Hosting a sleepover checklist
Most of a sleepover going well is set up before anyone arrives: where they sleep, what they eat, and what happens if someone wants to go home.
18 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Guest list agreed with your own child, and numbers confirmed with parents
- Allergies, dietary needs and any medication collected in writing from every parent
- Emergency contact number for each child, saved somewhere it'll actually be checked
- Pickup and drop-off times agreed and shared with everyone
- Sleeping space set up in advanceSort who's on the sofa bed and who's on the floor before anyone arrives, not once they're all overtired.
- Sleeping bags or spare duvets×6
- Pillows, more than you think you own×6
- Screen or film cutoff agreed in advanceDecide it before the night, not at 11pm with six overtired children arguing about one more episode.
- Food planned for dinner, a snack later, and breakfast
- A proper non-alcoholic drink option, since squash alone runs out fast
- Toothbrushes or spares, since somebody always forgets theirs×3
- Nightlight or a landing light left on, for anyone not used to a strange house
- A quiet space set aside for anyone who gets overwhelmedEven children who wanted to come can find a full house a lot by 10pm.
- Plan agreed with parents for a child wanting to go home earlyKeep it low-key if it happens — making it a bigger deal embarrasses them more than the pickup itself.
- Games or an activity planned for the early evening, before everyone's tired
- Breakables and anything precious moved out of the main play area beforehand
- Something for the morning after — cartoons or a quiet activity while breakfast happens
- A way of returning any stray belongingsA single bag by the door for lost socks and toys saves a week of messages afterwards.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What's the one thing to check with parents before the night?
- Allergies and any medication, in writing, along with a number that will actually be answered. Ask it directly rather than assuming it would have been mentioned.
- What if a child wants to go home partway through?
- Agree in advance with parents that it's fine, and keep it low-key when it happens. Making it a bigger deal than it is embarrasses the child far more than the early pickup itself.
- How late should screens or films run?
- Later than a normal school night, but agree the cutoff before the night starts rather than negotiating it at 11pm with six overtired children.