How to Plan a Themed Slumber Party for a Boy

Your little guy is all about race cars. Every place he goes, he packs along a bag of his favorite vehicles and drives them along the arm of the seat in the car or on the chair in the waiting room or even along the grocery aisles. He uses boxes and cans as ramps and obstacles. At the house, you find drawers open with rulers taped to them to make roads and bridges. Life has become a raceway. Several of your son's friends are into cars as well, and he is begging to have a full-blown sleepover. The thought of tying cars into the event seems daunting. However, with a little creativity any theme can become a true adventure if you follow the steps below. Let's look at where you should begin if you are trying to play a themed sleepover for boys.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Creativity
• Cardboard boxes from a furniture store
• A nearby dollar store
• Resourcefulness

1. Decide the theme for your party. Do you want to focus on a certain thing (cars, space ships, action figures or cowboys) or do you want to focus on a favorite television show or movie or do you want to simply focus on a certain style (hippie, rock-n-roll, country, among others)? Try to narrow your theme down as much as possible so that you are not overwhelmed as you plan. Be sure your child is totally sold out on the theme idea. There's nothing worse than an unhappy host.
2. Make a schedule of the evening's events starting with the arrival of the guests and ending with the guests walking out your door to go home. As the guests arrive they should be given something that lets them know what to expect during the evening as well as what the rules are for the party. If you don't want balls thrown inside the house, be sure to include that in your list of rules. You will have a much more enjoyable evening if you set boundaries before the guests arrive. This schedule will allow you to divide up the evening into manageable increments, and it will let the boys know what is going to happen next.
3. Decide how you want to decorate. Boxes can become almost anything--cars, tree stumps, space ships, horses, dog houses or whatever you desire. Use off-the-wall items in your house and garage to set the mood. Fishing line with gummy worms hanging on it can be strung between doorways for fishing themed party. Hubcaps can be hung at a race car party.
4. Decide what snacks you will be serving. It is fun to have snacks that go with your theme. A race car party could have donuts called “Tantalizing Tires,” pretzels called “Twisted Tracks,” a fruit and vegetable tray called the “Healthy Pit Stop.” Be creative. Use dishes to serve the snacks that represent the theme. For a dog themed party, buy inexpensive dog food dishes to serve snacks in. For a fishing themed party buy inexpensive tackle boxes to place chips in. The kids will never forget the fun ways you serve food.
5. Choose craft supplies or games that fit the theme of the party. Most any game can fit a given theme with a little creativity or just a name change. For example, “Duck, duck, goose” can easily become “Truck, truck, car.” Hide and Seek can become “Where's the puppy?” Crafts can easily fit a theme. Allow the kids to make dog collars with beads and cardboard strips. The ideas are endless, but the more you can bring your theme into the games and crafts, the more the kids will love it.
6. Send out invitations. Here's your chance to really set the theme up. Make the invitation coordinate with the theme. If you are having a race car party, send out invitations in the shape of a wheel or car door or something catchy. Ask the guests to bring their favorite item that goes with the theme. In some cases, you may even ask the guests to dress a certain way. The more fun you make it sound, the more excited the boys will become about the party.

Tips & Warnings

• Look through magazines, on the Internet and in books for ideas, crafts and recipes. You will be amazed how your mind starts spinning with fun things to do.
• Don't try to have the party too quickly. Wait until you have pulled together all of your fun plans so that you can throw the party of your son's dreams. You'll feel more organized and relaxed if you are well-prepared.
• Don't get carried away and spend lots of money. The boys are going to remember more about how much fun they had than they are about how much you invested in the party.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Maybe another mom or two wants to help you plan the party. You never know, you may have a new friend by the time the party is over.

Who Can Help:

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