So your little pirate wants a party, eh? And, like any good captain charged with the good of the ship, yer thinkin', "All those little buccaneers runnin' wild in MY house?"

Fear not. Here's the secret map to some of the world's easiest pirate parties. Just scroll down to find your little pirate's age to chart a proper course and set sail.

Ages 3-5: The younger the children at your party, the more likely they are to be terrified of pirates. Even if your son adores pirates, it's entirely probable that most of his little guests will not. If you invite a costumed pirate to show up and entertain a group of 3 or 4-year-olds, expect plenty of tears and knee-clinging. Most pre-schoolers just aren't ready for that sort of pretend play yet. It's best to tone down the decorations (no spooky pirate skulls, for example) and rely on games for the entertainment at a party for this age group. The Simple Treasure Hunt described below will work great. Provide eyepatches and bandannas for your guests, but don't expect them to wear these items for long. Most pre-school boys do not like wearing costumes for any length of time, and eyepatches are particularly uncomfortable for little children. Keep the party short. An hour and a half is a better length of time than two hours -- and you won't need to serve a meal. Cake and ice cream will be enough of a treat for this age group. You may want to consider cupcakes instead of cake. They're easier to handle for children this age -- and most pre-schoolers do not like cake anyway. They only eat the icing.

Ages 6 - 7: Now this is the perfect age for a lad to have a pirate party. No one is going to be scared of someone else wearing an eye patch or sporting green teeth, and pirates are just disgusting enough to enthrall boys (and many girls) this age. The good news is this means less work for you, the party planner. This party should last two hours and it's fine to include a meal because boys this age will love tasting pirate food. Check out the recipe for Squid and Eels at www.askthepartyfairy.com -- or just serve pizza.

Go all out with decorations for this age group -- and the spookier the better. A few pirate skulls strategically placed will be greeted with excitement and enthusiasm. Get out the colored markers and turn empty cardboard boxes into crates and barrels, stacked on top of each other. Drape blankets over chairs to create a spooky pirate cave filled with treasure in a dark corner of your home. The more elaborate the better for pirates in this age group.

Invite boys to create their own pirate costumes to wear to the party. Pirate costumes are easy to create! Be sure to state on the invitation that costumes are welcome -- but weapons will be checked at the door. Otherwise, you will have a 6-year-old arriving with the largest sword you have ever encountered swinging from his waist, and that sword will lay waste in short order to everything breakable in your home, injure a couple of other party guests and generally spoil the party. .

It's expected that eye patches will be provided at pirate parties, but avoid handing out swords or hooks at the beginning of the party or swordfights and hook battles will quickly ensue. These items make better party favors than costume accessories.

While you're waiting for the guests to arrive, hand out black and white sheets of construction paper, markers, glue sticks and scissors and have the pirates make their own Jolly Roger flags. For reasons not yet clear to anthropologists and scientists worldwide, many 6-year-old boys are totally fascinated by the skull and crossbones sign!

Party-goers will adore a costumed character hired to entertain, so the expense will be worth it for this age group. Whether it's a storyteller, musician or actor, you really an't go wrong. Prices vary wildly depending on the type of entertainer and your location, but generally run $75 to $100 for 45 minutes of entertainment. If this amount is not within your budget, don't worry. The little pirates will be just as happy with non-stop games. Be sure to include a Treasure Hunt or two from the list below.

The best party plan for this age will consist of a 10-minute arrival activity, five 15-minute games or activities (keep it moving fast, to hold their attention) a total of 20 minutes at the table for a meal followed by cake and ice cream, and 15 minutes at the end of the party for present opening.

Ages 8-10: By this age, a lad wants a bit more of a challenge at his pirate party. An eyepatch and a hook just won't cut it....You'll have to be clever and make use of a few more tricks to capture and engage the crew. Bag the simple Treasure Hunt described below, and substitute a lengthier, more complicated Treasure Hunt which requires teamwork, thought and reading skills.

If you live in a safe neighborhood, a Scavenger Hunt can be a great activity for a pirate party for boys this age. Divide into small groups and place an adult in charge of each group.

SIMPLE TREASURE HUNT

The easiest treasure hunt for a pirate party is conducted exactly like an Easter Egg Hunt in your backyard, substituting gold pirate coins for eggs. The winner is determined by who collects the most. Plastic gold coins are sold by the gross (144) in the party favors aisle at Wal-mart or party supply stores, and may be ordered online from places such as Oriental Trading Co.

MAPPED TREASURE HUNT

Purchase a small treasure chest and fill it with individually wrapped pieces of candy and/or small trinkets such as bubbles, rings, stickers, tattoos. Hide the chest on your property. Hand each pirate a map and a plastic bag to hold his or her share of the loot.

SWAB THE DECK RELAY

Divide into two teams and form two lines facing each other. Give the first person in each line a pail full of water. Give the second person in line a mop. When the relay begins, the first person must race behind the line to take the pail of water to last person, being careful not to spill any of it. The second person hands off the mop to the next person, who hands it to the next person, who hands it to the next, etc. The last person in line must balance the mop and the pail of water to run back to the front of the line, handing off the pail of water to the first person in line and the mop to the second person in line, and the process starts over.

Here's a different way to play. Slide the mop through the handle of the pail of water, so that the pail is balanced from the mop. Have two player hold the mop, one on each side, so that the pail of water is suspended between them, as they race to the end of the line to hand it off to two more waiting players.

Either way, after 2 minutes, a whistle is blown, and the pails of water are checked. The team whose pail has the most water is the winner. In summertime, it's fun to dump the mop pails on the losing team after the relay!

This hub was contributed by The Party Fairy, a party and special events service in Richmond VA.