• The Little Mermaid is a fun birthday party theme.birthday party image by Liz Van Steenburgh from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>
  
  If your child is a big fan of "The Little Mermaid," use Ariel, Flounder and their friends as inspiration to plan a mermaid-themed party. With a little creativity, you can plan a party with mermaid-themed decorations, games and food. These Little Mermaid-inspired ideas will make your child's party a hit with all of her guests.
  
  

Decorations

• Think underwater when you are planning your Little Mermaid party decorations. Hang paper or blown-up fish and other sea animals from the ceiling along with blue streamers and balloons. Cover the table with blue tablecloths, and scatter shells on it. A fish tank filled with water and plastic fish, crabs and starfish makes a cute underwater centerpiece for the table. Hang a large piece of butcher paper on a wall, and decorate it with pictures of Ariel, Flounder and their friends from the movie.
  
  

Food

• Serve ocean-themed food at your party. Make gelatin fishbowls by preparing blue gelatin and pouring it into clear plastic cups. As it starts to thicken but before it sets completely, add some gummy fish to the gelatin. The children will have their own edible oceans to enjoy.
  
  You can make easy Little Mermaid cupcakes by frosting the cupcakes with blue icing and adding plastic Ariel, Sebastian and Flounder toys to the top. If you can't find toys, put Little Mermaid stickers or clip art on card stock, cut them out and glue them to toothpicks. Then insert the toothpicks into the cupcakes.
  
  Goldfish crackers, shell-shaped pasta with butter, and sandwiches cut into fish and shell shapes with cookie cutters can also be served at your party.
  
  

Games

• Choose a few games to keep the children busy and entertained at the party. Treasure hunts are always fun for younger children. For a Little Mermaid-themed hunt, hide seashells around the room or yard and send your guests out to find them. Mark one or two shells with a special sticker, and give a prize to the child who finds the marked shells.
  
  Let the children play pin the tail on Flounder. Draw a large picture of Flounder on a piece of poster board, and then cut out one tail for each child and add a piece of tape to the back. Blindfold the children, and let them try to place the tail on Founder in the correct spot. Have a small prize for the guest who gets the closest. Another variation is to have the children try to put a flower in Ariel's hair.
  
  Another game is to play a variation of musical chairs. Instead of chairs make large seashells out of paper for the children to stand on. Then play a song from "The Little Mermaid," and have the children walk around the shells until the music stops. When it stops, each child has to find a shell to stand on. The child without a shell is out. Take away one shell after each round until there is only one child left.