Children's Birthday parties are fun!

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Ice cream and cake. Friends, toys, games, presents.

Children's birthday parties are an important rite of childhood.

No matter the surroundings, central to the celebration is the birthday child, surrounded by happy guests, blowing out candles. Then the singing of "Happy Birthday" and cutting the birthday cake.

Who doesn't have fond memories of these special times?

Children's birthday parties are one of the most common types of parties that people plan.

Child birthday parties can tbe anything from a a sleep over for six to a family reunion. And they can be as simple or grand as you like.

The flavor of the event will be very different depending on the significance of the birthday and the direction you want to go.

When planning your child's birthday party, the guest of honor's needs and preferences should be kept uppermost. The most effective way to do this is simply to ask your child what she wants and ask her to help you plan and set up the party.

Many decisions will be dictated by the ages of the guests. In a family event, prepare for a wide variety of ages from young children to seniors.

When planning a child focused birthday party, you'll need a variety of activities and much supervision.

Children's attention spans are short - as you and any elementary school teacher can tell you. For that reason you'll want to keep the duration of child birthday parties short for the very young ones. Keep a stoccato pace with lots of games and activities of relatively short duration. An hour or two is plenty for children below the age of, say, five.

Be clear with the parents of the guests when the party starts... and when the party ends. Invite them to stay. Extra pairs of adult hands and eyes can take a lot of the pressure off of the task of supervising the little ones. Teenaged offspring, spouses, and grandparents are also suitable candidates for supervisory duty.

Setting a theme helps focus your planning. Let your child's interests lead you. If you're not sure, ask him (and while you're at it, get him involved in the planning).

Read below for some suggestions. And don't forget to check out additional resources for children's birthday parties listed at the end of this article.

Party Locations and Ideas

While most child-focused birthday parties are held at home, many are held off-site.

Roller skating rinks, have packages where you can rent the use of a private room for an hour to enjoy light refreshments and cake. Then they are free to enjoy the facility. Keep in mind that rinks are very strict about scheduling.

Facilities like Chuck E. Cheese cater to children's birthday parties.

A group of girls may enjoy a luncheon in a neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

In the summer, the back yard may be just the place for your children's birthday party (but do have alternative plans if it rains). If you do not have a large yard or you do not wish the event to be held there, check out the neighborhood parks and playgrounds. Many will allow you to reserve a pavilion.

Some types of entertainment are a natural for a children's birthday parties. Face painting, magicians, clowns, and caricatures - if most of the children are 5 years and up - come to mind.

Be aware that some very young children may be frightened by the clown's heavy face make-up.

A magician's show generally lasts between 45 minutes and an hour - just right for short attention spans. Harry Potter shows are popular also.

Be creative and work with your birthday child's likes and dislikes.

If your child is artistically inclined, plan a trip to the local Art museum with some like-minded close friends.

If you're staying close to home, buy enough poster board, poster paint, and brushes to go around. Have the children paint a picture of the same object (toy, flowers, doll), or just let them let their imaginations just go. Then the finished art works can be hung with clothes pins on a clothesline or rope for their very own art exhibition.

If, like my nephew, your child's interest is dinosaurs, sharks, snakes, and icky creatures. then the local science museum or aquarium may be just the place for a children's birthday party if you live near a large city.

Or consider a reptile show where a trained professional brings in and shows snakes, lizards,and all kinds of neat creepy-crawly animals. NEXT>

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