Sleep Solutions for Sleepovers During School Holidays

When it comes to school holidays, there’s so much to think about. From keeping the kids busy while juggling work and childcare to day trips, sleepovers and beyond, there’s so much to think about. Even something as simple as feeding your little ones can be challenging – especially if you’re raising fussy eaters.

And we’re never too far away from the next school holiday. So, with all that in mind, we thought it might be helpful to solve one of those dilemmas for you. In this article, we’ll outline the various sleep solutions available for those ad hoc sleepovers all parents have had to agree to at one time or another.

What’s more, we’ve got some great ideas of what games to play and different things to do to keep the kids happy at the next sleepover you end up hosting. Learn more below.

Sleepover sleep solutions

Sleepovers so often take us by surprise. You’ll think a friend is just over for a play date and meanwhile, the kids are already discussing how that same play date can last longer. Cue your child coming to beg and plead with you to let their friend stay overnight…

Sound familiar? We’ve all been there!

But having a sleepover solution in place can make accommodating those ad hoc requests so much easier. That’s where Bensons come in. We have an extremely varied collection of guest beds, sofa bed, bunk beds and trundle beds for you to think about. Each option comes with its own benefits and drawbacks so the right solution for you will depend on the amount of space you have as well as personal preferences.

Guest beds for sleepovers

If you have the space to accommodate a guest bed, it’s a worthwhile investment. It means you’ll have somewhere from Granny to sleep when she’s looking after the kids overnight; a bed to offer friends and family if they fancy sharing a few bevies; and somewhere to stick the additional kids when those sleepover requests come in thick and fast.

And what’s great about guest beds is that they come in all shapes and sizes. So, no matter how much (or little) space you have, there’s always an option to suit. Read on to learn a little more about the different types of guest beds.

Secret sleeper guest beds for sleepovers

A secret sleeper guest bed delivers an array of functions in a single, compact design. By day, it’s a footstool or an additional seating solution. But by night, it can efficiently fold out into a space saving sleepover essential.

Our Jay-Be Secret Sleeper Footstool Folding Bed is completely disguised within a contemporary footstool. And with three colour options to choose from (silver, stone or charcoal) you can choose to tailor it to your existing décor or use it to add contrast. And this fold away even mattress features Jay-Be Infinity Fibres™ that help to ensure your guest enjoys a temperature-controlled sleep surface.

Folding beds for sleepovers

A folding bed is another great idea for homes in which space is an issue. The Jay-Be Revolution Airflow Fibre Folding Bed is super compact when folded and can be stowed away wherever you have the space until it’s needed again. At just 100cm x 48cm x 77cm (HxWxD) it should fit compactly in a cupboard or wardrobe or even under another bed frame quite tidily when it’s not in use.

And, when it is in use the J-Tex™ sprung base system delivers durability, support, and comfort to whoever is sleeping on it. Definitely a great sleep solution at a moment’s notice. It’s also fitted with 360° castor wheels (that spring into action in it’s folded form)to ensure it’s easy to move from room to room as each sleepover scenario demands.

Sofa beds for sleepovers

If you’ve got space in your home for a sofa bed, you’re in luck. We have an array of sofa beds to explore including traditional click clack models and ones featuring the contemporary pull out mechanism. So, whatever your budget and style preference may be, we have a sofa bed that is sure to tick every box.

They also make the perfect emergency sleep solution too. Simply fold it out into a bed or fold it back into a sofa with minimal effort as and when needed. If you’d like to learn a little more about our current range of sofa beds with those sleepovers in mind, check out our  five sofa beds to optimise your sleep space blog post.

Trundle beds for sleepovers

Now a trundle bed is the ultimate sleepover set up. It’s the 3-in-1 sleep solution you never knew you needed but won’t understand how you lived without. A trundle bed technically a single bedframe with another single bed secretly hiding beneath it. When set up in all it’s glory, a trundle bed can serve as two singles or you can push those two singles together and it becomes a spacious double. That means you’ve got sleepover space for couples and kids alike.

If choosing a trundle bed and short on space, you could switch out your child’s existing bed for this 3-in-1 frame so that it’s always in use. Or, if you’re lucky enough to have a spare bedroom, you could have it in any of the 3 ways all the time.

