There are few things as special to childhood as personal hallmarks and kids parties that are thrown to mark unique occasions. Most notable among these are birthdays when children have a day just to celebrate the passing of another year. But certainly a kid can have party plans for any other occasion or just because it seems like a good idea. Valentine's Day and Halloween are favorite times for Kids Parties but so are non-holiday occasions.

A pool party, sleep over or cook out can give children valuable opportunities to develop social skills in a relaxed social environment as well as to just have fun with friends and to invite kids with whom they would like to become better acquainted. One thing to remember about a kid's party is to include the child in some small way in all facets of the planning, entertaining and clean up unless the party is to be a surprise when he or she can only be involved in the last two.

Otherwise, remember that throwing a kids party can be a valuable chance for the child to express his creativity and learn to interact with others responsibly. For instance, rather than just heading to the store to buy race car decorations, ask the chil

d to take a moment and look at a catalogue or web site and choose the decorations from pre-established parameters.

The guidelines should include budget and use colors and themes that work for the season and other decorating concerns. The supervising adult must maintain veto power in the planning stages, however. Children don't always consider all the potential problems when making choices on their own. A piñata might be fun within the confines of careful planning but could be a disaster if bad weather forced a party back indoors. Always let common sense prevail.

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