Birthdays are for making your children feel special! The day your child was born. The perfect reason to celebrate. It's just perfect having one special day to express gratefulness and appreciation for their very existence. To tell them with absolution, “We are so happy you were born! Our lives are better and complete because you're in it.”

Birthday parties are like road trips: getting there is half the fun. Deciding on the theme, decorations, invitations, and activities makes the days leading up to the event seem like part of the celebration itself. It doesn’t need to be elaborate. Kids will be happy even with a small party as long as they are made to feel special. However, even a simple party requires planning; the sooner you start organizing, the earlier the excitement begins and the fewer details you'll have to work out on the day itself.

The birthday child will likely have ideas about the kind of party he or she wants, so involve them in the planning. Let your child pick the theme, help you with shopping and decorating, and take part in baking the cake. Doing so helps spread out the anticipation; that way the focus isn't on a couple of hours of a single day. Although it might be more efficient to do it all yourself, there's pleasure in working with your child toward an important goal. Plus, he or she will have the reward of enjoying with his friends the magical day they helped plan and create.

A list of fun ideas to help you create a fantastic birthday.

1. Birthday scavenger hunt. Make opening their gifts even more fun by increasing the anticipation.

2. Make a special birthday throne. Attach sprays of balloons, streamers, and a birthday sign to make a special chair for them to sit in for meals or while opening their gifts.

3. Fill the entire party room with balloons. You can use helium balloons to float around the room or blow them up yourself to cover the floor.

4. Have them wear a birthday crown or tiara.

5. Let them pick any birthday dinner meal, even breakfast for dinner (pancakes and syrup, for example) is doable.

6. Make a homemade three-tiered cake or rainbow colored cupcakes with them if they want.

7. Buy small, inexpensive gifts so that they can open the same number of presents as they are old. Turning 10 years old? He/she will get 10 gifts!

8. Blow noise makers and throw confetti to celebrate the exact moment they were born. You can even do a countdown, New Year’s Eve style! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Happy Birthday!

9. Dress up extra fancy for the Occasion

10. Skip the prefab invites and get out the glue sticks with your kids. They are thrilled with homemade invitations. Buy blank cards at a dollar store and go wild with stickers or foil.

With a little bit of imagination and this handy list of ideas, you’re sure to make your child’s birthday super special and memorable for them!