Bunk beds for sleepovers

Traditionally, bunk beds come in handy when there’s more than one child sharing a bedroom all the time. But there’s no reason why your child wouldn’t benefit from a makeshift sofa in their bedroom when the bottom bunk isn’t being slept in. And if you’re child is one of those that is consistently requesting sleepovers with their friends well, at least you won’t have to worry about where to put said friends with a spare bed set up and ready to go at all times.

How to keep the kids busy: what to do at a sleepover

If you’re wondering how on earth you’re going to occupy another person’s child overnight and into the next day, fear not. We’ve come up with a list of fun ways to keep your little one and their friend busy until they drop off to sleep. Read on to get some inspiration on what to do at a sleepover.

Watch a film

Watching a film is an all-time classic sleepover activity. And if you’re stuck for what to do, a movie marathon might be in order too. Just ensure you’ve got a good supply of popcorn and movie snacks in the cupboard, and you’ll be all set to be the hostess with the mostess.

A word of warning though, make sure the movie of choice is age appropriate. Either that or check with their parents before allowing them to watch whatever the title may be. This will avoid backlash later on and paint you as a responsible parent too. Win-win.

Play video games

Not many households these days are without a gaming console of one sort or another. And if there’s ever a time to dust it off, it’s during a sleepover. Choose co-op games where your child and their friend/s can work together. Or, if you fancy supervising or even joining in the fun, a versus game is great too. But be prepared to referee or call time if the competition is getting a little too heated.

Create a scavenger hunt

Another great thing to do with kids at a sleepover is to create a scavenger hunt. It’s bound to keep them occupied for a good while and you can put as much or as little effort into building the scavenger hunt as you like.

So, find one tissue, a silver spoon, a left shoe, and a purple coat (provided you have a purple coat) is just as much a scavenger hunt as it would be had you spent hours on its creation. It’s totally up to you.

Get outside

Make sure to get the kids running off some of that seemingly endless energy ahead of bedtime. There are tonnes of outdoor activities so why not embrace a few. From kicking a ball around the park to climbing trees, skimming stones, and hunting for bugs, take full advantage of the free fun the great outdoors offers.

Did somebody say smores?

Got a fire pit? No? How about a BBQ? Either works just fine for what we’re about to suggest. And did you know that for the price of a packet of supermarket brand chocolate digestives and a handful of marshmallows, you could be the coolest parent on the planet. Simply use some kindling to get the fire started, throw on a few sticks and you’ll be in smore heaven in no time!

What’s more, depending on their age you could even allow the kids to whittle their very own marshmallow skewers. Look for a long, straight-ish stick that measures about 0.5cm in diameters and be on hand to supervise at all times.

Have a pillow fight

Well, we did mean the kids could have a pillow fight. But feel free to join in if you like! Pick out some soft pillows so that nobody gets hurt (it’s supposed to be fun after all) and remember to remove all breakables before the first swing is taken. Then just leave them to it or get involved!

What are the best games to play at sleepovers?

This one is subjective. What is the best game to play at a sleepover for one age group might not go down so well with another. So, in general, here are some of the best games to play at sleepovers. Just keep your child’s age range in mind and you’ll be onto a winner.

Twister

The classic party game that ties you in knots. Now, this game is recommended for players age 6+. But we feel that as long as your little one knows the four colours (red, yellow, blue and green) can tell their foot from their hand, and you’re supervising, it’ll be fun to play. Just forego the left and right part of the instructions and almost everyone will be able to join in.

Drawing games

There is no end to the amount of time you can pass with drawing games. Which is actually pretty handy at a sleepover. From noughts and crosses and Pictionary to the draw and pass it on game (we’ll explain/remind you of this one in just a moment) and beyond, it’s easy to wile away the hours with a few pencils and a pad of paper.

The draw and pass it on game (that doesn’t seem to have a real name) is one you might not recall but likely played in primary school yourself. It starts with each player drawing a head, folding over the paper, and passing it to the person on their left. They now have a hidden head and must take over by drawing the torso, folding it over and passing it to their left. And so on. All drawing must be done in secret. And, at the end of the game you can each reveal your mismatch drawings.

Word games

As with drawing games, the options are limitless when it comes to word games. You could play vocal word games such as I Went to The Market and I Bought… game, Eye Spy, or 20 questions. Or, there’s pen and paper word games like hangman, category distribution ( 1), or finish the story (which is similar to the draw it and pass it on game but with writing a mismatch story).

Again, the possibilities are endless and word games are sure to keep the kids busy for a while. Especially if you get involved.