My daughter and one of her friends recently celebrated their birthdays with parties. Each party was different yet both had lots of party games. Afterwards, I paused to think, "What do you do to choose the best children's games for a party?"

You can start by thinking about the children who will be coming to the party. As an example:

(a) How old are the children? Different games are better suited to different age groups. "Duck, Duck, Goose" is a fun game for younger children as they sit on the ground and jump up to run around, but it may be harder for teenagers to do this. "Balloon Volleyball" may be too active and noisy for young children while teenagers enjoy the clamorous fun of the game.

(b) Will the guests be all girls or all boys or a mix of both? Although there are many exceptions, boys tend to favour games that are more active. Choose games to suit.

(c) Will any of the children attending the party struggle with games due to physical or other disabilities? Try to include games that can involve everyone, at least for some of the time.

Consider the area you have available for the games. Australia, with its mild climate, is great for outdoor games all year round but other countries may be better suited to more indoor games. If you don't have enough room, can you play games in a nearby park? Also consider the possibility of damage to fragile decorations or furniture during indoor games.

Think about a mixture of active and quieter games. Children love variety, so play "Musical Newspapers" (an active game based on "Musical Chairs") and a quiet game like "Pin the Tail on the Donkey". Musical games, such as "Pass the Parcel" can provide further variety. Try to avoid having children move from area to area too much, though. Start with quieter indoor and musical games before moving outdoors for the active games.

A further tip is to prepare a box with all the things for the games, such as newspapers, balls and a CD/cassette player. The equipment for "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" and "Pass the Parcel" should be included, along with a list of the games and quick instructions to remind you about each game.

Another tip is to consider the person who will run the games at the party. You may want to organise someone else to run them while you are working on other party details. An adult or older child should lead the games with sensitivity and enthusiasm. Young children can become bored quickly. Although some children may want to continue playing the same game (especially if they are winning), others may be ready for a new one. The leader may need to discard a game that isn't working, or to encourage a child to join in, always with sensitivity. Children love playing games. The leader can use enthusiasm to help them enjoy something they want to do anyway.

The final tip is to prepare more games than you expect to need. You may need to discard some games for a variety of reasons, or you may need to add more games to fill in some extra time if the food is not ready yet, for example. Plan enough games for the time allocated (say, five minutes per game) and then include at least five extra games, just in case. If you haven't planned enough games for any reason, you can organise races. Set up two simple start and finish lines. They can run forwards, backwards, sideways, skip, hop, jump, hold their knees with their arms crossed, hold their ankles, link arms (side by side) with a partner, link arms (back to back) with a partner, hold hands with a partner, crawl, leapfrog, and so on. And then you could start all over again with relays!

In summary, your party should have games that will suit the children who will attend and the area you have available. Ensure you have a variety of games with a few spares, just in case. Use a resource that has plenty of party games to help you plan the games, and try to enjoy yourself. Everyone will catch your enthusiasm!