How To Throw A Faux Slumber Party Birthday

If your school has ever hosted pajama day, you know how wild kids are for facing the world in clothes usually reserved for bedtime. So why not parlay that kind of fun to your little one's next birthday party? Tell guests to come in their favorite jammies and slippers, decorate with sweet dreams in mind, serve a menu of nighttime (well, anytime) favorites, and no one will notice or care if the sun is shining outside.

Décor

It doesn't have to be dark to play up the slumber party theme. Just do the following:

• Decorate the floor of the party room with pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals. Guests can also bring sleeping bags, if they'd like.

• Cut out as many large cardboard stars as there are party attendees. Set up a craft table with pens and stickers, let kids decorate the stars, then hang them in the party space. 

Tip: Hang string from the ceiling before the party starts so you don't have to do it mid-party. Let the birthday boy or girl decorate and hang a moon before the party begins, too. After the party, take down the stars and give them back to each guest as parting gifts — it's less to throw away later!

• Play lullaby music to set the mood.

Menu

Keep it simply delicious while playing up the theme! Snuggle two-bite cocktail franks in cozy pastry wraps with homemade Pigs in Blankets, or warm hearts and tummies with mugs of chicken noodle soup. Add standard kid-friendly snacks of baby carrot sticks, popcorn, and sliced apples. Finish with a stunning star and moon cake or cover milk and cookies in one swoop with ice cream sandwiches.

Activities

Let partygoers decorate white pillowcases with fabric markers (slide a piece of cardboard between each so the color doesn't bleed through). At the end of the party, let them take the pillowcases at home so they can remember the party each time they go to sleep.

After decorating stars, pillowcases, and enjoying "dinner," show a movie or host story time.

Goodie Bags
Along with the stars and pillowcases, send kids home with classic bedtime ritual helpers — rubber ducks for bath time and whimsical toothbrushes.