Parachute Games are Great Fun Indoors, Outdoors, or anywhere a group of children, teens or adults gather. Parachute Games are not only stimulating and fun, but they are a wonderful tool for building cooperation, social interaction, and active exercise!
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| Parachute Games for Kids, Teens, and Adults |
What You Will Need
- Parachute
Parachutes can make out of 2 large flat bed sheets sown together, but a ready-made parachute is not expensive, can be used many time, is easily cleaned and usually comes with handles or cutouts for easy griping. We Suggest our 12 Foot Parachute with easy-grip handles.
- Several balls of different shapes and colors
- 5-10 (or more) Children, depending on the size of your parachute and your tolerance to Fun, Joyful Noise!
Parachute on the Ground with Kids Evenly Spaced Around Edge
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| Parachute on the Ground with Kids Evenly Spaced Around Edge |
How to Get Started
Place the opened parachute on the
floor
Have the children stand or sit
around the edge of the parachute, depending on the activity
If the parachute has handles, the
children will grasp the parachute firmly by the handles
If the parachute does not have
handles, show the children how to gather several inches of the fabric into
their hands and hold tightly.
Designate a person (older child or
adult) as the Caller or Counter. It will
be their job to give directions in a loud, clear voice.
Practice lifting the parachute in
unison and lowering it together; it should billow out like a big balloon when
rising and then collapse back to the floor when lowered. The called should say, “UP” and all the
children should gently lift both arms together to make the parachute float
up. When the caller says, “DOWN”, the
children should lower their arms to the starting position. If a child is having
difficulty, an adult could give some hand-over-hand assistance until they are
able to perform the task independently. When
the children are able to raise and lower the parachute in a fairly coordinated
fashion, you are ready to try some of the activities below.
Suggested Activities
Run Under
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| Run Under Parachute |
As the children raise and lower
the parachute, the Caller will say the name of a child. The child will let go of the parachute and
run under the parachute to the opposite side.
When the child has reached the opposite side and take hold of the
parachute, the Caller will name another child to run under the parachute. This can continue until all of the children
have had at least one chance to run under.
Mouse Trap
The Caller will name a child to
run under the parachute, but this time all of the children will bring the
parachute down at the same time in an effort to “trap” or “capture” the running
child under the parachute. Make sure
that none of the children are “claustrophobic” ahead of time. The first child to be captured should be one
you are sure will set a good example about being “trapped”. The game continues until each child has had a
chance to be caught.
Ball Bounce
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| Ball Bounce |
The children will stand or sit so
that the parachute is taut. Place a ball
in the middle of the parachute and see how many times the children can work
together to flip the ball in the air and get it to land back in the
parachute. You will need a person to run
after balls that escape and pop out of the parachute. The Caller will help to
coordinate the efforts of the kids by rhythmically calling “up” and
“down”. The children should all count
the number of successful bounces. (You
might want to practice counting in Spanish, French, or another language you
know).
Popcorn Balls
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| "Popcorn" Balls |
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| Use Multiple Small Balls |
Place 2 or more balls in the
Parachute. Try to keep all of them in
the middle of the Parachute as you pop them up in the air and catch them again.
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| "Pop" the "Corn" by Lifting and Lowering |
Ball Roll
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| Ball Roll |
Have the children stand with the
parachute taut. Place a ball on the edge
of the parachute and try to make the ball go around the perimeter of the
parachute by having the child closest to the ball raise one arm and lower the
other in order to move the ball toward the child next to them. Each child in succession will perform the
same task, so that the ball will circulate.
(Think “wave”) This takes a great
deal of coordination and may not be appropriate for young children.
Switcheroo!
Get the Parachute moving up and
down in a smooth fashion. The Caller
will name two children who will then run under the parachute as it rises and
change places.
Parachute "Soccer"
Divide the parachute in half. The children on one side will compete against
the children on the other side of the parachute. Each side will work together to lift their
side of the parachute in order to make a ball roll off the opposite side. Each team will score a point when they make
the ball roll off their opponent’s side of the parachute.
Mushroom
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| Mushroom |
Have one child or adult stand under the parachute in the middle. The rest of the kids will sit under the parachute, tucking the parachute under their bottoms, thus making a Mushroom.
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| Under the Mushroom |
We welcome your comments and other game suggestions. The goal is to have fun, develop cooperation, interact socially, improve gross motor skills, and get a good cardiac work-out!!
Author: Trisha Robertswww.proeducationaltoys.com
Copyright © 2016 TNT Inspired Enterprise, LLC,
All rights reserved.
Unauthorized duplication is a violation of
applicable laws.
Games also contribute a great deal too social development. Many kids, because of problems at home, shyness or physical disability find it hard to react with others. Some adults can’t either, and nothing places one at a greater disadvantage in a business or social setting. Many developmental studies show that children that are normally withdrawn for whatever reasons, have shown a lot of improvement in their ability to cooperate with playmates, and have even increased their popularity among their playmates because of skills brought about by playing games. Tests done with shy adults have had similar results.
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