By Sarah Freeland

When your child has a birthday, it can be loads of fun! The cake, the gifts, the guests...the party! But if you don't plan ahead, the party planning might just overwhelm you. With these helpful children's birthday party ideas, we try to make it a little easier on you. With the right planning, you'll be able to pull off a star quality birthday party for your little celebrity.

One popular children's birthday party idea today is to theme a party around your child's favorite television show. Using Sesame Street or Barney and Friends as a guide, you can plan a party your child will love. With a Teletubbies cake and cardboard cut-outs of the characters, your little one will enjoy turning three. Or get Ninja Turtles plates, pizza and green punch to thrill your older child. You can even hire someone to dress as the characters from the show!

A great children's birthday party idea is a pirate themed party. Pirates are very popular these days thanks to pirate-themed movies and television shows. A cake made in the shape of a pirate ship will thrill the buccaneers at your party. Swedish fish and fish-shaped sandwiches are just a couple of fun foods you can have to go with the theme. And a delightful treasure hunt ending in chocolate gold coins is a great pirate-themed birthday party activity.

Another fun children's birthday party idea is a party that is themed after a location. A fun island party can be planned using Tiki Torches, glasses of Hawaiian punch with umbrella's, and shell necklaces. Or plan a fun Mexican fiesta with taco's, a piñata, and paper sombrero's. A French or Italian party can be a lot of fun as well. Serve food typical of the region and find music and decorations that represent the culture.

The most important thing when choosing a children's birthday party idea or theme is to consider the child's personality. Try not to get too caught up making it gender-specific or showy. If the child is old enough, consider including them in the planning. As long as your child enjoys the party, then it is a big hit!