School is out, and summer is here; which means for months your kids are going to be asking for activities to entertain themselves.
When all of the water balloons are popped and family vacation is over, next on the list is friends, friends, and more friends.
Especially when your child reaches the tween years, hanging out with friends becomes a necessity, right up there with going to the mall and updating your status.
So, what does every girl want to do on summer weekends? Sleepovers, of course!
Staying up late gossiping, talking about boys, and playing with makeup while eating junk food is a timeless tradition.
As a mom, when you agree to a sleepover, you kind of expect a night like you had during your slumber party years.
To make sure you keep the girls indoors, safe and sound, while maintaining your sanity from the incessant giggling, there are a few old school games you can introduce.
Try to explain, and promote, the games before the guests arrive, because you know how easily embarrassed young girls are.
Plus, if the games are brought up by the host daughter then they may be more appealing than a mom saying they are “cool.”
Truth or Dare
Nearly everyone pre-1990 has played this game, and can recite the rules even today. You ask the person of your choosing to pick either “truth” or “dare.”
Picking “truth” means that when you are asked a question you have to answer it truthfully. Making it embarrassing or revealing is usually the goal.
An example would be, “Do you have a crush on Brandon from math class?” And then they would have to reveal the secret crush with a truthful answer.
Dares should be something they can do inside the house, and is not dangerous or harmful. A good example would be to dare the person to go in the middle of the living room and sing their favorite song, or drink some lemon juice.
Make sure to talk with your daughter about how to keep the game respectable and within appropriate boundaries.
Makeovers
Wearing makeup is a fun pastime for many young girls. Get several different colors of various makeup types for the girls to experiment with.
Have each girl do a friend’s makeup so they all get a chance to be involved and try new things.
After everyone is all dolled up, have them get together for a group photo. They will certainly cherish this photo down the road, and have a good laugh when they see how far their makeup applying skills have come.
Manicures and Pedicures
Who doesn’t like a mani/pedi? Have several colors picked out in advance for the girls to choose from.
Also, you can go to the dollar store to get files, clippers, buffers, and other manicure essentials to give them a more authentic experience.
The girls can give each other manicures and pedicures in all or one of the colors. Encourage them to have fun with designs, and not to worry about it being perfect. That’s why there is nail polish remover.
Telephone
Although, this game has lost some steam in recent years, it is always hilarious when you decide to play it.
It’s a simple game where you begin a sentence or phrase in one person’s ear, and they have to relay that same message to the next person, and so forth until everyone has been whispered the message.
The comedic value comes in when the last person is asked to say aloud what they heard. It will inevitably be a warped version of the original.
Starting with a genuine secret or funny phrase makes the game more interesting, and every girl will sure be echoing giggles when it is through.
Crafts
I’m not talking about whipping out the Bedazzler here, unless you still have one, but some markers and maybe paint will do.
Tweens love to doodle. They doodle their crushes on their notebook, they scribble designs, and they write their friends names on everything.
Channel this creative side into a structured activity they enjoy like decorating pillowcases, or cell phone covers; let’s face it, most of them will have a cell phone by this age.
Providing games that are innocent in nature, and require no digital interference will help keep sleepovers at your house safer.
Conversation and content review will hopefully be safe for their impressionable and vulnerable minds and bodies if they aren’t spending the whole time together on the phone or computer.
And it helps that these games are legitimately fun. Girls have been enjoying them for decades, so there is no reason to stop now.
Having a plan when loud and energetic girls come over helps to funnel the chaos and laughter that is sure to ensue.
Make your house a safe and memorable one for your daughter and her friends by bringing in the classics and letting girls be girls.
(h/t Mommy Underground)