Overnight sleepovers have forever been a popular way for kids to extend time together on the weekends.

Sometimes sleepovers are purely for fun. Other times, they provide parents with a needed getaway from the busy routine called life. And in some cases, they enable parents to attend a late-evening or weekend function they might otherwise have to miss. 

However, if at all possible, parents should avoid having their child sleep over at a friend’s house the night before a game. 

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Let’s face it, whenever a sleepover occurs, the children involved never get an adequate amount of sleep. The kids sprawled out on the basement or living room floor are usually up much later than usual, and as soon as the first one wakes up, everyone is watching TV or glued to an electronic device. Even if their bodies needed another few hours of sleep. 

If there’s a youth football game that next day, it’s hard for the child to be playing at full capacity. Sometimes, they’re not even close. 

There are times when a sleepover is unavoidable for many reasons, and it recently happened to a friend of ours. Even though we were unable to accommodate their child overnight for a variety of reasons, another good friend was able to step up. Since every child involved had a game the next day, I suggested treating the sleepover like a school night. Establish a bedtime and instead of having the kids sprawled out in sleeping bags in the basement, have their own two boys sleep in their bedrooms and give the friend the guest room. 

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I’m told it worked like a charm. They had fun leading up to bedtime, but once the timer went off to signal it was time to turn in, everyone did —in their own bed and in their own room. All three boys slept through the night and weren’t awakened until their bodies were ready to get up.  

So, the next time your child has to spend the night at a friend’s house or you host someone, keep this process in mind. The kids had fun, slept well, and most importantly, were ready for kickoff.  

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 Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years, originally as a coach and board member with his now-adult son and most recently "just as a dad" with his 8- and 10-year-old sons. Jon is an award-winning writer and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.