• "101 Dalmatians" can be a great theme for a fun birthday party.chewing dalmatian image by Kevkel from Fotolia.com
  
  Birthday parties can become those moments where we can bring some of the magic we see in movies to children. Using different themes and ideas, kids' birthday parties can be very entertaining, and children will often remember such occasions for many years to come. Many Disney cartoons can make fun birthday themes, depending on your child's tastes. "101 Dalmatians" is a classic Disney movie that many children enjoy.
  
  

One to Two Years Old

• Create invitations with the different dogs' faces on them. For the decorations, have the "101 Dalmatians" Disney movie playing in the background and figures of dogs running and chasing each other all over the room. To start the party, have the kids create their own puppies with glue, posterboard and colored pencils. Make little collars for the children with their names on them. Some fun themed games are Pass the Dalmatian Puppy, Find the Bone and Bark Relay. Make a cake that looks like a dalmatian's face, using black and white frosting for the fur and eyes and red frosting for the nose and mouth. If you prefer ice cream, make a dalmatian face with different flavors of ice cream and candy.
  
  

Three to Six Years Old

• If your kids are in the range of three to six years old, you probably want a theme that is a little more mature. Base your "101 Dalmatians" theme on the dog family from the movie. For your invitations, create doghouses with the dog family on the inside or buy invitations with the shape of a dog's house. Make your decorations with big pictures of the dog family with three or four puppies close to a painted doghouse and put black dots all over the place. Have the movie or the movie soundtrack playing in the background. When the guests arrive, have them create tags with their names on them and play games such as Musical Chairs, Pass the Bone or Doggie Bingo. Award prizes that relate to the movie. Make a cake in the shape of a doghouse and serve hot dogs.
  
  

Seven to 10 Years Old

• If your child is a little older, you should take care not to make your party look quite as juvenile as it would for younger kids. If "101 Dalmatians" is the theme, you can focus the party more on the human couple's relationship with the dog couple from the movie. Make invitations that have pictures of people walking their dogs. For your decorations you can have white, black and red colors for the tables and chairs, and some dog faces with a red collar on the walls around the room. Since the kids are older here, just give them a red collar tag with their names and you can start the party by playing Find the Treasure. Make the clues with the shape of a dog foot and write the riddles from things about the movie. Make a cake in the shape of a dog foot and serve hot dogs.