20 Exciting Graduation Party Ideas and Games for Grads
A graduation party is an occasion to celebrate achievements, reminisce about fond memories, and look forward to the future. While preparing grad announcements and grad party invitations, don’t forget to consider activities to keep guests entertained at the party.
Make your event engaging by incorporating fun and interactive graduation party games. Whether you’re looking for exciting challenges, nostalgic activities, or lighthearted entertainment, these graduation celebration ideas will keep guests entertained and create lasting memories.
From trivia and relays to creative competitions, these 20 games add excitement and laughter to your graduation celebration ideas!
Graduation Celebration Ideas and Games to Entertain Guests
How do you keep guests entertained at a grad party? Party games are always a hit! You can easily turn many classics into fun graduation party games to fit in with your graduation party ideas.
All of these graduation games require very minimal (and simple) materials and most are appropriate for both indoor and outdoor graduation party themes. For prizes, consider simple adult party favors that can be handed out to all of the game winners.
Here’s our list of easy and fun graduation party games. Most of these suggestions work well with high school and college students, but you can easily tailor them for preschool graduation parties as well!
Graduation Cap Toss Challenge
Set up a target area and have guests take turns tossing a grad cap toward it. Assign different point values based on how close they get to the target. To make it more exciting, consider adding different levels of difficulty by placing targets at varying distances. The person with the highest score wins a prize!
Materials:
- Grad cap
- Colorful tape to create targets
Memory Lane Trivia
Before the party, gather fun and quirky facts about the graduate, such as childhood nicknames, favorite school activities, or most embarrassing moments. Create a trivia game where guests try to answer the most questions correctly. The person with the most right answers wins! You can also have the graduate verify or elaborate on each answer to make it more engaging.
Materials:
- List of trivia questions
- Paper and pens (optional)
Who Said It?
Collect memorable quotes from the graduate’s teachers, family members, or classmates. Guests must match each quote to the person who said it. This game is a great way to share laughs and reminisce about the graduate’s journey. Consider adding a storytelling segment where guests explain the context of the quotes.
Materials:
- List of memorable quotes
- Paper and pens (optional)
Yearbook Superlatives
Write down different categories like “Most Likely to Succeed” or “Best Dressed” on slips of paper. Have guests anonymously vote on who at the party fits each category. Read the results aloud for some lighthearted fun! You can also print out small certificates for winners to take home as souvenirs.
Materials:
- Slips of paper
- Voting containers (jars, bowls, baskets)
- Pens
Grad-Themed Scavenger Hunt
Hide graduation-related items around the party area and give guests a list of things to find. Whoever collects the most items in a set time wins a small prize. Add a competitive twist by splitting guests into teams and giving them clues to find bonus items.
Materials:
- Small decor pieces
- Caps
- Printed diplomas
- Tassels
Musical Chairs
Play upbeat grad-themed music while guests walk around a circle of chairs. When the music stops, everyone scrambles to sit down. Remove a chair each round until only one player remains. To make it even more fun, use popular songs from the graduate’s school years.
Materials:
- Chairs
- A music playlist
Advice for the Graduate
Set up a station with index cards and pens where guests can write down advice, well wishes, or funny predictions for the graduate’s future. Later, the graduate can read them out loud for everyone to enjoy. You can also collect the cards in a scrapbook for the graduate to keep as a cherished memory.
Materials:
- Index cards
- Pens
- A scrapbook
Guess the Baby Grad
Ask guests to submit baby pictures of themselves before the party. Display the photos on a board and have guests guess who’s who. The person with the most correct guesses wins! To add more fun, mix in some celebrity baby photos as well.
Materials:
- Large poster board or bulletin board
- Pens and paper
- Voting containers
Diploma Relay Race
Divide guests into teams and give each team a rolled-up diploma (or a rolled piece of paper). Players must pass the diploma down the line without using their hands. The first team to successfully pass it to all members wins! This game can get hilarious as players come up with creative ways to move the diploma along.
