There comes a time in every parent's life when she hears those dreaded words, "Can I pleeeeeeease have a sleepover?" Don't let the visions of wild kids alarm you—try some of these practical ideas, instead.

Concerned about having a bunch of kids at your house for an entire evening? Hosting a sleepover can be fun! The key to a successful slumber party involves keeping guests occupied. Sure, you could pop popcorn and have everyone watch a video, but that usually leads to popcorn fights and bored kids. Mix and match these suggestions for keeping kids busy (which we all know leads to happier parents). The first few minutes of a sleepover set the tone for the night. When kids are actively involved as they arrive, the message says, "We will not be running through the house in an out-of-control manner—but we will have fun!"

• As kids arrive, direct them to a table where they can decorate cookies for a later snack, work on a craft project, or help mix a batch of homemade play clay.
• Every party needs decorations! Enlist kids to blow up balloons and hang streamers. Why can't you wrap crepe paper around the toilet to add to the festive atmosphere?

After everyone has arrived, engage the group in some of these fun activities:

Who's Who in the Bag?: Can kids disguise their voices while inside a sleeping bag? Spread out all the sleeping bags in one room. Select a person to leave the room. Everyone else climbs inside a sleeping bag, pulling the tops shut. The remaining kid ("It") comes back in the room and taps a sleeping bag. Then she asks a question such as "What's your favorite food?" or "Who is your favorite rock star?" The person inside the sleeping bag disguises her voice to answer the question while "It" tries to guess their name. "It" can rotate from sleeping bag to sleeping bag, asking different questions. If she guesses correctly, the person inside the stuffy sleeping bag gets to come out for some fresh air!

Paper Bag Skits: Before your guests arrive, fill three to four large paper bags with an assortment of unrelated items. You could fill a bag with something like a spatula, broken sunglasses, a bicycle helmet, and a pillow. When ready to begin, divide the sleepover participants into groups of two to four. Give each group a bag filled with weird items. The groups have 15 minutes to prepare a skit using at least four of the items in the bag. Get ready for some fun as each group performs their very unusual and dramatic creations.

Pin the Udder on the Cow: Remember playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey at birthday parties? The game is still fun for older kids if you adapt it to fit your party. Are you having a swim party in combination with the sleepover? Then play Pin the Tail on the Mermaid. Draw a picture of a mermaid on a large piece of paper. Kids take turns getting blindfolded and taping fins to her body. Or outline a cow on a piece of cardboard. Give the blindfolded child a pink paper cut-out of a cow udder. It's definitely nine-year-old humor when the udder gets placed on the cow's head! Maybe your group would enjoy a lively game of Pin the Microphone on Hilary Duff.

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Check out our sister site, Birthdayinabox.com, for fun sleepover partyware, favors, games, and more!