Looking to build community in your classroom? Give parachute play a try!
Working Together with Parachute Play
Parachute play is a great way to promote teamwork and to get those large muscles moving.
The children gather around the parachute and hold on to one of the parachute handles. If there are more children then there are handles on the parachute, the children who are not holding a handle become the ball fetchers.
The balls are all placed in the center of the parachute and then the children begin to wave their arms up and down causing the balls to pop up and off of the parachute. The balls are very light weight so they pop up very easily.
The Popcorn Game
One game I like to play with the parachute is called the popcorn game. When all the balls are in the middle, the children say together, “Pop, Pop, Popcorn!” The children lift their arms up high whey they say word “popcorn” and then bring their arms back down. Repeat the activity again.
Circle games are also a fun way to use the parachute. All the children hold onto the edges of the parachute and then play “Ring Around the Rosie.”
Other Ways to Build Large Motor Skills
When planning your lesson plans, don’t forget to give your students plenty of large motor (also referred to as gross motor) activities to master. Children who are in full time childcare really need teachers to spend the time helping them practice such skills as skipping, jumping, marching, balancing, running, stretching, and more.