Everyone loves a great party, especially kids. Birthdays mark milestones in a child's life and each one should be a memorable event. When it comes time to host your child's birthday party, there are some fun and creative ways to make it a memorable event for everyone, especially the birthday boy or girl.

One of the first aspects to consider when it comes to hosting a birthday party is the age of those attending the party. For younger children, ranging from toddlers to five-year-olds, you will have to find activities and party favors that are age-appropriate. For older children, the choices can be a little more elaborate. Age also determines the length of time for your child's party.

If your party patrons are young, you may want to inquire the help of their parents. This is especially true if your activities require adult supervision. When you send out invitations, let the parents know how long the party will be and how you need their help. Be sure to offer adult beverages and snacks at the party.

If the parents don't have to stay, then tell them a time to pick up their child. Parties usually last around two or three hours depending on the age of the attendees. For younger kids, keep the party around an hour to two because they will usually get tired and disgruntled towards the end.

The next goal is to pick out a theme of some sort. Themes can be based upon action heroes, popular children's movies, television programs or upon the type of activity you have at the party. Your decorations, snacks and the all-important birthday cake should coordinate with your theme too.

There are a slew of activities you can offer at your child's birthday party. Kids enjoy painting or making items to take home, so you can use this as a basis for your ideas. Just remember to make the activity age-appropriate. It is also a good idea to offer smaller-scale activities for children to participate in as they arrive at the party. Hold the big activity after all the guests are present.

Looking for activity ideas? Here are a few to try:

- Autograph shoes. Have children bring a pair of plain canvas shoes or purchase the shoes if your guest list is small. Allow children to paint their names on them. Be sure to have an area prepared for this type of activity and buy paint that will come out of clothing.

- Build a dollhouse or castle. Use old cardboard boxes to construct a large-scale dollhouse or castle that kids can decorate and play in during the party. This activity may be better suited for outdoors or in a large banquet room.

- Creative flower pots. Purchase inexpensive clay flower pots at your local hardware store and let the children design their own pot. You can even supply seeds so the kids can plant them in their new creation.

- Outdoor Obstacle Courses. This is great for older kids and you can hold races with prizes for those who participate.