Parachute play is a great way to help children develop large motor skills and exercise indoors on a cold, winter day. With this creative activity from Learn Every Day About Seasons, your children ages 3+ will have a blast as they learn how to follow directions and work as a group. All you will need to do beforehand is cut out a few paper snowflakes!
Snowflakes in the Parachute
Vocabulary to Use During This Activity:
- Down
- High
- Low
- Season
- Snowflake
- Under
- Up
- Winter
What to Do:
- Read the children a book about snowflakes (see below for suggestions).
- Talk to the children about snowflakes and how they fall.
- Show the children the parachute, and ask them to help lay it out flat on the ground.
- Ask the children to stand around the outside of the parachute, hold it with both hands, and lift it into the air.
- Take out the snowflakes and toss them into the parachute. Invite the children to shake the parachute to make the snowflakes dance.
- Challenge the children by having them move to the left or right while making the snowflakes fall. Or have the children make the snowflakes jump slightly or jump very high.
- Talk with the children about how all of this requires them to work as a group.
Teacher-to-Teacher Tip:
- Have the children practice the moves with an empty parachute first. Direct them to move the parachute up, down, fast, slow, high, low, and so on.
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
- Are the children able to follow directions to make the snowflakes dance in particular ways?
- Can the children work together successfully?
For more activities about seasons, check out Learn Every Day About Seasons. For more parachute play activities, check out 3-2-1: Time for Parachute Fun.
Instructions
l Wrap each box in white paper.
l Attach each box starting with the large one on the bottom, the medium-sized
one in the middle, and the smallest one at the top.
l Provide numerous pieces of the snowperson's labeled clothing and label each
feature and article of winter clothing.
What To Do
1. Talk with the children about snow and snowpersons. Ask the children if they
have ever built or seen snowpersons.
2. Show the children the box snowperson. Spread out the articles of clothing,
naming each one for the children and showing them where the names are on
each item.
3. Ask the children to imagine how the snowperson feels in the snow with no
clothes on. Tell the children they can help keep the snowperson warm by
dressing it.
4. Invite the children to take turns rolling the die, and then counting the number
of dots on the exposed face of the die. Then have the child add that number
of articles of clothing to the snowperson, naming the items as she goes, as well
as describing what part of the snowperson each item is covering.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Can the children name the snowperson's body parts (neck, ears, legs, arms)
they are covering with the clothes?
l Can the children count the number of dots on the die?