Materials:
- Paper rolls
Grad Bingo
Create custom bingo cards with words or phrases such as “cap toss,” “college,” “scholarship,” or “future.” As guests hear these words in conversation, they mark them off. The first to get five in a row wins. For a twist, include personal anecdotes related to the graduate for a more customized game.
Materials:
- Pre-made bingo cards
- Pens or bingo dobbers
Balloon Pop Memories
Before inflating balloons, place small notes inside with fun memories of the graduate. Throughout the party, guests can pop a balloon and read the memory out loud, sharing stories and laughs. Some balloons can contain special prizes or challenges to keep the excitement going.
Materials:
- Balloons
- Small slips of paper with memories
Pictionary: School Edition
Write school-related words or phrases on slips of paper—like “final exams,” “locker,” and “pep rally”. Players take turns drawing the word while their team guesses what it is before the timer runs out.
Materials:
- Slips of paper with phrases
- Large whiteboard and dry-erase markers
What’s in Your Purse/Wallet?
Create a checklist of common and odd items someone might have in their purse or wallet, such as chapstick, movie tickets, or a receipt from a fast-food restaurant. Players earn points for each item they have. The one with the most points wins! Add a humorous touch by including rare or unexpected items like a graduation tassel or a tiny plastic diploma.
Materials:
- Premade lists of common purse and wallet items
- Pens (optional)
Mad Libs: Grad Speech
Prepare a graduation speech with missing words and have guests fill in the blanks with random nouns, verbs, and adjectives. When read aloud, the results are sure to be hilarious! You can also record the speeches and play them back later for even more laughs.
Materials:
- Pre-written speech with missing words
Ring Toss with Grad Caps
Set up bottles or cones and have guests toss mini grad caps onto them. Assign point values to different targets, and the player with the most points at the end wins a prize. To make it more challenging, have guests stand at different distances depending on their skill level.
Materials:
- Empty plastic bottles
- Mini caps
Paper Airplane Diploma Toss
Provide guests with sheets of paper and have them fold their best paper airplane, pretending it’s a diploma. Set up a target area and see whose “diploma” flies furthest. The person with the longest flight wins!
Materials:
- Pre-printed diplomas
- Paper airplane folding instructions
College or Career Matchup
Write different popular college majors or career titles on one set of cards and their corresponding job descriptions on another. Guests must match them correctly. This is a fun and educational game that can also spark discussions about plans for the future.
Materials:
- Index cards
Name That School Song
Play snippets of popular school anthems, fight songs, or theme songs from famous high school or college movies. Guests must guess the name of the song or where it’s from. This game is great for music lovers and can be turned into a fun karaoke segment.
Materials:
- Pre-made playlist of school-themed songs
Future Predictions Jar
Set up a jar where guests can write down predictions for the graduate’s future—such as where they will live, what career they will have, or even their future pet’s name. The graduate can open these predictions a year later for a nostalgic look back.
Materials:
- Index cards
- Scrapbook or box (optional)
Graduation Charades
Write grad-related words or phrases, such as “walking across the stage,” “throwing a cap,” and “taking grad photos”, on slips of paper. Players must act them out while their team guesses. The team that guesses the most correctly in a set time wins!
Materials:
- Pre-written words or phrases
Laughter, Fun, and Memories to Last a Lifetime
Graduation party games add energy, laughter, and excitement to the event. These interactive activities help bring guests together, creating shared memories that will be cherished for years to come. Whether competitive or just for fun, these games ensure that everyone has a great time while honoring the graduate’s achievements.
And no matter the graduation games you’ve chosen, your grad is sure to be honored on their day. Along with graduation cards, your grad will be recognized with gifts. After the event, have them help write thank you cards and put together some keepsakes and mementos from their important milestone.
Photo by: Eilis Garvey, Rirri, Marissa Rodriguez, Kateryna Hliznitsova on UnSplash
