• The ideas you create for your costume party are as limitless as your imagination.girl in halloween costume image by NiDerLander from Fotolia.com
  
  Boys and girls alike love costume parties--whether they're dressing up as pirates, cowboys or cowgirls, astronauts, princesses or their favorite animal. There are a huge variety of costume parties you can throw, from themed to a party where the kids wear whatever they want. Focus on the time of year, the age of the party guests and the purpose of the event to hone in on the perfect costume party idea.
  
  

Traditional

• Traditional costume parties are perfect for holidays like Halloween. Simply send out the invitations with enough advance warning so that the attendees may have time to prepare their costumes (three to four weeks is usually sufficient). If desired, you can also pick a theme for your traditional costume party using such ideas as zoo animals, fairy tales, space aliens, or you can pick a favorite book or movie for your theme.
  
  

Masquerade

• Masquerade costume parties involve the children making a mask and wearing it for the duration of the party. The children can prepare their masks ahead of time at home, can make them at your house before the party at a special mask-making activity or you can have the masks ready when the guests arrive. Though masquerade masks are usually held in the hand with a dowel, it may be wise to use string or elastic to keep the masks on younger children so they don't set the mask down and then forget.
  
  Masquerade masks can be simply made from a pre-formed white mask purchased at a craft store that is cut as desired and then painted. Sequins, glitter, feathers and faux-jewels can also glued onto the mask.
  
  

Hat

• Kids love to wear hats. With only a hat, a child can become anything or anyone: their favorite animal, a court jester, a hunter, a wicked queen or a race car driver. Silly hat parties where kids wear the craziest, silliest hat they can find are a variation on the traditional hat party. Kids love to trade hats at hat parties, trying on different hats to see which one suits them best. Have at least one large mirror or several small mirrors available at a hat party.
  
  

Refreshments

• When it comes to refreshments at a kids' costume party, it's best to stay simple to avoid gooey messes all over a favorite costume. Focusing on finger foods can be economical, nutritious, and fun and easy to eat. Kids love baby carrots with veggie dip or ranch dressing, apple slices, baby sweet pickles, olives, hummus with pita crisps or tortilla chips, grapes, dried fruit, cubed melon, finger sandwiches (go for peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and banana or cheese), cheese cubes (especially string cheese), pizza cut party style, crackers, cookies, juice, milk or floats (root beer or sherbet with lemon-lime soda).
  
  

Activities

• Kids love structuring their own games; still, having an activity or two planned is always a great idea, especially when the party first begins. For costume parties, it's best to have more quiet activities, like bingo, musical chairs or a ball toss, versus more physical games like tag or Red Rover.