Games that liven up elementary school thank-you parties! A collection of ideas that both children and adults can enjoy
It’s graduation season for elementary schools, and many of you who’ve been put in charge of planning thank-you parties or farewell gatherings may be wondering, “What kind of games will really liven things up?” You want graduation events or post-ceremony parties to become unforgettable memories for the children.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of games that are perfect for elementary school thank-you parties and farewell gatherings.
From easy-to-prepare options to everyone-participates activities that bring out smiles all around, we’ve curated ideas you can choose from based on your venue atmosphere and group size.
We hope you find them helpful!
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Games to Liven Up Elementary School Thank-You Parties! A Collection of Ideas That Both Kids and Adults Can Enjoy (31–40)
Memory game
The memory game is similar to a memory-based shiritori.
Participants take turns naming one sheet of construction paper from those set on the table, each a different color.
However, when responding, they must recite all previously named colors starting from the first one.
In other words, if the first player names “blue,” the second player points to the blue sheet before naming another color.
As the game progresses, the list of colors grows, putting everyone’s memory to the test.
Anyone who gets the order wrong is out, and the person who continues without making a mistake until the end wins.
You can enjoy this game with items other than construction paper as well—try using mementos or photos of the participants.
A game where you guess someone from a part of their face
It’s a game where you show a photo of a body part and have people guess who it is.
It seems like it tests how much you usually look at and know about that person.
The photos can be of celebrities or participants at a graduation party—both are fine! It’s best to take and present parts like the mouth, eyes, or eyebrows—features that seem recognizable but aren’t too obvious.
However, if the pool of possible answers is too broad, no one will get it right, so be sure to give hints that narrow it down.
Picking unexpected people—like a teacher or a historical figure—could also make the game more exciting.
Small Number Game
It’s a game you can play on the spot with just paper and a pencil, called the “Small Number Game.” The idea is that the person who wrote the smaller number wins—but if that were all, you could just write 1.
In this game, however, you have to write a number that no one else chooses.
Each person writes a number they like from 1 to 20 on their paper.
Then a representative counts down from 20, and you stand up when your number is called.
If you’re the only one who wrote that number, you’re the champion.
If someone else also wrote it, you’re out.
The winner is the person who is the only one to have written a small number.
Line-up Game
This “Lineup Game” is one where you form a single line according to a prompt, such as height order or birthday order.
It seems simple at first glance, but since you have to talk to each other to line up correctly, communication skills are essential.
It’s a fun activity where you get to know everyone better, and you can even split into teams and battle it out.
Anything Basket
How about playing “Anything Basket”? Everyone sits in a circle on chairs, and someone calls out a prompt like “People with birthdays in October” or “People wearing skirts.” Anyone who matches the prompt stands up and moves to a different chair.
There’s one fewer chair than the number of players, so it has a musical chairs element—using both your head and your body, and getting excited about what the next prompt will be.
Bomb game
The “Bomb Game” is something everyone can play together without worrying about the number of participants.
Despite the name, you just use a ball.
While music plays, everyone forms a circle and passes the ball, imagining it as a bomb, to the person next to them.
You pass it rhythmically in time with the music, but when the music stops, the person holding the ball is out—the bomb has exploded.
It gets even more exciting if you decide in advance how many times someone can “explode” (for example, anyone whose bomb explodes three times has to do a forfeit).
School Quiz
This should be quite exciting! A “school quiz” refers to quizzes related to the school—for example, the number of restrooms on the first floor or trivia about teachers—questions that only students of the school would know.
Let’s enjoy quizzes like that! Since it’s a school we went to every day, we should be able to come up with some really fun questions!
Gesture Game
You all know the game “charades,” right? It’s a game where you express the given prompt using only gestures without any words, and everyone tries to guess it! Even things you can easily explain with speech suddenly become difficult when you’re limited to gestures.
It’s fun to work together and push through that handicap as a group!
Pedometer Dance Battle
This is quite a novel game idea! “Pedometer Dance Battle”: you attach a pedometer to your body and dance like crazy, and the person with the most steps wins.
Since you have to rely on your natural sense of dance to compete, athletic ability really matters here.
Everyone, give it a try!
Epicenter Game
As the title suggests, “Epicenter Game” is a game where you search for the epicenter.
In this case, “epicenter” means the person secretly leading everyone’s actions.
Players form a circle around one person, and everyone copies the movements of the epicenter.
The person in the middle tries to figure out who the epicenter is.
The more players there are, the harder the game becomes!