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).
- Millions of Snowflakes by Mary MacKenna Siddals
- No Two Snowflakes by Sheree Fitch
- Winter's First Snowflake by Cheri L. Hallwood
- 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.
