Party plans: ready running orders

Choosing games is only half of hosting. The other half is the order: which game first, when to bring the food, how to end. Each plan below is a complete running order for one kind of occasion, with timings, the games linked, a list of things to get ready and notes on what matters for that group. Use a plan as it stands, or swap in other games of the same kind from the full list.

• Birthday party, ages 4 to 6
  8 to 15 children, with a few parents helping
• Birthday party, ages 7 to 10
  10 to 20 children
• Teenagers' party
  8 to 20 teenagers
• Family get-together, all ages
  10 to 30 people, from five to eighty-five
• Kitty party
  8 to 20 members
• Sangeet and mehndi evening
  30 to 150 guests, with a stage or cleared floor
• Office party or team outing
  12 to 60 colleagues
• Society or colony function
  50 to 200 residents of all ages
• Festival gathering (Diwali, Lohri, New Year)
  10 to 25 relatives and friends
• Baby shower (godh bharai)
  10 to 30 guests, mostly seated
• Senior citizens' get-together
  8 to 30 elders
• Small flat or rainy day
  4 to 10 people in one room

How the plans are built

• An easy opener, which late arrivals can join without having the rules explained again.
• Loud and quiet in turn, so that nobody is worn out or bored.
• Food in the middle, with the messiest game just before it and a seated game just after.
• The best game last.
• One game per fifteen minutes, more or less, and never a game played until it dies.

Changing a plan

Every group is different. If your guests are younger, shorten each game and remove any with elimination. If they are older or dressed up, replace running games with table games. If the party is bigger than the plan says, split into teams and run the table games in heats. The guide to games by group size explains what changes as numbers grow.

A checklist for any party

• Each game's materials in its own bag, in order
• One helper who knows the plan
• Music and a way to stop it
• A timer and a score sheet
• Small equal prizes, with spares
• Water, napkins and a first-aid box
• A spare game

More advice: how to host party games and prizes and return gifts.