Parachute Game 🎈
Focus: Teamwork, sensory play, motor coordination, and fun group interaction.
Equipment: Large parachute, soft balls (foam or light), optional music
🎯
Main Activities:
🌀 1. Turning the Wheel
Everyone holds the parachute and steps backwards until it’s taut.
Begin slowly walking in a circle — like turning a big wheel.
Freeze! Change direction and go the other way.
Encourage teamwork: "We can only turn it if we work together!"
🌊 2. Wave Maker
Start with long, slow waves — lift the parachute high, then gently lower.
Feel the breeze! Great for cooling off on hot days.
Switch to fast, choppy waves — hold it at waist height and shake using your forearms.
Try the game with music to change rhythm (e.g., slow to fast).
🍿 3. Popcorn Time!
Lower the parachute to the floor but keep holding.
Coach adds soft balls (“popcorn seeds”) to the centre.
Everyone starts making small, fast waves to bounce the balls — like popcorn popping.
Once all balls are bouncing:
👉 “The popcorn’s cooked — time to launch it out of the pan!”
👉 Shake harder to pop the balls off!(Tip: keep extra balls handy in case they bounce off too quickly.)
Progression: Popcorn catchers, have some kids around the outside to catch the popcorn as it pops out of the Parachute: use catching nets/ tups
- Catch on rackets
- Older: hit balls back before balls roll.
- Two teams: COOKS (trying to shake balls off) and CLEANERS, trying to catch the balls when they spill and throw them back on the parachute; optional: can hit the ball back.
- Optional Time Trial: time which the team gets rid of all the popcorn first; declare a winner
⛺ 4. Parachute Tent (Bubble Dome)
Start with big waves, then on the next high lift, shout “Under the tent!”
Everyone walks forward, pulling the chute behind them and sits down on the outside edge (underside) of the parachute
Inside the bubble:
👉 Whisper high fives to coaches and friends 👋
👉 Ask a simple question like “What animal lives in a tent?” or “Can you see the stars?”
🧲 5. 1-2-3... Let Go!
End by gathering around. Coach counts “1… 2… 3…” and everyone lets go.
Coach pulls the parachute in for a big dramatic finish (kids love the whoosh).
🪶 Feathers – Simplifications for Younger Tots
Let parents hold the chute while children watch and slowly join in.
Use fewer balls for popcorn to reduce chaos.
Allow little ones just to feel the breeze if they don’t want to move.
Keep instructions very visual and animated — e.g., mime popcorn, animals, waves.
Sit under the tent for a moment can be a great time to sing a short rhyme or song 🎵.
🎮 Variations & Add-Ons:
🎨 Colour Games: Ask “Everyone holding blue – lift it up!”
🍂 Seasonal Popcorn:
Autumn = “Leaf shower” 🍁
Winter = “Snowflake bounce” ❄️
Spring = “Baby bunnies jumping” 🐰
Summer = “Beach balls on the waves” 🏖️
🎵 Musical Parachute: Play a track — move slow for verse, fast for chorus
👀 Object Search: Hide small soft toys under parachute — "Who can find the teddy?"
👧🧒 Older Tots / Tennis Titans 🎾• 🏃♂️🌈 Movement Challenges:
When you call a child’s name, they must run under the parachute and out again before it falls ⏱️ — everyone lifts the parachute up like a wave 🌊 and cheers 🎉 the runner underneath!
• 🌍 Around the World:
Everyone lifts the parachute high ⬆️ and calls someone's name 📣. That child must run around the outside of the circle 🌀 and return to their spot before:
A️⃣ the parachute falls 💥
B️⃣ they beat a count of 5 or 10 🔢
• 🏁 Around the World Race:
Throw the parachute up into the air 🪂 and call out two children’s names 👧👦 — they race around the outside and try to switch places before it lands. Optional: declare the winner 🥇!
- 🔢 Call out three children
- 🔢 Call out four children
⚠️ Safety Tip:
🚫 Never let two children run underneath the parachute at the same time — they could collide head-on 🤕!