Need to think outside the box when it comes to entertaining the kids now coronavirus and lockdown has made staying in the new going out?

Wondering how on earth to keep them occupied at weekends, during school holidays and in place of all the birthday parties they can’t have and can’t go to for the foreseeable future? Then you’ve come to the right place!

sleepover in a box

We’ve teamed up with children’s party service Tickle My Party to review their brand new Sleepover in a Box and Witchcraft and Wizardry Sleepover Box kits, designed especially with stay at home sleepovers in mind.

When the oldest turned nine in August we were unable to go on a planned Harry Potter Warner Brothers studio tour owing to the fact it was still closed, so we rescheduled for October half term with just one friend – making it perfect timing when Tickle My Party got in touch to see if we’d like to review a Harry Potter themed sleepover too!

Tickle My Party Sleepover in a Box review

For a Harry Potter mad nine-year-old we were sent a Harry Potter themed Sleepover in a Box (Β£24.99) and a personalised Witchcraft and Wizardry Sleepover Box (Β£26.99, or Β£21.99 without personalisation).

sleepover in a box

What’s in the box?

In the Harry Potter themed Sleepover in a Box you can expect:

  • 1x personalised Harry Potter themed pillow case
  • 1x personalised chalk name board
  • Harry Potter themed bunting
  • Flavoured milk sachet or hot chocolate
  • Pegs
  • Torch
  • A step-by-step guide to creating a fabulous DIY den

sleepover in a box

In the personalised Witchcraft and Wizardry Sleepover Box you can expect:

  • A personalised black magnetic box
  • Personalised Hogwarts acceptance letters
  • Harry Potter inspired wands
  • Spin the broomstick quiz game
  • Origami style sorting hat
  • Potion bottles
  • Chocolate frogs
  • Electric candle

sleepover in a box

If you have a look at my Instagram and Facebook stories you can see it all in action!

Getting sleepover ready

With the girls out enjoying the Harry Potter studio tour I set about getting sleepover ready with Tickle My Party’s boxes of tricks.

sleepover in a box

To be honest I felt a bit like I was nine again pegging sheets to dining room chairs and stringing up fairy lights, and I would have loved it if this sort of concept had existed when I was little.

sleepover in a box

What struck me most about the sleepover boxes is the personalisation: instead of being generic and mass made the Hogwarts acceptance letters are handmade and personalised in ink, with Hogwarts wax seals and tea stained envelopes.

sleepover in a box

The spin the broomstick game is the same, with individually handwritten cards, and the labels on the potion bottles are handwritten too.

sleepover in a box

I was rather pleased with myself after spending the afternoon turning one corner of our living room into a den – even if the cats did collapse the roof, not once but twice!

sleepover in a box

The big reveal

The girls knew they were having a sleepover but had no idea about Tickle My Party’s gifted boxes, so when they arrived home late and bleary eyed after their big day out and a long drive home it’s fair to say they were quite overwhelmed!

sleepover in a box

The personalised pillow cases were an instant hit, as were the wands and the Hogwarts acceptance letters, and (unsurprisingly) the chocolate frogs didn’t hang around very long either!

sleepover in a box

When I woke up the next morning I found the girls heavily absorbed in the spin the broomstick game, and they kept going back to the contents of the sleepover box and arranging and rearranging and arranging the contents over and over again – in fact they couldn’t leave it alone!

sleepover in a box

My verdict:

If you’re looking for ways to celebrate birthdays or keep them entertained during half term, at weekends and in the school holidays over what I fear is going to be a very long winter thanks to lockdown, I think Tickle My Party’s offering is the perfect solution.

sleepover in a box

The fact everything arrives ready to go means the thinking is done for you, and the cost of a box is a lot less than one might expect to shell out for a full class birthday party.

sleepover in a box

And if you’d like to join in the fun too we have an exclusive 10% off discount code for you lovely lot!

Tickle My Party discount code!

Tickle My Party has very kindly given us a 10% off discount code which can be used on any of their sleepover boxes (there are a range of themes and options to choose from including Unicorn, Gamer and Christmas boxes).

sleepover in a box

All you need to do is enter the code CRUMMYMUMMY at checkout. If you do take advantage of the code I’d love to see what you get up to so don’t forget to tag me and Tickle My Party on social media – and have fun!

sleepover in a box

We were gifted all of the items featured in this post by Tickle My Party. As always all opinions are my own and based on our own honest experience.

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