LI parents share kids' birthday party ideas

To a young child, a birthday is one of the best days of the year. After all, he or she is the king or queen for the day and is showered with gifts and toys. For the parents, however, the planning may be something they love or hate.

The good news is there are endless options on Long Island for parents who want to celebrate their child's birthday out, and there are many, many creative ideas if you decide to have a party at home. With that in mind, we reached out to our Facebook and Twitter fans and asked them to send us their favorite children's birthday party ideas. Here's what they had to say:

We recently had a great birthday party at Bounce U in Farmingdale. It was for our son's 6th birthday, and it was the first kids birthday party we hosted. They did a spectacular job from start to finish, and the price was very reasonable.
- Jackie Cutugno Chung, via Facebook

Ice skating party at the Freeport Recreation Center. The kids were about 5 or 6, and they had a blast.
- Trish Reilly Auerbach, via Facebook

We had my daughter's Sweet 16 at Yankee Stadium. We took her and her friends by limo to the stadium and then had a blast.
- Brenda O'Brien Kane, via Facebook

We've actually thrown three really awesome ones recently. This year we had a "Sparkle and Shine Makeover party" at Beautiful People Salon in Merrick. What a hit! Last year we had an awesome art-themed party at The Art Studio in Rockville Center, everyone had a really great time. We had a super spy party at The Long Island Children's Museum for my 6-year-old. ... everyone had a blast! All three BIG thumbs up!
- Penny Cohen Schneider, via Facebook

We took my 10-year-old daughter on her first "grown-up" birthday. We took 10 of her friends to a play to see "A Christmas Carol" and then out to a nice restaurant to eat and they got to sit at their own table and order their own food. She said it was the best birthday she could have ever had ... that is until her 16th birthday when she gets to go to Disney World with a few of her friends (with parents, too, of course!).
- Erica Ciaravino-Kirk, Lindenhurst

My twins are only 4 months old. When they turn 1, I am going to have a pirates-and-princesses-themed birthday party. Can't wait!
- Karen Lelo, via Facebook

Last year we did circus-themed with a clown and cotton candy, tried for animals and ice cream truck, but the truck wasn't available and the animals needed a larger space than I had room. We also enjoy parties out like Jump. We did our sons 4th birthday at Adventureland, but that was insanity. Hottest day in June, 98 degrees and 4-year-olds running every direction. I had just had my second a little over a month earlier, lol, it was definitely unforgettable. We like the video-game truck that pulls up to the house, too!
- Melissa Goedtel, Islip

We did a "Cars" theme party for my son's 3rd birthday. We had race tents set up with checkered flags, signs posted to welcome race fans, a huge window cling I put on the sliding doors so kids could take pictures with "Lightning McQueen," a huge "Cars" cake and a lot of race games around the pool. It was so much fun!
- Jennifer La Grande Lania, via Facebook

We have had a couple of fun parties at home -- an Under the Sea theme where kids came in their bathing suits and we had an octopus cake, octopus hot dogs, shell mac-n-cheese, blue Jell-o w/gummy sea life, sand toy party favors in sand buckets and tons of blow-up fish floating in the kiddie pool. We also had a flower/bug/springtime theme party with caterpillar and bug cakes and every child decorated a flower pot and then planted some flowers to take home, plus bug wings and gardening aprons and tools. And the best party we were invited to was at the Cradle of Aviation -- the kids and parents loved it!
- Dawn Remick-de la LIera, via Facebook