“Please don’t embarrass me, Mom.” Your son is pleading with you to show him mercy at his sleepover. He has invited all of his friends and he wants cool games that are appropriate for a boy’s sleepover. From parent to parent, I know how you are feeling. But don’t worry. These boy-approved games are sure to keep the attention of your son and his friends throughout the sleepover.
What kid doesn’t like to hunt for buried treasures? This time the treasure is real. Let the kids dress up as pirates. Bury a treasure beforehand and create maps and clues for the kids to use to discover the treasure. The clues could also be smaller treasures, somewhat like a scavenger hunt, except the kids get to keep everything they find after using it as a clue to the next. The last item will be the final clue to the location of the buried treasure. This can be done outside or in. If it’s outside, be sure that this is one of the first sleepover games so that the kids are not annoying the neighbors.
This has long been a favorite game of children. If your backyard is set up for it, build a campfire and have the kids circle it for the ghost stories, just like a camp-out. Another option is to turn out all the lights in the house and sit in front of the fireplace or around a candle. Take turns telling each other haunted tales. Parents can join in on this game too if the boys dare allow it. Perhaps they will be too scared of that notion. “Bwahaha!” Tell ghost stories after it’s dark, like later in the night during the sleepover. This adds to the scary effect.
A little video game time in moderation can be a fun way to pass the time. During the sleepover, group the boys in teams for a video game tournament. Be sure each team player gets a turn against the players on the other team. An easy way to make sure everyone plays is to pair up who will play against each other. Tally up the score by how many players from each team has the highest score from the round they played. Whichever team has the most members with the highest score is the winning team. This is a good game for any time during the sleepover.
Glow Football
Many boys both young and old enjoy a game of football or even just playing catch. Try playing it at night. Before the game, paint the football with glow-in-the-dark paint and chalk the yard with glow-in-the-dark chalk. Give each player a shirt with glow-in-the-dark designs. This makes it easier to play the game in the dark. It also creates a cool effect that the boys are not used to seeing with football. That’s what makes this football game stand out to the boys. This is a good game to do right when it just starts getting dark, rather than further into the sleepover. This helps keep the neighbors happy.
Glowing Distance and Obstacle Jumping
Boys love daring each other to do things. Set up a running long-jump area, as well as an area with obstacles to jump over. Paint the obstacles with glow-in-the-dark paint and use glow-in-the-dark chalk for the jumping lines. The boys will enjoy challenging each other, especially in the dark with the cool light-up effects of the glowing paint and chalk. Because this can get noisy, this game should be done near the beginning of the sleepover, so as not to disturb the neighbors late at night.
