Ready for some Parachute Game fun at Preschool?

Once upon a time, parachutes were reserved merely as devices to help us jump out of aircraft and land safely on the ground.

How dull!

Thankfully, over the decades, creative minds have discovered many more fun ways to put these adaptable devices to use. Today, parachutes are a staple of the early childhood educator’s repertoire – allowing us to expand young imaginations to the breadth of the sky.

These games allow us to work on a number of developmental areas, often more than one at a time. Variously, parachute games allow children to develop their gross motor, spatial awareness, rhythm, imagination, teamwork, turn-taking, group participation and musical skills, as well as hand strength, dexterity and coordination, among many others we often don’t even consider.

Primarily, parachute games involve the children each occupying a place around the rim of the parachute, holding it fast. Beyond this base configuration, we design many games that involve having the children, either one or several at a time, interact with the group holding the parachute.

It’s a fun and safe way to involve children of all abilities, as well as to bring shy children out of their shells a little bit and get them interacting with their peers.

As the children become more familiar with these games, they always look forward to the next time we bring out the parachute – because it always equals fun!

In this guide, I will guide you through my favorite games involving a parachute, along with corresponding explanations of the unique educational aims and benefits of each.

Some Preliminary Tips

One

The set up and tidying up aspects are an important part of this activity. Ensure you structure these transitions into your activity in a deliberate way.

If you provide clear, easy-to-follow instructions from the outset, the children will have no trouble comprehending what is expected of them and will be freer to enjoy the activity and derive maximum learning from their immersion in the games.

Two

For activities involving songs, at first emphasize the importance of gripping the edge of the parachute for the entire duration of the song. Once they get a ‘grasp’ of this, you can introduce coordination patterns.

Doing it this way ensures that the fundamentals are sound and will help the children develop sufficient hand strength and to participate fully as the difficulty of the activities increases. Once they have demonstrated their ability to maintain a good grip, you can move onto developing coordination patterns with them.

Three

When working with young children, always be aware of their limited strength and space your activities out accordingly. After one or two songs, they will typically have tired arms and be quite ready for a break.

At the beginning, the children’s arms will fatigue quickly, but their stamina will build with time up as you undertake the activity more and more. Ultimately, they will develop the stamina to maintain an entire sequence all the way through.

Plan the activity out carefully. If you have groups of children alternating activities, ensure that the other activities are related to the parachute games that are ongoing. This will help you retain their interest while they wait for their turn, and develop their attention spans.

As you know, children much prefer to have things to do in the down time, so it does help to find ways for them to support the main activity. For example, they might keep score be nominated as ‘ball children’, who collect the balls when they roll away during certain games.

Four

In the beginning, in order to ensure the most enthusiastic response and participation in the game, it helps to lead by example. Join in each game first, demonstrating with energy what the children need to do. Your enthusiasm is contagious!

If you approach each game excitedly and dramatically, you can rest assured the children will follow your lead. After that, they will be off and running.

Now, into the games we go!

Bumping and Jumping

This is a really energetic game that lets the children really get into the rhythm with its catchy tune! But it’s a long one, so don’t be surprised if it tires them out a bit.

Directions:

Have the children stand around the parachute in an even circle, grasping it with both hands. As the song starts, feel free to encourage them to move their bodies around to the music; we’re supposed to be having fun after all!

When the lyrics dictate, get the children to lift the parachute up high above their heads and shake it strongly, the whole time keeping a tight grip.

When the music says to let it down, bring it down quickly and shake it around. Along with the jumping and bumping, this game always results in a lot of laughter for the children.

Lyrics:

I know a dance that’s fun to do,

I’d like to do this dance with you.

Would you like to do it too?

It’s called bump, bump, bumpin’ the chute.

You lift the parachute off the ground,

Now shake the parachute up and down.

Just shake the parachute all around,

Shake the parachute all around.

 Now everybody –

 Bump, bump, bump the parachute,

Bump, bump, bump the parachute.

Jump, jump, jump with the parachute,

Jump, jump, jump with the parachute.

Now bump, bump, bump,

Yeah you’re bumpin’ the chute.

 You shake the parachute up and down,

Just shake the parachute all around.

Now shake the parachute up and down,

Shake the parachute all around.

 Now everybody –

 Bump, bump, bump the parachute,

Bump, bump, bump the parachute.

Jump, jump, jump with the parachute,

Jump, jump, jump with the parachute.

Bump, bump, bump, bumpin’ the chute,

Bump, bump, bump, bumpin’ the chute.

Bump, bump, bump, yeah, you’re bumpin’ the chute.

Well you’re bumpin’ the chute.

Well you’re bumpin’ the chute.

Mountain High

This game is all about lifting the parachute up and lowering it back down again, creating a mountain shape in the parachute as it captures the air on the way back down.

Directions:

Have the children stand in a circle around the parachute, holding it firmly in both hands. Lift it up as high as possible, and then allow the parachute to billow up a little. When it reached its high point, pull down suddenly and firmly to create the mountain.

Make sure they don’t let go; this one requires quite a lot of hand strength to keep a firm grip (or we end up with some odd-shapes mountains)!

