Sleepover Games For 8+ Children: 20 And A Running Order

Eight children in one house overnight is a genuine event, and the whole thing turns on one thing: the wind-down. Games are how you manage the energy curve.

Below is a running order as well as the games, because the order matters more than the list.

Affiliate link

Arrival and early evening - burn it off

• Sardines, which is hide and seek in reverse and better with numbers.
• Wink murder or the sleeping detective.
• A treasure hunt round the house in two teams.
• Musical statues and the limbo.
• Sock wrestling, if you're brave and the house is insured.
• Pizza making as an activity rather than a meal.

Games in the dark

• Torch tag round the house, one torch, agreed rooms only.
• Murder in the dark with playing cards to assign roles.
• Ghost stories with the rule that they can't be genuinely terrifying.
• Shadow puppets on a wall with a torch.
• Glow stick hide and seek in the garden if there's one and the weather allows.

Seated and silly

• Truth or dare, tame version, with the dares written in advance by you.
• Would you rather.
• The chocolate game with hat, scarf, gloves and a dice.
• Charades and Pictionary.
• Mafia or Werewolf, which is perfect for eight to twelve players.
• Guess the baby photo, collected from parents in advance.

Calming down - this is the important bit

• Sleeping lions with a prize for the last one still.
• A film with the lights out, in sleeping bags, starting at the time you want them horizontal.
• Story chain whispered in the dark, one sentence each.
• Guided quiet: lie still and name five things you can hear.
• Announce lights out once and mean it. Negotiating it is how you get to 2am.

A running order that works

• 6pm arrival, active games straight away - sardines, treasure hunt.
• 7pm food, made together if you can face it.
• 8pm the loud games and the dark games. Peak noise. Accept it.
• 9:30pm seated games, lights lower, in the sleeping bag room.
• 10:30pm film, everybody lying down.
• Midnight: sleeping lions, then lights out. Half of them will be asleep already.

Shop cards

How to write it so it lands

• Write the running order on the fridge.
• Peak noise at eight, lights lower every hour after.
• Never negotiate lights out.

Where to shop next

• Family reunion games
• Christening and naming day games
• Family barbecue games
• Wedding reception table games
• Games for a wake or celebration of life
• Games for grandparents and grandchildren
• Games for a big age gap family
• Camping and caravan holiday games
• Long car journey games abroad
• Rainy day indoor games for kids
• Sunday lunch table games
• Board games hub
• Kids' party games by age
• Christmas games for the whole family
• Free feel good tools
• Shop cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What games can you play at a sleepover with lots of kids?

Sardines, wink murder, murder in the dark, torch tag and Mafia all work brilliantly with eight or more. Follow them with charades, the chocolate game and would you rather once everyone's in sleeping bags.

How do you get children to sleep at a sleepover?

Manage the order: loud games early, seated games from about half nine, a film with everyone lying down at half ten, then sleeping lions with a prize for the last one still. Announce lights out once and don't negotiate.

What are good sleepover games in the dark?

Torch tag with agreed rooms, murder in the dark using playing cards to assign roles, shadow puppets and ghost stories with a rule that nothing genuinely terrifying is allowed.

How many children is too many for a sleepover?

Eight to ten is the practical limit for most houses - enough for Mafia and team games, few enough that you know where everyone is. Above that you need a second adult.

Do you sell games or party supplies?

No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. Every game here runs with what's already in the house, and the only products on this page are our own cards.