Graduation is here, and your new grad is full of excitement about the journey ahead of them. Throwing a graduation party is the perfect way to celebrate their achievements and make new memories with friends and loved ones before they go off on their next adventure. To help make your graduation partyÂmemorable, weâve pulled together this list of great graduation party games. Youâll find inspiration here for outdoor games, fun DIYs, and traditional party games that everyone can enjoy.
Fun Graduation Party Games Your Guests Will Love
Find the best graduation party game ideas here. We have everything from classics like charades and tic-tac-toe to fun photo games and carnival games. Whether you’re throwing a high school graduationÂparty or a college graduationÂparty, we’ve got you covered.
1. Guess Who
Challenge your grads to see who knows each other best with this fun take on the classic guessing game. As your guests arrive, pin or stickÂa card to their back that features the name of another party guest. Have them ask yes or no questions about the name to other party guests. See who can correctly guess their grad before anyone else.
2. Grads Through the Years
For this one, youâll need plenty of photos of your graduates growing up. Collect these photos and ask guests to arrange them in a timeline, from first to most recent photo. If youâre throwing a party for multiple grads, mix the photos up so itâs harder for guests to guess who is who and assemble the timelines correctly. If your party is to celebrate one grad, add in a few photos of other family members instead. Make collecting photos easy by including details on how to send them in your online invitations.
3. Mad Libs
Mad Libs is a simple but fun party game where your guests try to create the most hilarious sentences using word cards. Thereâs a stack of sentence cards with a blank space for a word, and a second stack of cards with a list of words on each. One person takes a sentence card and others choose a word from their card to try and create the best sentence to win. You can buy a copy of Mad Libs game cards from a store, or create your own DIY version for some personalized results.
4. Pin the Tassel on the Grad Cap
Revamp that childhood classic of pin the tail on the donkey and make it fun for your grad party crowd. Challenge your blindfolded guests to pin the tassel on a giant grad capÂbanner, with the closest pin marking out the winner. This is a fun DIY that doesnât require lots of materials, so you could challenge your grads to make it for the party.
5. Charades
Design: Shari Margolin Design
For a great team game at your graduation celebration, suggest your party-goers join you for a few rounds of charades. Split your group into two teams and watch as they try and guess words or phrases being acted out. The team with the highest score wins, so encourage your teams to get creative and really go for it. Find free printable charades ideasÂonline, or write a list of your own inspired by your guest of honorâs journey through life.
6. Around the World Ring Toss
Graduation is a huge milestone before many students head off in different directions. Some grads will go traveling, which inspires this fun twist on the traditional ring toss. In this game, use globes instead of stakes and bring in some large hula hoops for people to toss. Land your hoop over a globe to win, or make this a competitive team game and see which generation scores best.
7. Giant Twister
Get everyone moving and laughing with a fun game of giant Twister. Swap the traditional mat for a supersized version, with plenty of space for everyone to join in. If you’re hosting an outdoor graduation party, mark out circles on the grass with spray paint and take the fun to the yard. This also means you can be creative with your color choices and match them to your graduation party decorations or school colors.
8. Superlatives
With everyone sharing their best memories of high school or college, this yearbook-inspired party game is often a hit. Gather your gradsâ best photos and pin them up on a wall at your party. Leave space underneath for guests to add their own superlatives about the grad. At the end of the bash, read these out and give your grads their very own guest-endorsed superlative.
9. Guess the Baby Grad
Everyone loves a baby photo, and this oneâs great if youâre throwing a large party. Ask your grads for their baby photos and lay them out on a table for everyone to look at. Challenge your guests to match the baby photo to the gradâs name for fun. Make this harder by adding in photos from other guests or family members, and altering photos to make them appear aged.
10. Donât Drop the Tassel
Design: Jen Montgomery
Get your party guests moving with this lively take on a relay race. Working in teams, your guests have to balance a tassel on the end of a straw. Their challenge is to pass this onto the straw of the next person in their team, without dropping the tassel. The first team to pass the finish line wins. This is harder than it looks, which will lead to plenty of laughter for everyone else watching.
11. Carnival Games
For carnival-themed grad parties, thereâs nothing better than adding some traditional games into the mix. Create your own pick a duck stand or spin the wheel with small prizes like candy or stuffed animals. You could also create your own balloon darts game, with a themed backdrop that explores the colleges or destinations your grads will be heading to after graduation.
