Planning for a three-year-old child’s birthday is wonderful for many parents, but can also be stressful. With this guide how to plan a birthday party for a three year old, the planning becomes easier.

Three is a great age! Children are discovering that there is a world outside the confines of babyhood. Little boys are often becoming fond of trains at this age. Little girls begin to get attached to dolls and fairies and princesses. These examples may appear stereotypical, but are simply illustrations of expanding minds and interests.

Your child has grown taller and more active over the proceeding year. Children this age are full of questions about everything under the sun. They will most likely let you know what theme they want for their third birthday party, if you ask. If their speech skills are not the best, parents can get a good idea of the theme by what the child enjoys, especially the educational TV shows for kids.

With the wonderful offerings for preschoolers and toddlers from stations like Nick Jr., you may find yourself planning a Princess party, a Dora the Explorer party, a Go, Diego Go! party a Hello Kitty party, or a Bob the Builder party.http://www.nickjr.com There are a lot more themes popular with this age group.http://www.disney.com

If possible, schedule a Saturday early afternoon for a party if it's spring or summer. This way, the party can be held outdoors. The length of the party should be an hour or two at most, as too much stimulation makes kids of this age too excited. Even three-year-old children can become over stimulated by running and a lot of sugar, then become a handful. The last thing a parent wants is a meltdown at a birthday party.

Now is the time to have child-centered parties where the parties are mostly for children and their activities. Water or sand play is a favorite, as is finger painting. http://www.kidspartyfun.com/pages/agesandstages.html

The decorations, games, activities and even the food for a party for your child's third birthday party are covered in three easy steps.

The decorations for a third birthday party can simply be colorful and fun, without any particular theme. However, if your toddler enjoys Blues Clues or any of the other kids' theme parties, plan one - within reason. A three year old is not going to care so much for how many decorations, but by adding a few creative touches to the decor, they will love it.

Visit a local department store to purchase 2 or 3 themed balloons and the special tablecloth for the birthday party. Then make a stop at the dollar store for napkins, plates, and cups of a plain color to match the theme.

Also, at the dollar store go ahead and purchase items for the goody bags in the color scheme, as prices here usually cannot be beat. You can purchase different types of containers that will work for any type of party.

If the theme is Sponge Bob, purchase sand pails as goody bags and fill them with beach toys add in some individual packages of Goldfish crackers. If it’s a Bob the Builder party, purchase stackable blocks which can be used for activities and then taken home as favors. These goodie bags or boxes can become part of the decorations when set on a table, then given to the children at the end of the party.

A cute idea if you are having a water theme, is to lay small stuffed animals, which are found in the water, on a blue tablecloth. Not only use this as a decoration, but also as a take home gift for the guests.

Games for a third birthday party that fit the theme are great ideas. However, in the event that you are not having a themed party, the following ideas are adaptable to many parties.

Put on some music the kids will enjoy and have them dance. This not only expends energy, it will keep them busy for a short time. A DVD of a video with dancing, perhaps from a favorite TV show, will encourage the children to emulate what they see on the screen.

Set up an table for the kids to be creative. Cover this table with blank paper so the children can have fun without constraints. Provide large size crayons, washable markers, and coloring books. If a concrete driveway is nearby, block it off for safety and allow the kids to use sidewalk chalk on it.

"Pin the Tail on the Donkey" is popular and can be adapted to any party theme. Use double sided tape instead of pins to "Pin the Star on Tinkerbell's Wand", or "Pin the Number on the Tank Engine".

Set up a simple "obstacle" course that will challenge the kids and get them expending energy. Have them climb, run or jump thru different things. This is a good parent and child activity, as the parents need to show the children how to do it.

Outside, and not on a slippery surface, have a bubble-blowing activity. Kids at this age love bubbles, so purchase bubble supplies for everyone at the local Dollar Store. Also, be sure to grab a big bottle of bubble solution and refill bottles as needed.

No matter which of these activities you choose all need to be toddler appropriate. This age group is very active with short attention spans and loves to be busy.

Kids this age are too busy to sit and eat for long, so the trick is to make individual servings that they can come back to often and eat. Start with a bowl of Cheerios. Then, serve small pieces of fruit all mixed together - colorful and tasty. (Try strawberries, half purple grapes, little pieces of melon, etc.) Sandwiches in shapes are a snap with a cookie cutter. Hotdog bites with catchup on the side are easy to eat. Dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets, whether they fit with the theme or not, should go over well. The party food does not all have to be just treats. However, goodies will be expected.

Use low plastic cups to create mixed treat dishes for the kids. In the cup, add gummy candy, cheese puffs, Chocolate Teddy Grahams, goldfish crackers, or fruit snacks. The trick is to add a variety to the cups to keep the kids eating a bit longer. By adding the chocolate, the kids get a treat among the healthier items.

Have the kids help create "Dirt and Worms." There are many variations of this recipe. Chocolate Pudding with crushed Oreos and gummy worm on top create the illusion. To make these, simply spoon prepared chocolate pudding in a clear plastic cup when the cup is half full insert one gummy worm so that it appears to be crawling out of the cup. Now fill the cup with more chocolate pudding and sprinkle crushed Oreos or chocolate cookies on top to resemble dirt.

Serve the Birthday cake in small pieces with individual ice cream treats and allow the kids to have fun. If you are having a theme party, a cake to match is usually a big hit. For example, for a Sponge Bob party, make a tan colored cake to appear to be a sand castle.