Parachute - Parachute Games
For children to enjoy parachute games together as a group.
This can be done in one large group - depending on numbers, or two groups at a time (if two groups at a time, think about making some games a competition against teams).
Lesson Overview
Key Objectives
What game did you like the most and why?
What do you think makes the parachute games more enjoyable and fair? (if everyone abides by the rules and listens to the instrutions, everyone takes turns etc).
Mushroom
Have the children evenly space out around the parachute.
All at once, they must lift the parachute up, and bring it down - working together and at the same time.
Once this is achieved, the coach calls 'mushroom', and everyone lifts it up as high as they can, go under it (still holding the handles), and bring the parachute down and sit down on it.
This results in everyone inside the parachute, sitting down on its edge to keep it filled with air.
Number Switch
All children stand in a circle around the parachute, and are evenly labelled a number up to 4-5 (depending on class size).
Children work together and at the same time to move parachute up into the air, and down to the floor.
Coach calls out a number when the parachute is in the air, and the children with that number let go and run under the parachute, swapping spaces with another person of their number.
Progression:
- class works together to try and trap anyone under who didn't move quick enough.
- add a few objects (eg. two dodgeballs), under the parachute that the runners have to pick up on their way under.
Bouncing Balls
Students are evenly placed around the parachute and held at chest height (roughly or close to the tummy). Select 3-5 students (depending on class size) to be the "hitters" that will stand underneath the parachute. Place 4 foam balls (dodgeballs) on top of the parachute. The aim of this game is for the hitters to try and get the foam balls off the parachute by using any method they like. Students holding the parachute must protect the foam balls by maneuvering the parachute in a way so the foam balls move away from the hitters.
RULES:
- hitters are not allowed to hit the tarp so hard they disrupt the holders and pull it from their hands
- students on the outside must not let go of the parachute and have it collapse on the hitters underneath
PROGRESSIONS:
- add/subtract foam balls to increase the difficulty
- add/subtract hitters to increase difficulty
- time the rounds to have hitters vs holders, hitters will only have a certain amount of time to get all the foam balls off the parachute - if they do not hit them off in time then the holders win