12 Fun Graduation Party Games & Activities That Score Top Marks With Teens
Compartir
Let's be honest - party games can go either way with teens. They're either the highlight that gets everyone laughing or the awkward moment where guests suddenly need to "check something on their cell phone."
So in the spirit of supporting fellow parents of teens, I've put together a roundup of some of the most fun games that work well for a graduation party.
Some have a distinct graduation theme to them and others are well worn classics that always work for teenagers.
Graduation Party Games That Come Top Of The Class
Graduation Cap Ring Toss
Transform ordinary graduation caps into a carnival-style game that's surprisingly addictive and perfect for all ages.
- Suitable for: Outdoors or spacious indoor areas
- Supplies needed: Graduation caps (real or cardboard cutouts), plastic rings, masking tape for marking throw lines
How to play:
- Set up a row of graduation caps on a table or the ground
- Label each cap with different point values
- Have players stand behind a line and take turns tossing rings
- Award small prizes for reaching certain point totals
- For evening parties, use glow necklaces as rings for a fun effect
"Guess the Graduate" Baby Photo Match
A surprisingly entertaining game that brings laughs while looking at how far everyone has come.
- Suitable for: Indoors or sheltered outdoor areas
- Supplies needed: Baby photos from guests, display board, numbers, answer sheets, pens
How to play:
- Ask each guest to bring a baby photo (request this on the invitation)
- Number and display photos on a board, including the graduate's baby photo
- Give each guest an answer sheet to match babies to party attendees
- The person with the most correct matches wins a prize
- For close friends, consider using embarrassing school photos instead
- The graduate gets to keep all their friends' baby photos as a memento
Future Prediction Time Capsule
Creates a lasting memento that will be hilarious and touching to open years from now.
- Suitable for: Indoors or outdoors
- Supplies needed: Decorative box or container, prediction cards, pens, small current items
How to play:
- Provide cards for guests to write predictions about the graduate's future
- Ask for predictions about career, living situation, or achievements in 5-10 years
- Include some current items like newspaper headlines, photos, or price lists of common items
- Seal everything in a container with instructions not to open until a specific date
- Have the graduate announce when they plan to open it (perhaps at a 5-year reunion)
- Make sure the container is waterproof and properly sealed for long-term storage
Advice for the Future
A meaningful activity that creates both laughs and genuine wisdom for the graduate to take on their next adventure.
- Suitable for: Indoors or outdoors
- Supplies needed: Index cards, pens, decorative box or jar
How to play:
- Give each guest an index card when they arrive
- Ask them to write their best advice for the graduate
- Collect cards in a decorative container throughout the party
- During a quiet moment, have the graduate read cards aloud
- The graduate can try to guess who wrote each piece of advice
- Consider creating categories like "When you're homesick" or "When you're stressed about exams"
Graduation Bingo
A perfect ice-breaker that gets guests mingling and learning about each other while hunting for bingo squares.
- Suitable for: Indoors or outdoors
- Supplies needed: Printed bingo cards, pens (printable version available in our graduation games bundle)
How to play:
- Create bingo cards with squares like "Has traveled abroad" or "Knows the graduate's favourite film"
- Give each guest a card and pen when they arrive
- Guests must find people who match each square and get them to sign that square
- Each person can only sign once on each card
- First person to complete a row, column, or the whole card wins
- Award a small prize to the winner
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Gets everyone moving and laughing while creating a fantastic photo collection from the party.
- Suitable for: Both indoors and outdoors
- Supplies needed: Printed scavenger hunt lists, smartphones with cameras, optional shared photo album
How to play:
- Create a list of photo challenges related to the graduate or party
- Examples: "Take a photo with someone wearing school colours" or "Find three people who can spell the graduate's middle name"
- Divide guests into small teams
- Set a time limit (20-30 minutes works well)
- Teams race to complete as many photo challenges as possible
- Have everyone send photos to a shared album that can be displayed during the party
- Award prizes for most creative photos or most challenges completed
Graduation Timeline Challenge
A nostalgic game that tests how well guests know the graduate's journey from childhood to graduation.
- Suitable for: Indoors or sheltered outdoor areas
- Supplies needed: Cards with events from the graduate's life, table or display area
How to play:
- Create cards with significant events from the graduate's life
- Include both major milestones and funny moments
- Shuffle the cards and place them on a table
- Guests work together to arrange them in chronological order
- Once complete, the graduate can share the real story behind each event
- Consider adding photos to make it more visual and engaging
"Remember When" Jar
A low-key but meaningful activity that collects memories from everyone who has been part of the graduate's journey.
- Suitable for: Indoors or outdoors
- Supplies needed: Decorative jar, colourful paper slips, pens
How to play:
- Set up a station with a clear jar, paper slips, and pens
- Ask guests to write down a memory they share with the graduate
- Guests fold their papers and place them in the jar
- Throughout the party, have the graduate pull out memories and read them aloud
- The graduate can try to guess who wrote each memory
- The filled jar becomes a keepsake the graduate can take to university
Graduation Piñata
Because sometimes you just need to hit something to celebrate the end of exams and school stress.
- Suitable for: Outdoors (or very spacious indoor areas with high ceilings)
- Supplies needed: Graduation-themed piñata, sweets, small gifts, blindfold, bat or stick
How to play:
- Fill a graduation cap or diploma-shaped piñata with treats and small gifts
- Hang the piñata securely from a tree branch or sturdy support
- Blindfold participants one at a time
- Spin them around three times before they take their swings
- Give each person 3-5 swings before moving to the next participant
- Once broken, everyone scrambles to collect the falling treats
- Consider including some gift cards or special items for the graduate
College Essentials Relay Race
An active game that pokes fun at the chaos of packing for university while getting everyone moving.
- Suitable for: Outdoors or spacious indoor areas
- Supplies needed: Suitcases, common college items, obstacle course materials, timer
How to play:
- Create teams of 3-4 people
- Set up a starting area with empty suitcases and piles of college essentials
- Create a simple obstacle course leading to a "dorm room" setup
- Teams must select appropriate items, pack the suitcase, navigate the course, and unpack correctly
- Include some ridiculous items for laughs alongside practical ones
- Time each team and award prizes for fastest completion
- Consider penalties for forgetting essential items or packing inappropriate things
Graduation Charades
Classic game with a graduation twist that gets everyone laughing and participating.
- Suitable for: Indoors or outdoors
- Supplies needed: Slips of paper with graduation-related prompts, timer, container
How to play:
- Create charade prompts related to school, university life, and the graduate's interests
- Divide guests into two teams
- Players take turns picking a prompt and acting it out without speaking
- Their team must guess the prompt within a time limit (usually 1-2 minutes)
- Award points for correct guesses
- For less outgoing groups, try Pictionary instead with the same prompts
- Include some inside jokes that will be meaningful to the graduate and friends
Graduation Trivia
Tests how well guests know the graduate, their school, and graduation traditions with a fun quiz format.
- Suitable for: Indoors or outdoors
- Supplies needed: Prepared trivia questions, answer sheets, pens, prizes
How to play:
- Create a quiz with questions about the graduate, their school, and graduation traditions
- Mix easy questions with challenging ones
- Form teams of 3-4 people
- Read questions aloud and give teams time to write answers
- Include some photo rounds showing the graduate at different ages
- The team with the most correct answers wins
- Consider having the graduate create some of the questions about themselves
Before you go, you might also like...
