5 Great Ideas to Liven Up Your Next Children's Birthday Party

After you host a few children's birthday parties -- and attend dozens of others -- they can tend to seem like the same old party with the same, stale activities.

Pin the tail on the donkey, Bozo's buckets, duck-duck-goose, and other birthday games have been played at practically every kid's party since the 1950s.

Try Something New

For your next child's birthday party, why not liven things up by trying something new and exciting. Your child's guests (and parents) will enjoy the change of pace and your child will have a memorable good time.

Here are five suggestions:

Children's Karaoke -- Let the children take turns singing their favorite songs over an amplified speaker system. Just make the last song is a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" for the guest of honor. You might just discover the next "American Idol".

Play Dress-Up -- Drag out the costume box and let the children dress up as their favorite character or play out their fantasies. The kids will have a blast and their parents will be entertained.

Arts and Crafts -- Rather than play the same old tired party games engage your child and their guests in an arts and crafts project. Have them use watercolors to paint a portrait of the guest of honor or sculpt something out of modeling clay. You may be surprised by the level of creativity you see.

Build Your Own Cupcakes -- Rather than the same old birthday cake, this year why not let your guests design and build their own birthday cupcakes. Get an assortment of sprinkles and other toppings and let them use their imagination. Best of all, they get to eat their creation once it's finished.

Rent a Bounce House -- The best way to liven up any party is to get a bounce house rental. The children will love jumping and playing for hours in the colorful, fun bounce house and everybody is guaranteed to have a blast!