Sweet dreams are laced with thoughts of gifts and prizes.
Not a day goes by in the life of a child without the bewildering wish for things that they don't have.
The situation is exacerbated when adults send them to birthday parties carrying gifts intended for someone else who is getting many such things.
That is why the perfect birthday party includes gifts and prizes for the enjoyment of all the guests.
These can include certificates, ribbons or small toys.
Keeping the age of the party guests in mind it may be possible to award music CD's from the bargain table or similar nicer but not expensive things.
Children of elementary school age or younger, are really thrilled by a prize won in a simple game of skill or chance.
The gifts and prizes for these need not be extravagant or elaborate.
It needs only be the sort of thing that gives the imagination of a child room for expression.
Young girls love fruit scented perfumes in tiny bottles.
Young boys love to collect tiny toy cars in a variety of styles.
The activities can be even simpler than games.
The gifts and prizes can be sealed in goody bags and placed in a toy box or other receptacle.
Guests could then draw numbers from a hat or fish bowl.
The guests could then go in order of higher to lower, for instance, to pick out a grab bag.
Prizes and gifts might be part of a scavenger hunt.
Give guests a list of things to find in the recreation room or yard that have numbers on the bottom that correspond to items used as gifts and prizes.
Make sure that no two lists are in the same order so that everyone doesn't head to the same item at the same time.