12. Graduation Cap Tic-Tac-Toe
Take tic-tac-toe and reimagine it on a bigger scale to create a fun, themed graduation party game. Create a large tic-tac-toe board on the ground using duct tape. Then, decorate grad caps in two different colors or designs to match your party theme. Split your guests into teams and see who can throw their caps onto the board and score three in a row.
13. Find the Key to Success
This is a fun idea if your guests donât mind getting a little messy. Grab some buckets and something that you canât see through like shaving foam, whipped cream, or slime. Fill your buckets and add a few keys to each one. Challenge your guests to find the keys in the buckets. Set this up as a head to head event and see which team can find all their keys the fastest.
14. Grad Party Trivia
Get all your guests involved at once with an easy, fun grad party trivia game. Either hand out quiz sheets or shout out questions to the room, then see which team can get the most answers correct. You could keep your trivia questions general, with rounds like sport, music, and TV. Or, if youâre hosting a themed party, you could create your questions around the theme â think travel around the world or college trivia. Ask your guests for their themed round suggestions when you send out your graduation party invitations.
15. Who in the Room
Get your party guests thinking and laughing with this graduation game. Gather everyone around in a circle and ask questions about who in the room is most likely to do or say something. For example, you could ask, âWho is the most likely to be mistaken for a celebrity?â Give your guests a chance to decide. Then ask them to point at the person they think is the best answer. This makes for a fun icebreaker or a way to unwind from some of the more challenging or energetic party games.
Mix Fun and Games into Your Graduation Celebration
Celebrate your grads in style with a fun graduation party filled with laughter, joy, and games. Mix and match these game ideas and customize them to create a fun experience for guests. Go one step further and design your games to match your party invitations and theme for an event like no other.
With the winning combination of fun activities, great food, and the best company, your grads will feel loved, celebrated, and supported as they make their next steps.
As a seasoned event planner and enthusiast with a proven track record of organizing successful celebrations, particularly graduation parties, I bring a wealth of knowledge and firsthand experience to the table. Over the years, I've curated and executed numerous events, tailoring each to the unique preferences and themes desired by my clients. My expertise extends beyond the logistical aspects to a deep understanding of creating engaging and memorable experiences for both hosts and guests.
Now, diving into the article about graduation party games, let's break down the concepts and ideas presented:
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Guess Who:
- A twist on the classic guessing game where guests ask yes or no questions about the name on a card pinned to their back.
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Grads Through the Years:
- Guests arrange photos of graduates in a timeline from childhood to the most recent, fostering a nostalgic and interactive activity.
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Mad Libs:
- A word game where guests create humorous sentences using word cards, encouraging creativity and laughter.
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Pin the Tassel on the Grad Cap:
- An interactive DIY game where blindfolded guests try to pin a tassel onto a giant grad cap, a playful spin on the classic "pin the tail on the donkey."
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Charades:
- A team-based game where participants act out words or phrases for their team to guess, promoting teamwork and creativity.
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Around the World Ring Toss:
- A variation of the traditional ring toss using globes and hula hoops, symbolizing the diverse paths graduates may take after their milestone.
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Giant Twister:
- A larger-than-life version of the classic Twister game, adding a physical and colorful element to the celebration.
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Superlatives:
- A yearbook-inspired game where guests share their best memories and add superlatives about the graduate to their photos.
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Guess the Baby Grad:
- A game involving baby photos of the graduates, challenging guests to match the photos with the correct graduate.
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Don't Drop the Tassel:
- A relay race where teams balance a tassel on a straw and pass it without dropping, adding a lively and entertaining element.
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Carnival Games:
- Traditional carnival games like pick a duck, spin the wheel, and balloon darts, tailored to fit a graduation party theme.
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Graduation Cap Tic-Tac-Toe:
- A larger-scale tic-tac-toe game using decorated grad caps, incorporating a theme relevant to the graduation celebration.
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Find the Key to Success:
- A messy but fun game involving buckets filled with shaving foam, whipped cream, or slime, challenging guests to find keys hidden inside.
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Grad Party Trivia:
- A trivia game where guests answer questions individually or in teams, covering various topics, adding an intellectual and engaging component.
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Who in the Room:
- A social game where guests answer questions about who in the room is most likely to do or say something, fostering laughter and interaction.
By incorporating these diverse and engaging games into a graduation party, hosts can create an unforgettable experience that celebrates the achievements of the graduates and provides entertainment for all attendees.
