Pulling off a Fourth of July block party or parade takes planning. Sonja Prince of Fort Worth, Texas, sets the stage the night before the Fourth. She arranges tables in her yard and all of the neighborhood children come over to make flags for the parade. Everyone brings red, white and blue craft supplies while she provides the poster board and sticks. While making the flags, everyone munches on cookies and lemonade. Everyone is talking and creating, and the flag-making turns out to be as much fun as their wonderful parade.

To help plan your party, we've rounded up six more star-spangled planner tips from families around the country:

CHECKLIST

• If you intend to block off part of your street for a parade or party, be sure to obtain any necessary permits.

• Limit the celebration to two to three hours to keep the activity level high.

• Schedule your event for late afternoon, so families can have plenty of time to move on to evening fireworks celebrations.

• Hand-deliver invitations with your kids so you can introduce yourself to neighbors you don't know very well. The personal touch will increase participation.

• If you're including a parade, hold an informal float-making and bicycle-decorating session in your driveway an hour before the big event. Kids and parents can bring their own tape, streamers, and signs, and you can share ideas and lend a hand to help create some fabulous floats.

• Tailor your celebration to the age groups represented in your neighborhood. If you have lots of preschoolers, set out plastic wading pools, bubbles and other water-based activities. Encourage bigger kids to join in by asking them to line up the parade marchers, help younger children with the sidewalk art project or organize team games like soccer and tag.

• Consider a potluck supper to break up the responsibility of the meal. Assign dishes to each family, asking them to bring enough for their family, plus a family of four. Everyone brings their own drinks and a red, white and blue dessert to share.