What's a kid's party without great food? Half of the fun of attending the event is eating a variety of tasty foods that might not frequently be served at home. Children are much more open to different foods when they're away from home and away from parents. They may have refused to eat broccoli, for example when their mom serves it, but will go ahead and try it with a dip because the other children are eating it.

If possible, before you do any menu planning, contact the parents of each guest and inquire about any food allergies that their child has. Older children know what they're allergic to and will ask, in most cases, if there are nuts, or whatever food they're allergic to, in the ice cream or cake. Younger children will just assume that anything served to them is fine, because it is at home. It's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to allergy triggers. Having this information in advance will make it much easier to put together the perfect menu.

Tip number one. Make sure to provide a variety of drinks, especially if the party takes place on a warm day. You don't want the children to get dehydrated, as this condition can turn out to be very serious. Children intent on playing party games forget to drink. Go a few steps beyond having cold drinks available by scheduling drink breaks into the party.

Of course, it's all right to provide a sweet beverage such as juice or soda. But drinks of this kind should be offered in moderation. They can be supplemented with things like water, sugar free lemonade, milk and lightly sweetened tea. Make water festive by freezing maraschino cherries, lemon slices or strawberry halves in ice cubes and then adding them to the drinks.

Serve water with swirly straws or in brightly colored bottles. Have a contest to see who can drink their bottle of water the fastest. Label the bottles with the child's name so there aren't mix ups.

Tip two. Don't serve sloppy foods, especially if you will be entertaining younger party goers. Anything drippy or messy such as sloppy joe's, barbecue, or nachos should be avoided. Keep portions to one bite so you won't need to worry about plates or forks. Kids love raw veggies with dip. Serve each child their own portion of dip in a small paper cup to cut down on the mess and 'double dipping.' Keep menu items to things like pizza, mini hot dogs, and baby burgers for best results.

Tip number three. Bake a very small cake for 'blowing out the candles' purposes and serve cupcakes to the guests. This way you won't have to go to the trouble of cutting and serving the cake. Better yet, everyone can have an identical cupcake so there won't be any fights over who gets what. If you're serving ice cream portion it out the day before and refreeze. Or buy single cups of ice cream. Decorate the cups with whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, or gummy candies.

Follow these kids party ideas for fun food at your party.