Children have a great time at birthday parties. There are many factors that will influence how much fun the children have, and will also influence how many children have how much fun. Fun is difficult to measure accurately, but, at a party noise, laughter and smiles are a strong indication of a happy group of party-goers.

Please note that crying and shouting aggressively indicate the opposite and should not be considered as noise in the sense of positivity. Sometimes the shouting can sound aggressive but kids do this if they are playing a game or just mucking about and having a laugh.

Children just want to have fun and getting a lot of them into a room for a birthday party will inevitably be a lot of fun. However, to organise a good children's birthday party does take some planning and will need you to arrange some events or games to maintain fun levels.

There are many fun games that will give the kids something to tell their friends about when they get back to school. Don't just book a hall and stick a load of kids in there and expect fun times to just happen - make the effort and the party will be as popular as jelly and ice cream, a popular dish often served at parties.

Pass the parcel is a good way of getting the children to sit down while also providing them with a layered onion of old newspapers for them to gradually unravel. While getting rid of your unwanted copies of the local paper, kids will have plenty of fun finding miniature toys and sweets in between each layer. Try to let all kids win a prize or you could end up with a mini-riot.

Musical chairs is an exciting game but can be dangerous. Also, competitive children will never accept defeat and there could be some brutal occasions where chairs are pulled away causing horrific spinal injuries that are not fun at the best of times, never mind in the middle of the kid's 8th birthday party.

The more serene and safe version of this game is provided by more sensible party-organisers, this game is musical statues. Music is played and kids run about and that, then the music is stopped and they have to stop. It's a bit like What's the time Mr. Wolf? If you haven't played that then just ignore that last comparison. Kids have trouble staying still and quiet so this game is hard for them but does give you a chance to have a rest.

Cake is a great way to finish the party. Kids love eating it but generally you can stick it in a bag with a napkin and get them to take it home. This prevents bits getting on the carpet and reduces after-party clean up time. Put some little sweets and bits in the bag, so the child's parents know that you put on a decent party. This item is called a party or doggy bag. Don't feed any chocolate from the bag to dogs as it can poison them.

During the party you can provide a buffet of snacks such as crisps, biscuits, pastries and drinks. Don't spend too much on this as kids tend to eat anything so marmite will often be more appreciated than smoked salmon. If money is an issue, try not to invite kids that like smoked salmon. Any fish based products should probably be avoided as they can spoil quite easily in the heat and there are lots of insurance lawyers on telly now.

Relax and enjoy your child's wonderful day. A great party could make all the difference to your child's school life as it makes them new friends, makes them more popular with their original friends and can even make you popular with them. Children's birthday parties can be fun, it just takes a lot of work and patience.