Planning Your Preteen Daughter's First Slumber Party

Most preteen girls never forget their first slumber party. What could be more fun than a night of laughing, pillow fights and long discussions about the cutest boy at school? The memories made during this special time make slumber parties something every young girl should experience at least once.

What can you as a parent do to guarantee your preteens slumber party will be a success? The best way to begin is with lots of planning. Get your daughter involved in the planning and have some fun!

Pick a Date and Time
Although the weekend is when most slumber parties usually happen, it's definitely not written in stone. With the lazy days of summer right around the corner, any night is fair game. Whenever you choose to have the party, be smart and give yourself ample time to organize the party.

Decide on a beginning and ending time for your preteens party and then stick to it. It's pretty much a given that the girls will not be getting much sleep. Therefore the time the party will end should be established ahead of time.

Pick a Theme
Allow your preteen to help you select a theme for the party. She will probably choose something that she is interested in such as her favorite music group, movies, etc. Once you've chosen a theme, you can really start to plan the big day.

Pick Your Guest Carefully
Now it's time to make a guest list for the slumber party. Keep in mind that too many guests can cause the party to get out of control rather quickly, especially with a house full of preteen girls. Play it smart and be sure that all the girls get along share the same interests.

Picking The Right Foods
If you have chosen to have a theme for your party, keep it in mind as you make the food choices for the party, Try to make your preteen feel special by allowing her to choose some of her favorite foods. Decide together which meals and what kind of snacks you want to serve. Once you've agreed on the choice of foods, write out your menu and grocery list.

Once you have bought all the necessary food and supplies, prepare as many of the foods ahead of time as possible. This will prevent extra stress as the big night arrives. Many foods can be frozen a week ahead of time. Other foods will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a few days..

Pick Your Sleeping Arrangements
Allow you preteen to help you decide how the guest will sleep. Would it be best to have everyone sleep in one room? Is your home large enough to have a separate space for some of the kids to sleep if the other girls decide to stay up and gab all night?

Time For Last Minute Preparations
On the day of the slumber party establish your ground rules. Remind your daughter that the rules are there to ensure a successful and fun time for everyone involved. You might want to discuss the house rules with the girls when they arrive. Hopefully, this will eliminate unnecessary problems later.

During The Party
Always try to keep your schedule handy. Try to encourage all the girls to get involved in each activity, and do your best to keep the activities moving along at a steady pace. If the girls have time to become bored it can definitely lead to trouble.

Unhappy Party Goers
If you think that one of the girls is being left out of the group or feeling homesick, try to lead her back to the group. Make sure that everyone includes her in their activities, even if that means pulling your own child aside for a discussion about manners and friendship.

The Party's Over
When your last guest has left for home and you've had a little time to regroup, sit down with your daughter and discuss the sleepover. Find out what she enjoyed and didn't enjoy about the experience. Try to get a feel as to what will make her next slumber party even better.

Slumber parties can be some of the most special times in your daughter's life. So plan a unique party that you preteen will remember for a very long time.