Parachute Games

The last few times that I have done my Play and Learn I have had a parachute.  It is always a success and yet I have had a hard time remembering some of the great activities to do with it.  Thanks to a really helpful book Great Games for Young Children by Rae Pica I have some reminders.   Just looking at the parachute section titles --games came flooding back.  For those of you interested in planning your own detailed lesson plans her book  gives details on the games and also explains what cognitive, physical and social emotional development themes each activity addresses.

Here are a few of the activities I thought were the best:
Rotate it...
Circle with it ...on tiptoes, marching, galloping, jumping and hopping.
Play Elevator....as you raise parachute talk about elevators going up.
Simon says where people move the parachute to different parts of their body....or doing different activities with the chute.
Roll around a ball around it.  ( I remember this being challenging even when I was working with teenagers)
 Making Waves ( In which I would tell a story about a storm on the water.)
Popcorn: Using balls, or leaves or cotton, or flower petals try to keep "seasonal" things on the parachute.
Get the ball through the hole in the middle.

Years ago I worked at a camp where we had Hmong Family Day.  From elders to the very young there were smiles as the parachute went up and down.  Just as circle games have been played throughout the years and across cultures, the parachute brings people who might not "dance" together, collaborating and laughing.