whip up a pot of hot chocolate with a dollop of marshmallow crème on top for a sippable pre-slumber treat that's yummy for breakfast the next morning too!

Hot Chocolate (serves 4)

  • 8 cups milk
  • 6 ounces chocolate chips
  • Dash of salt

Heat the milk and chocolate chips over medium-low heat in a large saucepan, stirring until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth and heated through. Add salt and serve.

For adults, wine, cocktails and sparkling water are go-tos. And who says grown-ups wouldn't want some hot chocolate?

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Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than other signup tools:

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  • Automatic reminders and notifications: Stay on top of your event with automated reminders and notifications for you and your participants. Perfect for busy parents, teachers and anyone juggling multiple commitments.
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Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!

What is a SignUp Sheet?

Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.

Evite SignUp Sheets offers parents, teachers and event planners customizable online forms that organizers and volunteers can access and update effortlessly. Volunteers can choose their preferred time slots, sign up for tasks or indicate what they'll bring to the event. It only takes organizers a few minutes to create a signup sheet and send it out with a shareable link, so they can get the word out via text, email or social media—whichever way they prefer! 

Long story short, SignUp Sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.

How do I create a SignUp Sheet?

Creating a signup sheet has never been easier than with Evite! Here’s how to create a sheet that’s sure to make your event an absolute success:

  1. Go to Evite SignUp Sheets and choose the template that best fits your needs. Evite offers multiple signup sheet templates perfect for every occasion, including:
    • Signup sheets for one day events (without different time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing a class party, potluck or end-of-season party.
    • Signup sheets for single or multiple day events (with time slots), perfect for when you’re organizing concession stand volunteers, fundraisers, parent-teacher conferences, meal train, post-game snack duty or during appreciation week.
  1. After selecting your sheet template, create a title for your signup sheet and add the date, the location, the time (if applicable), who the organizer is, the organizer’s phone number or email and an optional note describing the event to your volunteers. You can also change your signup sheet background and title image if you wish!
  1. Next, create slots for your signup sheet. If you aren’t logged into your account, you will need to do so at this point, but luckily, you can use your existing Evite account (no need to create yet another login!). What you’ll include here will depend on what your event needs, but you can include a list of what’s needed (along with optional descriptions), how many volunteers are needed, and dates and times.
  1. After creating your slots, you can then add a wish list from any retailer or include supply suggestions from Evite’s retailer partners. These are to help your volunteers find and purchase supplies quickly and easily.
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What information should be included on a SignUp Sheet?

When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:

  1. A title for your signup sheet. Tip: Aim to keep your signup sheet title concise but clear. You want volunteers to read it and have a general understanding of what your event is about, and also make it easy for them to look for later if they need to reference your sheet again. You have the option to include a more descriptive note in a different field about your event, so save the more in-depth details for that!
  1. When and where the event is taking place. 
  1. The organizer’s name and phone number.
  1. Slots for volunteers to choose from. Once you choose the SignUp Sheets template that fits the occasion, the slots you’ll need for your sheet will be right there and ready for you to add the relevant info, such as dates, times, items to bring and tasks to complete. 

When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!

Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!

What are the benefits of using a SignUp Sheet template?

Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:

  • A 100% free experience (no subscriptions required!).
  • Shareable links for quick and easy sharing.
  • No need to create another login—you can use your existing Evite account.
  • The option to add a wish list to help your volunteers out.
  • Automatic reminders—we’ll remind everyone on your behalf.
  • An easy-to-use experience with eye-catching guided templates.
  • Clean, modern designs with no pop-up ads.

With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.

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