Repeat the above steps but as you bring the parachute down the second time, the children can pretend to be climbing the mountain by moving their legs at the same time. This is a great coordination activity for them.

Lyrics:

A mountain’s high, yes a mountain is high.

Lets lift our parachute way up to the sky.

And make a mountain high, a mountain, mountain high.

Hold the parachute in both hands.

Lift it up slowly,

And watch it climb.

Higher, higher, as high as you can.

Bring all your hands together.

Lower it down,

Now do it again.

A mountain’s high, yes a mountain is high.

We made a mountain way up in the sky.

We made a mountain high, a mountain, mountain high.

 Parachute Roller Ball

This game is an excellent activity for supporting improved coordination as it introduces a moving ball to the equation and requires cooperation between children to reach the goal.

Directions:

This game can be played either as a group (in cooperation) or on two opposing teams.

You need at least three children to participate in the activity. Naturally, if you have teams, it would be preferable to have an even number of children involved.

Have the children stand around the parachute and pull it tight. Place a small, light ball on top of the parachute. The object of the game is for the children to maneuver the ball into the hole at the center of the parachute.

On the other side of the coin, an alternative game is to get the children to avoid having the ball go in the hole for as long as possible, while rolling the ball around the parachute.

If they’re playing on two opposing teams, then it is the object of the second team to prevent the ball from going into the hole.

Just a tip before you get started; nominate one child to retrieve the ball after it goes through the hole or off the parachute, as this will prevent the other children needing to let go in order to fetch the ball.

The ball child can switch back in every few points to give somebody else a turn.

Lyrics:

Let’s all play parachute ball.

Let’s all play parachute roller ball.

Put the ball in the hole and watch it fall.

It’s parachute roller ball.

Put the ball on the parachute, keep it rolling around.

It if falls to the ground, just start it again.

Roll it, roll it, roller ball.

Roll it, roll it, roller ball.

Roll it, roll it, roller ball.

You have to work together to make it fall.

Everyone’s a winner at roller ball.

Let’s all play parachute ball.

Let’s play parachute roller ball.

Put the ball in the hole and watch it fall.

It’s parachute roller

Parachute roller

Parachute roller ball.

Merry-Go-Round

In this game, there is additional movement, which is a lot of fun for the children as they walk around in a circle imitating a real merry-go-round (carousel).

Just make sure the children don’t try and go too fast, or they’ll end up in a pile!

Directions:

Have the children stand evenly around the parachute, holding it with only their left hand. They can then turn to their right, so they face side-on to the parachute, while keeping a tight grip with their left hand.

When the music starts, they slowly circle around in a forwards direction, taking small steps but bending their knees highly to imitate the movement of a horse on the merry-go-round.

When the lyrics call for it, they can reach up and pretend to grab the gold ring. After a while, you can have the children turn around, changing the parachute to their right hand, and repeat the game in the opposite direction.

Lyrics:

It’s a most original merry-go-round.

And it’s different than I’ve ever seen.

With no horses to ride,

Nor gold rings to be found.

It’s a parachute merry-go-round.

Hold the parachute in your left hand,

As you start to circle around.

Stay with the music,

Let’s go up and down.

Reach in the air with the hand that’s free.

Keep moving and make believe you can catch the gold ring.

Reach in the air with the hand that’s free.

Keep moving and make believe you can catch the gold ring.

It’s a most original merry-go-round.

And it’s different than I’ve ever seen.

With no horses to ride,

Nor gold rings to be found.

It’s a parachute merry-go,

Parachute merry-go,

Parachute merry-go-round.

Parachute Pow-Wow

This is a seated activity that works on the children’s sense of rhythm. It’s nice to mix it up with the more intense physical activities so far mentioned in this guide.

Directions:

Have the children sit on the floor, cross legged, around the parachute in a circle. Hold the parachute tightly with both hands and thump it on the ground in time with the music.

This is a vigorous song, so their actions should reflect this level of activity, albeit from a seated position.

First, lift the parachute up, shaking it vigorously. Have the children stretch their arms up high, with a jerk, to make it billow and then try and put their head underneath. Repeat this sequence as they sing along to the music.

Next, place the parachute back on the ground and have the children cross their arms and bow from the waist. Then, they raise one hand and ask “cow?” they then lift their right hand to their brow and say “on safari!”

Have the children pick up the parachute with their left hand, stand up and start to circle around like they are searching for Buffalo. For fun, you might ask them to make animal calls. At the end, they should all stop, raise their right hand and say “cow!”

Lyrics:

Parachute pow wow, parachute pow wow.

We’ll do a rain dance to the sky,

And make an umbrella to keep us dry.

Lift it high, make it rain.

Lower the umbrella and bring it down.

It’s time for a pow wow.

Put the parachute on the ground.

Fold your arms and make a bow.

To say hello, you have to say “cow”

Pick up the parachute,

Get ready to go.

We’re off to find

Buffalo!

Parachute pow wow, parachute pow wow.

We did a rain dance to the sky,

And made an umbrella to keep us dry.

Parachute pow wow, parachute pow wow.

Pow wow, pow wow, pow wow.

Cow!