JUL 14|5 min read
When it’s cold outdoors, it’s time to bring the fun indoors!
It feels so much easier to plan activities for your little one during the warmer months. Winter means saying goodbye to all those picnics, parks, and beach days that usually fill school holidays. If you’ve already exhausted your local museums and play centres, it’s time to bring the fun to your own home.
Remember how exciting slumber parties were when you were a kid?
The eager anticipation in the week beforehand - planning all the fun games you were going to play, the snacks you were going to bring, and the movies you were going to rent? While a trip to the video store might be from a bygone era, your little ones will still love a classic sleepover.
Some little ones can find sleeping away from home daunting - make it easier on them by setting up a thoughtful place to rest. Shades of blue are perfect for encouraging a calm mind and make an ideal antidote to all that slumber party excitement. A sweet teepee will bring the fun of camping indoors, while also providing a dedicated relaxation zone.
If you’ve got a few friends staying the night, we love setting up a circle of sleeping bags. The circle style ensures the whole gang feels part of the fun, with no one getting left out - and no tiffs over who gets to sleep next to who!
Make the sleep space into an activity and assign the kids a very important job: building a blanket fort. Give them plenty of pillows and cushions to scatter about, a sheet or two, some pegs, and let their creativity run wild.
Create a soothing atmosphere with aromatherapy. Aroma Wash For Kids is enriched with dreamy lavender and chamomile essential oils. Mist the Room Spray over their blanket fort or sleeping bags for a calm sanctuary.
Set the perfect slumber party atmosphere with the right attire. Create the sleepover mood by encouraging everyone to get changed into their pyjamas early on in the evening - this works best when you join in the fun too! A fluffy robe will keep them cosy and comfy for all the fun ahead. We love bathrobes with a built-in hood to banish the winter chill.
If your crowd is dressed in their PJs but still need to burn off a little excess excitement, we recommend a classic pillow fight. Your backyard is the best spot for a skirmish, but living rooms work just as well if you’ve removed breakable items.
If dinner is done and there’s no sign of your little ones winding down for the night, now is the time to bust out the games. We love a rip-roaring round of Celebrity Heads - guessing the identity of each celeb gets everyone involved. If you have mini performers in your midst, karaoke is always a winner; set up YouTube on your TV and let everyone choose a lyric video to sing along to. Plus, a dance-off takes almost no organising - just a speaker and some groovy moves.
A time-honoured tradition - ending the evening with a few films. Let the kids run riot on a streaming service and get them to pick one or two fun movies to watch.
We love setting up a few of our flip-out sofas for movie time, as they give little ones the option to sit and watch or to lay down once they start getting sleepy.
Up the fun factor and give your sleepover a theme! We love picking a double feature to suit a party theme.
Don’t forget, a sleepover doesn’t truly end when the kids go to bed!
Get prepped for the next morning with a tasty breaky. The little ones are likely to be a bit bleary-eyed from a late night, so get them energised with an interactive breakfast.
Ask them to set the table with sweet plates and cups while you start cooking - or get them to shake up a bottle of pancake mix for you! They’ll have a blast choosing their toppings, and hopefully breakfast will keep them occupied until it’s pick-up time!